Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe.

If you write code on a Mac, the biggest chunk of reclaimable space usually isn't in Downloads. It's spread across a dozen tool caches you never look at: Xcode build products, simulator runtimes, package stores, container layers and, more and more often, local AI models. Each tool keeps them for a good reason, and most can rebuild them. Some are expensive to get back, though. This guide shows where each one lives, how to measure it and how to clear it with the tool's own command first.

Key takeaways

• Measure before you delete. A two-minute size check tells you which one or two caches actually matter.
• Use the tool's own cleanup command where one exists. It knows what's still in use.
• Cheap to rebuild: Xcode DerivedData, device support files, Homebrew downloads.
• Costs a re-download: npm, pnpm, Yarn, pip, uv, CocoaPods, Gradle.
• Expensive or irreplaceable: Maven repositories, Docker volumes, Xcode archives, local AI models.

How big are your developer caches?

Start by measuring. These commands only read sizes and paths; they change nothing. Run the ones for tools you have installed:

du -sh ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData
du -sh ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/"iOS DeviceSupport"
xcrun simctl runtime list
npm config get cache
pnpm store path
brew --cache
pip3 cache dir
uv cache size

On the Mac used to test this guide (macOS 26.5, Xcode 26.4.1), the results were 4.4 GB of DerivedData, 5.5 GB of iOS device support files, 12.3 GB of simulator runtimes, 2.8 GB of npm cache, 1.9 GB in the pnpm store and 1.8 GB of uv cache. That's about 28 GB, and none of it was project data.

Where does each tool keep its cache?

The paths below are macOS defaults. Environment variables or config files can move them, so trust the tool's own "where is my cache" command over this table.

Is it safe to delete Xcode DerivedData?

Yes. DerivedData holds build products and indexes, and Xcode recreates them on the next build. The cost is a slower first build and some re-indexing. Quit Xcode, then move the folder's contents to the Trash. For a single project, Product › Clean Build Folder in Xcode clears just that project's build output.

Two neighbours need more thought:

• iOS DeviceSupport holds debug symbols copied from iPhones and iPads you've connected. These are not device backups. Xcode copies them again when you reconnect a device, so folders for OS versions you no longer test on are safe to remove.
• Archives (~/Library/Developer/Xcode/Archives) are your shipped builds and their debug symbols. Keep the ones you might need for crash reports, and delete old ones from Xcode's Organizer, not Finder.

How do you clean up old simulators?

Simulator devices and simulator runtimes are separate things.

1. Remove devices for runtimes you no longer have. This command (not run while testing this guide) deletes only devices the current Xcode can't use:

   xcrun simctl delete unavailable
   

2. Remove old runtimes. In Xcode, open Settings › Components (called Platforms in some older versions), select a runtime you don't need and delete it. From Terminal, xcrun simctl runtime list shows each runtime's identifier, and xcrun simctl runtime delete <identifier> removes one. Add --dry-run to preview.

Don't delete runtime files from Finder. They're mounted disk images that Xcode manages.

How do you clear npm, pnpm and Yarn caches?

• npm: npm cache clean --force. The --force flag is required. npm's own documentation notes that clearing is "typically unnecessary" because the cache is self-healing. Clear it to reclaim space, not to fix problems.
• pnpm: pnpm store prune removes packages that no project references. pnpm calls pruning "not harmful", though it may slow down future installs. Projects hard-link files from the store, so pruning is the way to free space. Deleting the store folder by hand frees less than you'd expect.
• Yarn 1: yarn cache dir shows the path and yarn cache clean empties it. Yarn 2 and later use a different cache layout and commands, so check yarn --version and the docs for your version first.

Old node_modules folders in projects you've finished with are often bigger than all three caches. Delete those per project. A fresh install brings them back.

How do you clean Homebrew, CocoaPods, Gradle and Maven?

• Homebrew already tidies up: its FAQ says it removes old versions on upgrade and runs extra cleanup every 30 days. Preview with brew cleanup -n, then run brew cleanup. Add --prune=all to remove every cached download regardless of age.
• CocoaPods: pod cache list shows the cache and pod cache clean --all empties it. Without a pod name, --all is required, as a guard against wiping everything by accident.
• Gradle cleans ~/.gradle/caches on its own. By default, unused downloaded dependencies go after 30 days and the build cache after 7. You rarely need to step in. If you do, stop the daemons with gradle --stop first.
• Maven keeps every dependency in ~/.m2/repository, and it has no global cleanup command. Clearing it means re-downloading everything. It can also hold artifacts you built and installed locally with mvn install, which can't be downloaded again. Treat it as high-cost, and remove only folders for libraries you know you don't use.

