How to Use CleanMyMac X? Is It Safe? (Beginner’s Guide)

Tips • Updated on July 7, 2022

macOS is great at managing your device, and if you have recently bought a new Mac, it makes little sense to worry about performance loss. In contrast, if you have an older desktop or laptop working great for a year or so, getting a Mac cleaner app would make a lot more sense.

One of my favorite utilities for keeping a Mac in tip-top condition is CleanMyMac X from MacPaw Software. It has been the go-to optimization app for users for over 10 years. With CleanMyMac X, managing your Mac the right way will lead to having:

Better performance and system stability
Improved responsiveness and animations
Faster access to files and quick processing
Improved data security and privacy
More space and storage capacities

CleanMyMac X however, you would need something to help you maintain the experience and better manage your device. This is where CleanMyMac X comes to the rescue. It works wonders to clean trash files, improve privacy, remove junk or malware, and maintain performance throughout your device’s life.

So, let’s explore how safe CleanMyMac is, how to install it, how to use the app, and whether you should be installing it or not.

Is CleanMyMac X safe to use?

A common question for everyone looking to get the app. It’s best to be safe and research the app you’re installing. This is why we looked and scanned the app as best as possible to figure out if it posed any risk to our Mac.

In fact, the app is also listed on the Mac App Store, assuring that Apple has scanned through the app and didn’t find any errors or malware that may pose any risk to the consumer. Hence, CleanMyMac X is entirely safe to use, and you can rest assured that all your data would be protected and kept secure.

As a first-time user who is skeptical about how good of a job CleanMyMac X actually does, there is no better way to find out than your fellow users. Scoring an “Excellent” score on TrustPilot, CleanMyMac X has managed to bag more than 300 customers who loved it enough to leave stellar reviews online. Furthermore, the customer service was quick to address the concerns left behind by some reviewers, which further cements our confidence in the after-sales support.

So, how to use CleanMyMac X?

CleanMyMac X is one of the best cleaner apps for Mac on the internet. With hundreds of positive reviews and a beautiful aesthetic, it stands strong to deliver a seamless experience with your Mac. This led us to try the app, and it was fantastic. We used an old run-down Mac with a lot of testing parameters to notice the performance improvements clearly, and here’s how you can do so as well:

How to install CleanMyMac X?

So, you’ve decided on getting CleanMyMac X for your device. Well, the app can quickly be installed by following the process below:

Firstly, download the app from the MacPaw page linked here, or through the Setapp membership linked here.
Now, let the app install, and then you should be greeted with a screen similar to the screenshot above.
Finally, click on the “Unlock Full Version” button, then on the “Activate Now” button, and enter the activation key.

Note: If you don’t have the activation key already, click on the “Buy Plan” button to get yourself started.

How to clean system storage?

As the name suggests, CleanMyMac X helps you clean your Mac. Yeah, the big reveal, the cleaning process can help you remove junk files and other unused data that can occupy a lot of storage space with no real benefits. So, if you are struggling with maintaining free storage space and need a tool to help you clean all the junk on your Mac, then CleanMyMac X is the way to go.

You can definitely use Apple’s “Optimize Storage” inbuilt tool, but that doesn’t clean everything or allow you to choose which data you want to remove. In contrast, CleanMyMac X has better control over the data and also helps you deep clean your Mac. You can follow the step-by-step process below to scan and clean your Mac’s storage.

Firstly, download the CleanMyMac X app from the link above or just search it up on the app store
Next, let the app install and then run it, and you would be greeted with the home page for the app
Look for the “System Junk” button on the left tab and do a scan by clicking on the big “Scan” button.
Finally, select all the files you want to remove and click on the “Remove” button to delete all the junk and make some free storage space.

Note: We recommend you also browse the “Large and Old Files” tab as it will filter all the files that haven’t been used for a year and make it easy to sort out and delete older files.

How to improve performance and responsiveness?

