Clean My Mac Addict Needs Help

CleanMyMac , aka “ BrickMyMac “ ?

There are two schools of thought when dealing with CleanMyMac aka “ BrickMyMac “

The steps in #1 below is predicated on the Offending  Application has been Removed as per the Developers Specific Instruction 

# 1 Some Contributors suggest restarting in Recovery Mode and choosing to Reinstall the Operating System over the existing installation. 

This may or may not replace elements of the  Home Folder ( User Account )  and replace any corrupted or removed elements and make things right.

#2 - Then there are Other Contributors ( like myself ) would suggest  from this link Use Disk Utility to erase a Mac with Apple silicon.

Use the Erase All Content and Settings feature to quickly and securely erase all settings, data, and apps, while maintaining the operating system currently installed.

For Intel computer >> Use Disk Utility to erase an Intel-based Mac followed by How to reinstall macOS

Thereafter to start from scratch and install all Required Applications directly from the Apple Apps Store or Directly from the Developer.

If going this route - I suggest Not using Startup Assist to migrate things back as this will probably Re-Introduce the existing  issue at the time TM Backup was made 

PS >> Even If one removes all the bit and pieces of CleanMyMac

Pls >> The computer will not work as well without a Scorched Earth Approach

Alalucha wrote:

Wow. Thanks. That sounds like a lot of work to me. Mayby I'll just leave it alone.

John Galt wrote:

Removing it is not a problem. Undoing the damage it inflicts is the problem, and the only practicable remedy for that is to erase the Mac and reconfigure it as new.Latent effects of having used "cleaning" apps may not appear until well after they are removed. Often, they manifest only after a macOS update or upgrade. I surmise this fact explains the overwhelming majority of "upgrading macOS messed up my Mac" complaints that arise with predictable disturbing regularity on this site. But if your Mac is working ok — if it isn't exhibiting any performance degradation, unresponsiveness, inexplicable crashes, or other anomalous behavior — I'd be inclined to leave well enough alone too.

Having said that I erase any Mac that has ever been affected by any such "cleaning" app, latent effects notwithstanding. I don't want the responsibility for the ticking time bombs they implant.

I have never used CMM so can't speak from direct experience as a CMM user. But based on other user posts where a Mac has malfunctioned and it is traced back to CMM, the damage stems from a few possible causes:

• Depending on how CMM was used, it may have deleted some files (which could be user files or files from normally protected folders). Programs like CMM are designed to DELETE ("clean") files, after all. Once those files are gone, the operating system (for that user, or for all users) may not function properly. The symptoms can vary widely from innocuous to serious. At this point, UNINSTALLING CMM can indeed remove it but those missing files are still gone and their absence still can wreak havoc with the Mac.
• Perhaps even more insidious, in earlier versions of the macOS, the user could readily access some files but that access may have since been removed (new versions of macOS sometimes change these things, perhaps for security reasons). Or new versions of the macOS may change locations of some files but them having been previously removed means the OS update does not complete normally and then people report, "the macOS update killed my Mac."

I have only erased/formatted a working Mac (factory reset) and restored user files, as suggested by Mr. Hoffman, only once. It was actually fairly straightforward (Apple provides instructions):

What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support

Erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings - Apple Support

However, the restoration process from the backup is simply similar to how one migrates from the backup to a brand new Mac. It would be best to bring back only user accounts and user files, no apps, no settings, no other things. And then reinstall all software fresh (leaving out tools like CMM this time).

Alternatively, you could just leave things as is and see how it goes. But as John Galt said, it might be like a ticking time bomb, not sure I could live with that.

Removing it is not a problem. Undoing the damage it inflicts is the problem, and the only practicable remedy for that is to erase the Mac and reconfigure it as new.

Latent effects of having used "cleaning" apps may not appear until well after they are removed. Often, they manifest only after a macOS update or upgrade. I surmise this fact explains the overwhelming majority of "upgrading macOS messed up my Mac" complaints that arise with predictable disturbing regularity on this site. But if your Mac is working ok — if it isn't exhibiting any performance degradation, unresponsiveness, inexplicable crashes, or other anomalous behavior — I'd be inclined to leave well enough alone too.

Having said that I erase any Mac that has ever been affected by any such "cleaning" app, latent effects notwithstanding. I don't want the responsibility for the ticking time bombs they implant.

Cleaning apps can potentially leave corruptions. You can try the vendor removal instructions, of course.

Back up, factory reset macOS, and use Setup to migrate in just files and documents and not apps.

MrHoffman wrote:

Back up, factory reset macOS, and use Setup to migrate in just files and documents and not apps.

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