How do you clean pip, uv and Docker?

• pip: pip3 cache dir shows the location (~/Library/Caches/pip on macOS) and pip3 cache purge empties it.
• uv: uv cache prune removes unused entries only. uv cache clean clears everything, or one package if you name it. Prefer prune.
• Docker keeps images, containers and volumes in a single disk image (Docker.raw) inside ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/Data/vms/0/data. With Docker running, docker system df shows what uses the space. docker builder prune clears build cache, and docker image prune -a removes images no container uses. docker system prune leaves volumes alone by default, which is right: volumes can hold databases. Prune them only when you know what's inside. Docker's docs also note that many tools report the image's maximum size, not the space it really uses.

What about local AI models?

Models are now often the largest single item on a developer Mac. They're not really caches, since each one is a deliberate multi-gigabyte download.

• Hugging Face stores downloads in ~/.cache/huggingface/hub. hf cache ls lists what's cached with sizes and last-access dates. hf cache rm <repo> removes a model and hf cache prune clears unreferenced revisions and broken downloads. Both accept --dry-run.
• Ollama stores models in ~/.ollama/models. ollama ls lists them and ollama rm <model> removes one.

Remove models one at a time, by name, rather than deleting the whole folder.

What should you not do?

• Don't run rm -rf on ~/Library/Developer as a whole. It mixes caches with archives, device logs and settings.
• Don't delete caches while the tool is running. Quit Xcode, stop builds and close package installs first.
• Don't prune Docker volumes blindly. A local database is not a cache.
• Don't clear caches before a flight or on a slow connection. Everything you delete has to come back over the network.
• Don't treat a big cache as a problem by default. A warm cache is what makes builds fast. Clear what you need, when you need it.

Seeing every cache in one list

If you'd rather review all of this in one place than run fifteen commands, look for a tool that lists each cache with its size, explains what happens if you remove it and moves items to the Trash.

Freshist's Clean module covers developer junk such as Xcode derived data, npm, pnpm and Homebrew. Low-risk items like DerivedData and Homebrew downloads are pre-selected, while package stores, the Maven repository and AI models are listed for you to review but never pre-selected. For per-tool details, see the cache guides, Help & Docs or how it compares.

Related guides

• What is System Data on Mac?
• Lost storage after the macOS 27 update? Here's why
• Time Machine local snapshots taking up space
• Mac Library folders explained

Sources

• npm Docs: npm cache
• pnpm Docs: pnpm store
• Yarn Classic Docs: yarn cache
• Homebrew Docs: FAQ and brew manpage
• CocoaPods Guides: Command-line reference: pod cache
• Gradle User Manual: Gradle directories and automatic cleanup
• pip Docs: pip cache
• uv Docs: Caching
• Docker Docs: Prune unused Docker objects and Docker Desktop for Mac FAQs
• Hugging Face Docs: Manage huggingface_hub cache-system
• Ollama Docs: FAQ and CLI reference
• Apple Developer: Downloading and installing additional Xcode components

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe; the checklist applies to any version.

Search for "mac cleaner" and you'll find two kinds of advice. One camp says your Mac is clogged with gigabytes of junk and needs an app right now. The other says cleaners are snake oil and you should never install one. Both are overstating it. Most of the time macOS keeps itself in decent shape, a cleaner is handy in a few specific situations, and the hard part is telling a careful app from a pushy one.

What is the short answer?

Most Macs don't strictly need a cleaner. macOS manages a lot of its own housekeeping, and the built-in Storage settings cover the everyday cases. A cleaner becomes useful when you want to see exactly where your space went, remove the files an app leaves behind after you delete it, or clear large developer caches that macOS doesn't touch.

If you do buy one, the deciding question isn't how many gigabytes it promises. It's whether it shows you every file before removing it, and whether you can undo the result.