The next thing that you can use CleanMyMac X for is to improve performance and responsiveness for your Mac. It can help you get your old Mac back to speed and improve the responsiveness of all the tasks you do.

You can use Mac’s inbuilt Activity Manager to clear apps and free up some RAM, but the process can feel clunky and time-consuming. In contrast, the CleanMyMac X has a one-stop approach for removing cache, freeing up some RAM, and doing maintenance checks simultaneously. All you need to do is follow the steps below.

Run the app and select the Optimization button from the left tab, as shown above in the screenshot
Let the scan complete, and then click on the “Optimize” button to let the app start freeing up RAM and cleaning the cache files
Finally, you should be greeted with a screen showing all the optimizations done, and you should feel a considerable difference in the overall performance

Note: You can also use the “Maintainance” tool to achieve better performance optimization and faster and quicker responsiveness from your Mac.

How to find and remove mail clutter?

Managing all the files downloaded with mails can get challenging and demanding on your Mac system. However, CleanMyMac X makes cleaning these attachments easy with a tool that can remove all the unwanted files in minutes. All you need to do is click on a button and relax as the tool does its job. You can follow the process below to get started with cleaning your Mail clutter:

Firstly, run the CleanMyMac X app and then look for the “Mail Attachments” button on the left tab
Next, click on the “Scan” button as shown above and let it scan for all the mail clutter present on your device
Now, select all the files you want to remove and click on the “Clean” button to remove the files.

How to find and remove photo junk?

Another type of junk file that can remain hidden on your Mac is Photo junk. It can take up a lot of storage space which makes your Mac slow and choppy. However, you can use the Photo Junk tool present on CleanMyMac X to quickly remove all the junk files and clean your system.

Firstly, run the app and select the “Photo Junk” button on the left tab
Next, click on the “Scan” button to run a quick scan of your device, as shown above in the screenshot
Now, select all the junk photos you want to remove and hit the “Clean” button present on the bottom to remove all the files.

How to remove malware and ads?

Ads can be annoying to deal with, and malware is another thing that brings high-security concerns and risks. Apple takes significant steps in securing your device and keeping it safe from malware and viruses, but nothing is perfect, and your Mac can still be infected.

However, dealing with the infected files can be challenging, and CleanMyMac X helps make the process easier. We used it to scan through many files and check if our Mac was as secure as it is supposed to be. In fact, you can also do the same and be sure that your files are secure. All you need to do is the step by step process below:

Run the app and click on the “Malware Removal” tool from the left tab
Next, click on the “Scan” button and then let the app scan through all the files
Now, if the app does show any malware on your device, then remove it and make your Mac safe
If the app doesn’t show any risk, you can rest assured that your Mac is safe and secure from viruses or malware.

Note: You can also use the “Privacy” feature on the left tab to improve your Mac’s overall security and data protection capabilities.

How to clear app/browser cache on a Mac?

Clearing your app/browser cache on your Mac can help solve a lot of issues. Whether YouTube is bugging out on your browser or if any app is not working correctly, cleaning and removing the cache files can help a tonne. Hence, you can follow the steps below to clear all the cache files from your Mac system:

Firstly, run the app and click on the “System Junk” tool on the left tab
Now, do a quick scan, and you should be greeted with a screen similar to the screenshot above.
Now, select the “User Cache Files” and hit the “Clean” button to clear all app/browser cache on your Mac

How to uninstall unused apps?

Uninstalling unused apps is simple, but some users forget to uninstall apps that they don’t use. This can take up storage space and slow down your Mac if the app is running in the background. However, CleanMyMac X makes it easy to remove these applications and make your Mac a little smoother. So, follow the instructions below to clean all unused apps from your Mac.

Run the app and then select the “Uninstaller” section from the left tab
Now, click on the “All Applications” tab and sort the apps that haven’t been used for a while
Finally, select the apps you want to remove and click on the “Uninstall” button to remove the app, as shown above in the screenshot.

Note: You can also sort the apps from the “Vendors” tab making it easy to browse all the installed applications on your Mac system.

