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Does anyone recommend using "CleanMyMac3" application?

I have a MacBook Air running OS X version 10.10.5. I'm new to MAC and don't know the utilities. I downloaded an application called CleanMyMac3 the does a file clean-up , etc. The software wants me to buy something or upgrade. Is this product safe to use?

MacBook Air (11-inch Mid 2012), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Nov 24, 2015 3:17 PM

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6 replies

Nov 25, 2015 9:21 AM in response to rrummel

I downloaded an application called CleanMyMac3 the does a file clean-up , etc.


Remove it immediately, by following the instructions below. Use no other technique, procedure, or utility to accomplish that task. If you already used it to alter your system, you will have a lot more work to do.



To remove CleanMyMac 3 itself, use its Uninstaller module, followed by these additional steps:


Remove the file ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist

  • To navigate to that file, copy and paste the following line into the Finder's Go menu > Go To Folder...

~/Library/LaunchAgents/

  • Locate the following file and drag it to the Trash:
  • com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist

    • Then, open  (Apple menu) > System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items.
    • Select the item CleanMyMac3 Menu
    • Click the [—] (minus) button.
    • Restart your Mac.


    Beware that reinstalling OS X alone will have no effect on either removing CleanMyMac or reversing the damage it is capable of inflicting upon a system. To recover from the effects of having used it to modify OS X, 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 OS X Recovery, and at the Mac OS X 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 or restore your Mac.
      • The recovery procedure will require that you erase the Mac using OS X 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 read How to reinstall OS X on your Mac.
        • Follow the instructions in that document under Erase your drive and install OS X.
        • Then, follow the procedure in Move your content to a new Mac.
        • 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.
    • Never install any product that claims to "clean up", "speed up", "optimize", "boost" or "accelerate" your Mac; to "wash" it, "tune" it, or to make it "shiny". Those claims are absurd.

      Such products are very aggressively marketed. They are all scams.



    I'm new to MAC and don't know the utilities.


    Please read Effective defenses against malware and other threats.

    Nov 24, 2015 4:53 PM in response to rrummel

    How to maintain a Mac

    Make two or more backups of all your files

    One backup is not enough to be safe. A copy of a backup doesn't count as another backup; all backups must be made directly from the original data.

    Keep at least one backup off site at all times in case of disaster. Backing up to a cloud-data service is one way to meet this need, but don't rely exclusively on such backups.

    In fact, don’t rely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine.

    If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.

    Keep your software up to date

    In the App Store or Software Update preference pane (depending on the OS version), 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.

    Keeping up to date is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Don't install such modifications unless they're absolutely necessary. Remove them when they are no longer needed. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all system modifications that you use are compatible. Incompatibility with third-party software is by far the most common cause of difficulties with system updates.

    Don't install crapware

    ...such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, such stuff is useless or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.

    It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole "utility" software industry for the Mac is a fraud on consumers. The most extreme examples are the "CleanMyMac," "TuneUpMyMac," and “MacKeeper” scams, but there are many others.

    As a rule, you should avoid software that changes the way other software works. Plugins for Photoshop and similar programs are an obvious exception to this rule. The Mac App Store has extensions for the Photos app, and perhaps others, that should be safe. Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.

    Only install software that is useful to you, not (as you imagine) to the computer. For example, a word processor is useful for writing. A video editor is useful for making movies. A game is useful for fun. But a "cache cleaner" isn't useful for anything. You didn't buy a computer so you could clean caches.

    Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve. Do not rely on "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.

    Don't install bad, conflicting, or unnecessary fonts

    Whenever you install new fonts, use the validation feature of the built-in Font Book application to make sure the fonts aren't defective and don't conflict with each other or with others that you already have. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions.

    Deactivate or remove fonts that you don't really need to speed up application launching.

    Avoid malware

    "Malware" is malicious software that circulates on the Internet. This kind of attack on OS X was once so rare that it was hardly a concern, but it's now increasingly common and dangerous.

    There is some built-in protection against 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 "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" products for 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 that doesn't come from the Mac App Store, such as Adobe Flash Player, must come directly from the developer's website. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from the web, without your having requested it, should go straight into the Trash. A web page that tells you that your computer has a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with it, is a scam.

    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 people don't.

    Don't fill up your disk or SSD

    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 startup 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 use 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 OmniDiskSweeperto explore the volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move seldom-used large files to secondary storage.

    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," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention. Permission repair is not even possible in OS X 10.11 ("El Capitan") or later.

    To use a Mac effectively, you have to free yourself from the Windows mindset that every computer needs regular downtime for maintenance such as "defragging" and "registry cleaning." Those concepts do not apply to the Mac platform.

    A well-designed computing device is not something you should have to think about much. It should be an almost transparent medium through which you communicate, work, and play. If you want a machine that needs a lot of attention just to keep going, use a PC, or collect antique cars.

    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.

    Nov 25, 2015 9:26 AM in response to rrummel

    John Galt,


    I followed your instruction and uninstalled the program. I could not find the file: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist

    to delete. I also removed the menu item CleanMyMac3 Menu


    I'm not sure if I need to restore OS X. I did start the program looking at files but then aborted so I don't know if any files were damaged.


    Thank you,


    Bob Rummel

    Nov 27, 2015 11:32 AM in response to rrummel

    Hi Bob,


    If your Mac is running properly there is no need to do anything else. As long as you uninstalled it, the only problems that can result from having installed CleanMyMac would be the consequences of having actually used it to alter files such as required OS X components, other files, programs, or components of each.


    That's what I meant by having written "If you already used it to alter your system, you will have a lot more work to do."

    Does anyone recommend using "CleanMyMac3" application?

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