Key takeaways

• macOS clears caches, logs and staged updates that are safe to delete when space runs low, according to Apple.
• The Storage settings pane already offers iCloud storage, automatic Trash emptying and a way to review large files.
• Cleaners help most with app leftovers, developer caches and folder-level visibility.
• A trustworthy cleaner previews every item, moves files to the Trash and pre-selects only low-risk items.
• Walk away from apps that promise specific gigabytes before scanning or try to scare you into buying.

What does macOS already handle on its own?

Caches, logs and temporary files

Apple's own guide puts it plainly: "When space is needed on your Mac, macOS also clears caches and logs that are safe to delete." Apple lists examples such as temporary database files, interrupted downloads, staged macOS and app updates, and Safari website data. In other words, many of the files a cleaner would clear are already removed by the system when the disk needs room.

That's also why you'll see purgeable space in Disk Utility. Apple describes it as space that macOS can free up when needed by removing files. You can't delete it by hand, and you don't need to.

Storage recommendations

Open Apple menu › System Settings › General › Storage. On macOS 26 and 27, Apple lists these options:

• Store in iCloud keeps most files in iCloud and saves local space.
• Optimize Storage removes Apple TV movies and shows you've already watched.
• Empty Trash Automatically removes items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.

Click the info button next to a category, such as Applications or Documents, to see and remove large items.

Time Machine local snapshots

If Time Machine is on, macOS keeps hourly local snapshots on your startup disk. Apple says they're kept for up to 24 hours, or until the disk needs the space. Your Mac counts that space as available. You don't need a third-party tool to manage them; we cover the details in Time Machine local snapshots.

Optimize Mac Storage for iCloud Drive

Under System Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Drive, the Optimize Mac Storage option lets macOS keep older iCloud Drive files in the cloud and download them on demand. Recent files stay on your Mac.

Protected system files

System Integrity Protection guards folders such as /System, /usr, /bin and /sbin. Apple designed it so that only Apple-signed processes with special entitlements can change those locations. A cleaner can't "deep clean" the core of macOS, and one that claims it does should make you suspicious.

When does a Mac cleaner actually help?

The built-in tools work in broad categories. When you need specifics, such as which app left what behind or which folder grew last month, a dedicated app saves real time.

Leftovers from deleted apps

Dragging an app to the Trash removes the app bundle, but its support files, caches, preferences and helpers often stay in your Library folder. A cleaner that groups those files by app saves you a search through a dozen folders. The manual route is in how to completely uninstall apps on Mac, and our Library folders guide explains what each folder holds.

Developer caches

macOS doesn't clear developer tool caches for you. Xcode's DerivedData, old simulators, npm, pnpm, Homebrew, Docker and local AI models can each grow to many gigabytes. Each tool has its own cleanup command, but remembering a dozen commands is tedious. See developer caches on Mac and the per-tool pages in our cache guide.

Finding where the space went

The Storage pane groups files into categories, and one of them, System Data, is a catch-all that can be hard to explain. A disk map or folder-level breakdown shows which folders are actually large. Our guide to what System Data is on Mac walks through it, and lost storage after the macOS 27 update covers the post-upgrade case.

Library folders you'd rather not browse by hand

~/Library holds Application Support, Containers, Group Containers, Caches, Logs and more. Some items are safe to remove and some hold your data. A good tool tells you which is which and leaves the uncertain ones unselected. If you'd rather browse yourself, start with Caches and Application Support.

How do you choose a Mac cleaner?

Use this checklist when you compare apps. A good one should pass every item.

1. Preview before delete. It lists every file and its size before anything is removed, instead of offering a blind one-click clean.
2. Moves to the Trash. Removed items go to the Trash, so you can put them back. Permanent deletion should be a separate, confirmed step.
3. Conservative defaults. Only low-risk items are pre-selected. Anything ambiguous is left for you to decide.
4. Protected paths. It refuses to touch macOS system folders and your home, Documents, Desktop and Downloads folders themselves. Ask whether the developer publishes that list.
5. A clear reason for Full Disk Access. Cleaners ask for Full Disk Access so they can read caches and leftovers in protected locations. Apple notes this permission covers all files on your Mac, including data from Mail, Messages, Safari and Time Machine backups. That's why trust matters more here than in most apps.
6. Telemetry stated plainly. The privacy policy should say what leaves your Mac, when and to whom. Update checks and license activation are normal; usage analytics that are on by default deserve a closer look.
7. Notarized and signed with a Developer ID. Gatekeeper checks that apps from outside the App Store come from an identified developer and were notarized by Apple. Notarization is an automated malware scan, not a quality or privacy review, but it's a sensible baseline.
8. A pricing model you understand, and a written refund policy. You should know what you pay over three years and how many days you have to change your mind.
9. Support for your macOS version. Check the minimum version and whether the app has been updated since the last major macOS release.
10. Honest claims. It describes what it removes, not what it "boosts", and it doesn't promise speed multipliers or fixed gigabyte figures.