How to check your storage better?

Managing your storage space can feel challenging, and it is essential to keep it free and available for other files. However, managing it can get tedious, but if you have CleanMyMac X, the process becomes a lot smoother. It can help you get more analytics on your storage drive and help it perform better to improve transfer speeds and get a seamless experience every time. All you need to do is follow the steps below:

Firstly, run the app and look for the “Space Lens” tool in the left tab
Now, select your drive as shown above in the screenshot and click on the “Scan” button
This will end up taking a little bit of time depending on the number of files you have, and once it has all been scanned, you will be able to see all your files and folders sorted through various factors.
Now, you can easily select and delete any file you want or clear the Trash Bins to get more storage space

Note: CleanMyMac X hides all macOS system files, so rest assured that you won’t accidentally delete anything important.

How to monitor your system health?

Finally, you can also use CleanMyMac X to quickly and effectively monitor your Mac’s health. This can help you notify about low RAM, excessive trash, and unresponsive applications. All you need to do is follow the steps below:

Run the app and then click on the “Preferences” to open up the settings window
Next, click on the “Menu” tab and select the “Enable CleanMyMac Menu” checkbox
Now, select all the three checkboxes below and customize the storage threshold accordingly
Finally, save the settings, and you should be able to see the CleanMyMac icon on the menu bar of your Mac’s home screen for quicker and easier access.

The CleanMyMac X menu provides a quick overview of system protection, memory, CPU usage, storage, and battery. For instance, you can check the temperature of the CPU or the status of the battery. It will be an effective way to keep track of things without opening the full app.

The best part? The CleanMyMac X menu also lets you perform actions from the menu. For instance, if you feel that an app is consuming more resources than it should, you can quit the app right away. You can also toggle some features in the same way.

General CleanMyMac X FAQs

What does the free version of CleanMyMac X do?

CleanMyMac X has a free trial version which is fantastic if you want to know how the app performs. In fact, it has a lot of tools available, and here’s a list of everything that you can do with the free version of the app:

Smart Scan
Cleanup modules
Protection modules
Speed modules
Applications modules
Files modules (including Space Lens)
CleanMyMac X Menu

However, remember that all the tools in the trial version are limited to 500 Mb, excluding the Space Lens tool.

Does Apple recommend CleanMyMac X?

Apple doesn’t specifically recommend using any app, but CleanMyMac X is listed on the Mac App Store, which is indicative enough that the app is safe and great for Macs. So, rest assured that all your data would be secure, and you won’t have any issue running the app.

How many devices can I use with CleanMyMac X?

A regular premium license of CleanMyMac X will only run on a single Mac. Still, if you want to run it on multiple systems, you can get more licenses from the link here or manually move your current license to another Mac.

How often should I run CleanMyMac X?

There is no said limit on how often you should use CleanMyMac X. However, we recommend running a Smart Scan once a week and checking for Malware and Ads once a month. You can also run quick scans and monitor the system if you face any issues or bugs.

Does CleanMyMac get rid of viruses?

Yes, CleanMyMac can help you remove viruses or malware. However, you need to do a full scan first and check if any serious concerns need your attention. Other than that, the app automatically detects viruses and malware and cleans them for better security.

Do Macs get viruses?

Yes, Macs can get viruses, and no matter how much we believe that Apple has a secure ecosystem, people have still found a way to get into the root system and put in malware and viruses. However, the most effective way to prevent getting viruses is to visit safe, verified sites and download from official sources.

Download a free trial of CleanMyMac X

Keeping your Mac clean and secure can sure be challenging, but making smart decisions will help you be safe and secure. One such smart decision is using CleanMyMac X, as it allows you to retain the performance and responsiveness of your Mac, it’s really worth using.

We hope that the guide above will help your Mac feel a lot smoother, and with that said, the developer offers a free 7-day trial period. During trial, you can use all CleanMyMac X modules and features for free and without limitation.