Best clean up utility for Mac OS X?

Iamawesome997 wrote:

Hi everyone,

Recently, there have been two OS X clean up utilities for which I've been getting ads for.

They are:

-CleanMyMac 2

-MacKeeper 2012

I want to know which is better.

Thanks.

Steer clear of both. A computer restart does more good than what either of these promise.

Cheers

Pete

How to maintain a Mac

1. Make redundant backups, keeping at least one off site at all times. One backup is not enough. Don’t back up your backups; make them independent of each other. Don’t rely completely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.

2. Keep your software up to date. In the Software Update preference pane, you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis. This is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all such modifications that you use are compatible.

3. Don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, this stuff is useless, or worse than useless.

The more actively promoted the product, the more likely it is to be garbage. The most extreme example is the “MacKeeper” scam.

As a rule, the only software you should install is that which directly enables you to do the things you use a computer for — such as creating, communicating, and playing — and does not modify the way other software works. Use your computer; don't fuss with it.

Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve.

The free anti-malware application ClamXav is not crap, and although it’s not routinely needed, it may be useful in some environments, such as a mixed Mac-Windows enterprise network.

4. Beware of trojans. A trojan is malicious software (“malware”) that the user is duped into installing voluntarily. Such attacks were rare on the Mac platform until sometime in 2011, but are now increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous.

There is some built-in protection against downloading malware, but you can’t rely on it — the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness — not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.

Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be acquired directly from the developer. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from a web page without your having requested it should go straight into the Trash. A website that claims you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, is rogue.

In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.

Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most users don't.

5. Don't fill up your boot volume. A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a boot failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem. While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage consumption and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.

If storage space is running low, use a tool such as the free application OmniDiskSweeperto explore your volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move rarely-used large files to secondary storage.

6. Relax, don’t do it. Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.

The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

While I would agree Mackeeper and Cleanupmymac are not great, I do like Onyx for Mac and I Love diskwarrior. I have seen diskwarrior make drives a lot faster after running it, and even make drives not booting come back and at least let me extract files off them, or even run normally again. I also have tech tool pro however I don't think it really does much other then I test RAM with it. Drive Genuis is popular and used by Apple Genuises, however I didn't care for it after it modified some files on me once.

OS X does an excellent job of keeping itself clean all by itself and all of the "Cleaner" apps available can cause more problems than they solve in the hands of the average user. Just follow Linc's advice and you should be fine. If you have a specific issue that you can't figure out, describe it in a new topic and there's a good chance that a free solution is available.

natedog42 wrote:

I do like Onyx for Mac

As do I, but I suspect "Maintenance" from the same developer is a safer utility for new users.

I also have tech tool pro however I don't think it really does much other then I test RAM with it.

I use and like the eDrive capability of TTP and the S.M.A.R.T. testing has improved, but I still prefer Smart Utility or SoftRaid for HHD failure prediction.

Drive Genuis is popular and used by Apple Genuises, however I didn't care for it after it modified some files on me once.

It did bring back one hard drive that Disk Utility, DiskWarrior and TTP gave up on a few years back, so I keep it around, just in case.

Thread revival. (Note, I'm running Mavericks) I just went through a situation where my 2011 MBP after 2 major OS upgrades turned into a giant slug. There was no self cleaning, nothing going on other than what a clean install would cure. I did this through Apple Care with Apple tech support. I'm thinking that if the MacOS cleaned itself, this situation would not have developed. I would really love to have something like Clean Up Utilities (PC only) for Mac which keeps my bootcamp version of Windows7 running strong.

I have to say up front that I'm having difficulty following this and am uncertain where to start.

Dave Peck wrote:

I just went through a situation where my 2011 MBP after 2 major OS upgrades turned into a giant slug. There was no self cleaning, nothing going on other than what a clean install would cure. I did this through Apple Care with Apple tech support.

Were these major OS upgrades that would have involved a lot of obsolete third party apps that needed to be upgrades or simple upgrades within the same OS X family?

Describe in detail what you mean by "Clean Install" as this terminology seems to mean different things to different people.

Exactly what was it that Apple did or had you do?

I'm thinking that if the MacOS cleaned itself, this situation would not have developed.

And it does, to some extent, but without knowing exactly what issues you suffered from, I don't really know what else might have been needed.

I would really love to have something like Clean Up Utilities (PC only) for Mac which keeps my bootcamp version of Windows7 running strong.