A word on privacy

Full Disk Access means the app can read nearly everything you own. What you want to know is whether anything it reads leaves your Mac. You can check this yourself with Activity Monitor's Network tab and the nettop and lsof commands in Terminal. We walk through every step, and how to read a privacy policy for telemetry, in does your Mac cleaner send data?

What red flags should make you walk away?

Any one of these is reason enough to look elsewhere.

• Big gigabyte promises before a scan. No app knows how much it will free until it has looked at your disk. Large numbers often include caches macOS would rebuild or clear anyway.
• Scare tactics. Pop-ups saying your Mac is "infected" or "seriously damaged", red warning icons and countdown timers are sales pressure, not diagnosis.
• Auto-deleting without review. If the app removes items you never saw, you can't judge what it took.
• Deleting system files. Any tool that offers to clean inside /System, or asks you to turn off System Integrity Protection, is working against macOS.
• Hard-to-cancel subscriptions. If the terms don't say how to cancel, assume it will be a hassle. Uninstalling the app doesn't stop billing.
• Bundled extras. Installers that add browser extensions, toolbars or other apps you didn't ask for.
• Instructions to bypass Gatekeeper. A legitimate developer gets the app notarized rather than asking you to lower your Mac's defenses.

Which pricing model makes sense?

Mac cleaners are usually sold in one of three ways. None is automatically right or wrong; what matters is that you know what you're agreeing to.

The fine print matters more than the headline price. "Lifetime" can mean every future version or only the one you bought, and a subscription can cost several times a one-time price over three years. For the full breakdown, with a three-year cost comparison and seven checks before you pay, read Mac cleaner without a subscription.

A 15-minute manual routine (no purchase needed)

Try this before you buy anything. It covers most of what a cleaner would do for a typical, non-developer Mac.

1. Look at the bar (2 minutes). Open System Settings › General › Storage and see which category is largest. If you have plenty of free space, you can stop here.
2. Turn on the easy wins (1 minute). Enable Empty Trash Automatically, and Optimize Storage if you watch Apple TV content on this Mac.
3. Review applications (3 minutes). Click the info button next to Applications, sort by size and delete apps you no longer use. Then follow the uninstall guide for any that left large Library folders behind.
4. Find large files (3 minutes). In the Documents category, look for big files you no longer need. Then open your Downloads folder in Finder, switch to list view and sort by size. Old disk images and installers are common finds.
5. Remove old device backups (2 minutes). If you back up an iPhone or iPad to this Mac, select the device in the Finder sidebar, click Manage Backups and delete ones you don't need.
6. Developers only: use each tool's own command (2 minutes). For example, brew cleanup, npm cache verify and xcrun simctl delete unavailable. They know their own files better than any third-party tool does.
7. Check what starts with your Mac (1 minute). Open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions and turn off what you don't need. Our login items guide explains what each section means.
8. Empty the Trash and restart (1 minute). Space from the Trash only returns once you empty it.

If your Mac still feels slow after that, the cause is probably a process, not storage. Start with Mac slow after the macOS 27 update or Spotlight indexing high CPU.

Where Freshist fits

We build Freshist, so weigh this section accordingly. It's a native Mac app for the cases above: app leftovers, developer caches and seeing where your disk went. We designed it around the checklist in this guide. Every file is listed with its size before anything is removed. Risky or ambiguous items are never pre-selected. Items you remove go to the Trash, and each destructive action is written to a local log on your Mac.

The app sends no telemetry and needs no account. It's notarized, runs on macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and is a one-time purchase with every future version included and a 14-day refund. Scanning is free, so you can see what it would remove before deciding. The folders it refuses to touch are listed on our safety page, the comparison page sets it against the typical subscription cleaner, and the current price is in the pricing section. If you have questions first, the help docs cover setup and Full Disk Access.

