Install cleanmymac with Homebrew Cask

Project links

• Homepage
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

No executable aliases were found in the local package database.

Project history

MacPaw began in 2008 when student and future CEO Oleksandr Kosovan developed CleanMyMac. The first version focused on caches, trash, and other system junk; CleanMyMac 2 improved scanning and added an uninstaller.

CleanMyMac 3 launched in 2015 with a broader collection of modules, including Privacy, Maintenance, iTunes Junk, and Mail Attachments. CleanMyMac X followed in 2018 as a comprehensive cleanup, protection, and performance suite with Smart Scan, Malware Removal, Updater, Assistant, and a redesigned menu.

In October 2024 MacPaw introduced a redesigned generation under the simpler CleanMyMac name. The current product continues to combine cleanup, protection, performance, application management, storage review, and menu-based system monitoring.

Adoption history

CleanMyMac became MacPaw's founding product and evolved through several paid major releases. The original cleaner expanded into CleanMyMac 2, CleanMyMac 3, CleanMyMac X, and the subsequently renamed CleanMyMac generation, adding uninstalling, privacy, maintenance, malware detection, updating, menu monitoring, and performance tools.

Distribution broadened beyond MacPaw's own store to include Setapp and the Mac App Store, with some capabilities varying by marketplace because of platform restrictions. Long-lived availability and a polished consumer interface helped make CleanMyMac one of the most recognizable commercial utilities in the macOS cleanup category.

How it is used

Users scan with broad modules such as Smart Care, My Clutter, Protection, Performance, and Applications, then review the detected items or recommended tasks before acting.

Common workflows include deleting junk, reviewing large and old files, uninstalling applications and leftovers, running macOS maintenance tasks, checking for malware, clearing selected privacy traces, and monitoring storage, memory, battery, or network status from the menu component.

Some removal operations permanently bypass Trash, and feature availability differs between MacPaw Store, Setapp, and Mac App Store editions. Users should review selections and maintain backups before deleting data.

Why package nerds care

CleanMyMac is a prominent example of the commercial macOS maintenance suite: it combines several tasks that Unix-oriented users might otherwise perform with separate tools or scripts, including cache cleanup, large-file review, application removal, maintenance jobs, privacy cleanup, and malware scanning.

It is also a recurring point of discussion among package enthusiasts because system cleaners require unusually broad permissions and make deletion decisions. MacPaw consequently documents review screens, safety controls, Full Disk Access, edition differences, and cases where files are deleted permanently rather than moved to Trash.

Timeline

• 2008: Oleksandr Kosovan began MacPaw with the development and release of CleanMyMac.
• 2015: CleanMyMac 3 added privacy, maintenance, media-junk, and mail-attachment tools.
• 2018: CleanMyMac X introduced a redesigned, broader cleanup, protection, and performance suite.
• 2023-04: MacPaw ended sales and development of CleanMyMac Classic and CleanMyMac 3.
• 2024-10-16: MacPaw introduced the redesigned product under the CleanMyMac name.

Related projects

• Moonlock Engine supplies MacPaw's malware-detection technology used by CleanMyMac.
• Setapp, also created by MacPaw, is one of CleanMyMac's distribution channels.
• CleanMyMac Classic, CleanMyMac 3, and CleanMyMac X are earlier generations in the same product line.

Sources

• Official MacPaw history: https://macpaw.com/about
• Official anniversary history: https://macpaw.com/news/cleanmymac-anniversary
• Official knowledge base: https://macpaw.com/support/cleanmymac/knowledgebase
• Official legacy-support notice: https://macpaw.com/news/product-support-ended
• Official product page: https://macpaw.com/cleanmymac