What it finds
MacMonitor's Cleaner is four tools, each aimed at a different kind of clutter. Every one shows what it found, how big it is, and what will happen, before it does anything.
Junk cleaner
App caches, logs, crash and diagnostic reports, saved application state, iOS device backups, and what is in your Trash. You pick categories and see sizes first. iOS backups and the Trash are never pre-selected.
Duplicate finder
Compares file contents, not just names or sizes, in a folder you choose. It always keeps one copy and moves the rest to the Trash, where you can recover them.
Large & old files
Lists big files, 100 MB and up by default, with when each was last used, so the ones you have not touched in a long while stand out.
Idle apps
Shows apps unused for 90 days or more, with their leftover files found automatically. Only clearly regenerable leftovers, such as caches and logs, are pre-selected.
For developers there is more: local AI model weights (Ollama, LM Studio, Hugging Face), Xcode DerivedData and archives, stopped simulators, package manager caches, and node_modules folders, each with its own review.
How a cleanup works
Sizes and categories appear before you choose anything.
Every item is listed. Things like iOS backups and the Trash are never pre-selected.
Most items go to the Trash, where you can put them back.
Safe by design
- Trash first. Most cleanup moves items to the Trash. The exceptions, erasing items already in the Trash and removing a local AI model, are labelled and ask you to confirm.
- Honest numbers. Moving something to the Trash is not counted as freed disk space, because the space is only free once the Trash is emptied.
- Checked again before removal. The list on screen can be minutes old, so each item is compared with the file on disk immediately before it is removed, and anything that changed or moved is left alone and reported.
- Protected locations. Cleanup refuses protected system locations rather than just hiding them.
- Nothing automatic. MacMonitor never deletes on a schedule or in the background.
What it is not
It is not an antivirus and does not promise a faster Mac. Allocated size is not guaranteed free space, because APFS clones and snapshots can share disk blocks; the app says so where it matters. It works with the folders you point it at and, if you grant Full Disk Access, the whole disk.
MacMonitor is pre-release. The direct download is coming soon for macOS 26 or later, and checkout is not open yet. See what it reads and sends, or the file organizer.
Questions
Is it safe to use a Mac cleaner?
It depends on the cleaner. MacMonitor shows every item before removing it, moves most items to the Trash so they can be restored, refuses protected system locations, and re-checks each item right before it acts.
Will it free up as much space as it says?
It reports what it can measure honestly. Items moved to the Trash still use disk space until the Trash is emptied, and APFS clones and snapshots can share blocks, so allocated size is not a guarantee of freed space.
How does the duplicate finder decide which copy to keep?
It compares file contents in a folder you choose, groups exact duplicates, and always keeps one copy. The rest go to the Trash, where you can recover them.
Can it remove local AI models and build caches?
Yes. It finds model weights for Ollama, LM Studio and Hugging Face, and developer caches such as Xcode DerivedData, simulators, package manager caches and node_modules, and lets you review each before removing.
Does the Cleaner run automatically?
No. It only acts when you review and confirm a cleanup.