You really made a "U-Turn" on me with this one. I thought we were talking about OS X and now you bring up bootcamp and Windows7? Nothing you run on OS X is going to be able to help you with Windows 7, it's running all by itself and not associated with OS X. If this is where your problems lie, then perhaps using Clean Up Utilities (which I'm totally unfamiar with) in your Windows partition is exactly what you need.

On the other hand, if this really does have something to do with OS X and Linc's suggestions don't help, I know of several other guidelines and mostly free utilities that might help you out if I had any idea what your "slug" problems are.

Oh, and one last thing. Thread revivals rarely work out. They won't attract any new users that might be able to help, the problems you have would seem to be totally different from what the OP mentions and we need to hear some details on your exact issues. Strongly suggest you abandon this and start a new thread.

Message was edited by: MadMacs0

Yes, thread revival.

I agree; most 3rd party cleaning (& other utility) apps are no good. I am also leary of Onyx apps - they are NOT for the faint of heart. You could really mess up something unaware. I did that!

I have used TinkerTool System (along with the free TinkerTool) for several years and I have never had an issue with it. It has some cleaning functions and they work well. - like the internet cache cleaning and log cleaning. It behaves very safely and won't let you delete or mess with things you shouldn't. It is also not for the faint of heart, but only has a slight learning curve which is pretty user friendly. Read all the tips and help. Like I said, I have had nothing but a good experience with it on both my Macs.

But, to be on the safe side if you're not a "super-user" etc., then following Linc's directions (he usually gives easy-to-follow, clear instructions/guidelines) is right on.

There ya go.

A "super-user" would be someone who has self-taught, experience based computer knowledge and feels pretty comfortable using and changing the OS files and settings, etc., especially on their own computer. They're not just a basic "user" of the computer, they take it further than that. However, they're not quite a computer tech.

Heck no, not me. I've heard it used for years; I've worked a lot with computer techs and IT departments. That must have been where I first heard it. That's what I've always surmised it to be. It's not a formal definition; that's why I used quotes.

Do you have/use a different description of it?

Or, I guess maybe you're saying you've only heard power-user, not super-user.

What would be definition of Power User? Pretty close?

Hello Léon86.

I see your wiki definition, but I do not agree that I am incorrect. My definition and usage of the "super-user" term was based on personal experience and opinion - of mine and fellow coworkers. Hence, there is no "incorrect" when you are referring to personal experience. I was not saying my definition and usage was the "official" definition.

And, we used the term "super-user" not "power-user." We never said that - myself and fellow coworkers.

😉

Have a good day!

Pete asked: What is a super user?

He didn't ask: how do you personally use the term super user?

If I use the term "cow" to describe a mug with my friends, and someone asks me "what is a mug?"... If I then describe a cow I would actually be wrong.

So I'm not saying you're not allowed to use the term Super User to describe a Power user. I'm just saying that if someone asks what a Super User is, you are wrong if you then describe a Power User. Let's not propagate incorrect definitions if we don't have to.

In my original post that I used the term "super-user," I put quotes around it, which in my book implies that I am not using it in an official sense. In my next reply to him, I again used quotes. My last reply to him, I even asked him if he had a different description of it.

I am not propagating incorrect definitions, as I never said I was giving a definition. It does not matter what his question was - I did not quote a dictionary or an online "wiki" which is actually written by contributers and is not even an "official" definition!! And, that is my opinion!

Please, I don't know why you are being so rude. I am only saying I cannot be incorrect, as I was just stating MY opinion and experience!!

Please do not use these forums for this kind of posts. It is not productive.

I will not be replying to any more posts about this, but it will not mean that I am in agreement with you in any way!

I agree with everyone here that it's a waste to pay for and it can actually do some damage to your os. Steer clear. However I would recommend downloading the free app called memory clean from the app store. If you've been using a lot of ram and your computer is running even at all slow, this app will "clean out" your ram and free up some temporary memory. I use it all the time and it definitely makes a difference. Hope that helps!

jman66 wrote:

I would recommend downloading the free app called memory clean from the app store.

Unless you are running OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) and above, in which case it defeats the new Memory Management process which efficiently keeps RAM as full as possible to avoid having to access your drive. It will actually slow things down and use more energy if you use it to automatically purge RAM. If you are a Mavericks user and find it's new process is slowing things down, that indicates you don't have enough RAM to match your computer habits and need to invest in more, not something like Memory Clean.