Erase the Mac and reconfigure it from the ground up.
The first thing I do with any Mac that has ever been affected by any non-Apple "cleaning" product is to erase it. It saves time and aggravation — both of which are mine to save. However, if you are so motivated and have sufficient time to explore options short of that, review the following. Some of it may need to be adapted to the particular macOS version you are using, and if you have questions regarding that please write back.
As a category, non-Apple "cleaning" products are scams. Merely uninstalling them, even when performed in strict accordance with their instructions (which often don't work) is usually an insufficient remedy due to the effects of having used them.
Very briefly stated, the recovery procedure from having used such things is as follows, and in the following order:
- Back up the Mac using Time Machine or an equivalent backup strategy
- Remove the scam "cleaning" products according to their instructions, and evaluate
- Reinstall macOS using macOS Recovery, and evaluate
- Reinstall all other potentially affected apps, and evaluate
- Erase the Mac completely, followed by reinstalling macOS, followed by reinstalling essential apps from their original sources, followed by migrating User content from the Time Machine backup.
Since the results of Steps 2-4 are almost always unsatisfactory, I omit them as unnecessarily time-consuming.
An expanded procedure for Step 5 is provided below. Be sure to read everything and understand its implications. Less drastic solutions certainly exist, but this one will probably result in the least amount of your time and need for constant interaction. It is also unequivocally supported by Apple's published documentation, is what a Genius Bar would do if you were to pay them to do it, and it is the exact same procedure I use given a Mac that has been affected by similarly categorized products.
To recover from the effects of having used "CleanMyMac" to modify your Mac, the additional software you require and the essential files you need, follow the applicable recovery procedure below:
- If you have a backup that you created prior to using CleanMyMac, now is the time to use it. For Time Machine, boot macOS Recovery, and at the Mac OS X / macOS Utilities screen, choose Restore from Time Machine Backup. Choose a date preceding the installation of CleanMyMac.
- If you do not have a backup that predates the use of CleanMyMac, create one now. To do that read Use Time Machine to back up.
- The recovery procedure will require that you completely erase the Mac using macOS Recovery, and then create a new User Account whose contents will be empty. You will then be able to use Setup Assistant to migrate your essential documents including photos, music, work products and other essential files.
- To erase and install OS X / macOS read How to reinstall macOS.
- Follow the instructions in that document under use Disk Utility to erase your built-in hard disk.
- Then, follow the procedure in Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant.
- When asked how you want to transfer your information, select Transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk.
- Under Select the Information to Transfer, select only your previous User account and do not select "Applications", "Computer and Network Settings" or "Other files and folders". De-select those choices.
- Subsequent to using Setup Assistant, you will need to reinstall the essential software you may require, once again remembering to install software only from their original sources, and omitting all non-essential software.
- "Non-essential software" is a broad category that includes but is not limited to third party "cleaning", "maintenance", and "anti-virus" products.