If the 15-minute routine above solves your problem, you don't need us or any other cleaner, and we'd honestly rather you knew that before buying.

Related guides

• Mac cleaner without a subscription: what to check first
• Does your Mac cleaner send data? How to check
• What is System Data on Mac?
• How to completely uninstall apps on Mac
• Developer caches on Mac: what's safe to clear
• Time Machine local snapshots taking up space?
• Lost storage after the macOS 27 update?

Sources

• Apple Support: Free up storage space on Mac
• Apple Mac User Guide: Optimize storage space on your Mac
• Apple Mac User Guide: Change Storage settings on Mac
• Apple Disk Utility User Guide: Get detailed information about a disk
• Apple Mac User Guide: About Time Machine local snapshots on Mac
• Apple Mac User Guide: Store files in iCloud Drive on Mac
• Apple Support: About System Integrity Protection on your Mac
• Apple Platform Security: Controlling app access to files in macOS
• Apple Platform Security: Gatekeeper and runtime protection in macOS
• Apple Developer: Notarizing macOS software before distribution

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe. The tools below are built into macOS and have been available for many releases.

A Mac cleaner asks for one of the broadest permissions macOS has: access to nearly every file you own. If everything stays on your Mac, that's fine. If the app also talks to the internet, you'll want to know what it says. Below is how to check what any app sends, using only tools that ship with macOS, and how to read a privacy policy without getting lost in it.

What is the short answer?

A Mac cleaner granted Full Disk Access can read almost everything on your disk, so it's reasonable to ask what it sends home. Start with the privacy policy and search for words like analytics, diagnostics and usage data. Then check for yourself: Activity Monitor › Network shows bytes sent per app, and nettop -p <PID> or sudo lsof -nP -a -p <PID> -i in Terminal show the app's live connections.

Key takeaways

• Full Disk Access lets an app read your files, including other apps' data, so a cleaner's network behaviour matters.
• Some network traffic is legitimate, like update checks and license activation. Undisclosed analytics is the thing to watch for.
• macOS already includes everything you need to observe an app's connections.
• The built-in macOS firewall handles incoming connections and doesn't show or block what apps send out.
• Notarization means Apple scanned an app for known malware. It says nothing about privacy.

Why do cleaners need Full Disk Access, and what does it expose?

macOS protects many locations by default, including Mail and Messages data, Safari data and parts of ~/Library. A cleaner that wants to measure caches and leftovers in those places has to ask you for Full Disk Access in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access.

Apple describes this permission plainly: it lets an app access all files on your computer, including data from other apps (Mail, Messages, Safari, Home), data from Time Machine backups, and certain administrative settings. Apple also notes that once you give a third-party app access to your files, what it does with that data is governed by its terms and privacy policy, not Apple's.

With Full Disk Access, the cleaner can see your files. What you need to find out is whether anything it sees leaves your Mac. Privacy is one item on a longer list, and our honest buyer's guide to Mac cleaners covers the rest.

How can you check which apps connect to the internet?

You can start without installing anything. Run these checks with the cleaner open, then again while it scans, because some apps only send data at specific moments.

1. Activity Monitor (no Terminal needed)

1. Open Activity Monitor (Applications › Utilities).
2. Click the Network tab.
3. Click the Sent Bytes column header to sort by data sent.
4. Find the cleaner, plus any helper processes with a similar name. Choose View › Columns and enable PID if it isn't showing. You'll use the PID number below.

This shows how much each process sends and receives, but not where it goes. A few kilobytes during an update check is unremarkable. Steady uploads while you're only scanning deserve a closer look.

2. nettop: live connections per process

nettop is a built-in command-line tool that shows network activity per process, including the remote addresses each process is talking to.

# Watch one process live (use the PID from Activity Monitor, or the process name)
nettop -p 12345

# Per-process summary of everything currently using the network
nettop -P

Press q to quit. Options can vary slightly between macOS releases. Run man nettop to see what your version supports.

3. lsof: open network connections

lsof lists open files, and network sockets count as files. This gives you a snapshot of every connection a process has open right now:

# All network connections for one process (-a means "AND" the filters)
sudo lsof -nP -a -p 12345 -i

# Only established TCP connections, for every process
sudo lsof -nP -iTCP -sTCP:ESTABLISHED

-n and -P keep addresses and ports numeric, which makes the command faster. Drop -n if you'd like to see host names instead of IP addresses. sudo lets you see sockets that belong to processes running as other users.

4. An outbound firewall or network monitor

To get alerts the moment an app tries to connect, or to block it, you need a third-party outbound firewall (sometimes called a network monitor). These apps sit between your Mac and the network, ask you to allow or deny each new connection, and log which app contacted which server. Several established options exist. Pick one from a developer you trust, since it sees all your traffic too.

What about the built-in firewall? The macOS firewall, in System Settings › Network › Firewall, is designed to block unwanted incoming connections. Turn it on, but don't expect it to tell you what an app sends out.

How do you read a privacy policy for telemetry?

Privacy policies are long, but the parts that matter tend to use the same phrases. Search the page (Command-F) for:

A trustworthy policy is specific. It names what is sent, when, and to whom, and it separates the app from the website. Many apps have no analytics while their marketing sites use standard web analytics. That's a fair distinction to make, as long as the policy spells it out.

What does Apple notarization prove, and what does it not?

Apps distributed outside the Mac App Store are normally notarized: the developer submits the app to Apple, which runs an automated scan for known malware and code-signing problems, then issues a ticket that Gatekeeper checks when you open the app. Apple can also revoke an app later if it turns out to be malicious.

You can check an app's status in Terminal:

spctl -a -vv /Applications/AppName.app

A notarized app reports accepted and source=Notarized Developer ID, plus the developer's name.

Notarization is a meaningful safety signal, but it is not a privacy review. Apple's notary service is automated and separate from App Review, and a notarized app can still include analytics as long as it isn't malware.

What should a privacy-first cleaner do?

Use this as a checklist for any cleaner you're considering:

• States plainly what leaves your Mac. "Nothing" is rarely literally true. Expect update checks and license activation, described in specific terms.
• No usage analytics or tracking in the app, rather than "anonymous" analytics that's on by default.
• No account required to scan or clean.
• Keeps scan results on your Mac. File names and paths are personal data.
• Keeps a local log of what it removed, which you can read.
• Moves files to the Trash rather than erasing them, so mistakes can be undone.
• Notarized, so Gatekeeper can verify it.
• Behaves on the network the way its policy says, which you can confirm with the steps above.

What should you not do?

• Don't grant Full Disk Access before you trust the developer. You can scan many locations without it, and you can remove the permission any time in Privacy & Security.
• Don't treat every connection as spying. Update checks and license activation are normal. Undisclosed, repeated uploads are not.
• Don't rely on the built-in firewall to stop outgoing data. It isn't designed for that.
• Don't confuse notarization with a privacy audit.
• Don't use a cleaner that scares you into buying with alarming popups. That tells you the sale matters more to them than you do.

How does Freshist handle this?

We'd rather you check than take our word for it, so here is what you'll see if you run the checks above against Freshist. The app has no telemetry, no analytics and no account. Scanning and cleaning happen locally, and its log of removed items stays on your Mac in ~/Library/Logs/Freshist/. You will see two kinds of network activity. When you activate a license, the app sends your license key and a short device identifier to the payment provider (to count activations). It also checks for new versions by fetching its release feed, and that request contains no personal content. The website is separate: fresh.ist uses Google Analytics with storage disabled until you accept the cookie banner, and that is never part of the app. The full details are in the privacy policy. See how it compares with the typical subscription-based cleaner, or pricing.

Related guides

• Mac cleaner without a subscription: what to check
• How to completely uninstall apps on Mac
• What is System Data on Mac?
• MacBook fan loud or running hot?

Sources

• Apple Support: Change Privacy & Security settings on Mac
• Apple Platform Security: Controlling app access to files in macOS
• Apple Support: View network activity in Activity Monitor on Mac
• Apple Support: Block connections to your Mac with a firewall
• Apple Platform Security: Protecting against malware in macOS
• Apple Developer: Notarizing macOS software before distribution

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe. The Library folders below have stayed the same for many macOS releases. System Settings labels can shift slightly between versions.

Most Mac apps are a single bundle in the Applications folder, so dragging one to the Trash feels like the whole job, and usually it gets you most of the way. Apps also write settings, caches, saved window state and sometimes background helpers to other places, though, and the drag doesn't touch any of those. Below is a careful, complete uninstall using only what ships with macOS.

What is the short answer?

To completely uninstall an app: quit it, run the developer's uninstaller if one exists, then move the app to the Trash. After that, look in ~/Library for folders named after the app or its bundle ID (for example com.example.app), and switch off anything it left in System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions. Empty the Trash only after you're sure nothing else broke.

Key takeaways

• If the developer ships an uninstaller, use it. Apple recommends the same.
• Leftovers mostly live in a handful of ~/Library folders, named after the app or its bundle ID.
• Background helpers (launch agents) can keep running after the app is gone, so check Login Items.
• Uninstalling never deletes your documents and never cancels a subscription.
• Move things to the Trash instead of deleting them outright, so you can put them back if something breaks.

What does dragging an app to the Trash leave behind?

When you drag an app to the Trash, you remove the application bundle: the .app file with the program and its built-in resources. Data the app created while running lives elsewhere, mostly in your user Library folder. Apple's developer guidelines tell apps to keep support files in ~/Library/Application Support, rebuildable data in ~/Library/Caches, and preferences in ~/Library/Preferences, usually in a folder or file named after the app's bundle identifier.

This is on purpose: reinstall later and your settings are still there. The downside is that removed apps slowly leave orphaned folders behind, and some of them (browser profiles, offline media, virtual machine images) get large.

Should you use the developer's uninstaller first?

Yes, when one exists. Apple's own guidance is that for apps not made by Apple, an included uninstaller "is the best way to delete the app" along with any login items, extensions or other data it stored elsewhere. Apps that install system components need one most, such as VPNs, security tools, audio drivers, virtualization software and large creative suites.

Places to look:

1. The app's folder in Applications (some apps install as a folder with an "Uninstall" app inside).
2. The app's own menus or settings. Look for "Uninstall", "Remove" or "Reset".
3. The developer's support site, which may offer a separate uninstaller download.

If you come up empty, the manual method below works for most apps.

How do you uninstall an app manually, step by step?

Before you start: make sure you have a recent Time Machine backup. You probably won't need it, but with one, any mistake is a small inconvenience instead of a lost afternoon.

1. Quit the app. If it has a menu bar icon, quit it from there as well. If macOS says the app is in use, restart and try again.
2. Move the app to the Trash. In Finder, open Applications, select the app and choose File › Move to Trash. Enter an administrator password if asked. Apps from the App Store can also be removed from Launchpad (or the Apps view on newer macOS versions) by holding the icon until it jiggles and clicking the delete button.
3. Open your Library folder. In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder (Shift-Command-G), type ~/Library and press Return. The folder is hidden by default, which is why many people never find it.
4. Check the usual leftover folders. Look for folders or files named after the app, the developer or the bundle ID. (Our guide to the Library folder explains what each ~/Library folder holds.)
   • ~/Library/Application Support/
   • ~/Library/Caches/
   • ~/Library/Preferences/ (files ending in .plist)
   • ~/Library/Containers/ and ~/Library/Group Containers/ (used by sandboxed apps, including App Store apps)
   • ~/Library/Saved Application State/
   • ~/Library/Logs/
   • ~/Library/HTTPStorages/ and ~/Library/WebKit/
   • ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
5. Check the system-wide Library too. Some apps install for all users. Repeat the search in /Library/Application Support/, /Library/LaunchAgents/ and /Library/LaunchDaemons/. Be stricter here: only move items whose names clearly match the app you removed.
6. Move matches to the Trash, but don't empty it yet. Leave them there for a day or two as a safety net.
7. Restart and confirm everything you still use works normally. Then empty the Trash.

A tip for step 4: Finder's search field can search "This Mac" or only the current folder. Searching inside ~/Library with the app's name or the developer's name is often faster than browsing each folder.

How do you remove login items and background helpers?

Some apps install a small launch agent or launch daemon, a background process that macOS starts at login or at boot. These are the pieces most likely to outlive the app.

1. Open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions.
2. Under Open at Login, select the app if it's listed and click the Remove (–) button.
3. In the Allow in the Background list, turn off any entry that belongs to the removed app.
4. If the entry keeps coming back, find its file. Launch agents are .plist files in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ or /Library/LaunchAgents/, and daemons live in /Library/LaunchDaemons/. Move the matching file to the Trash and restart.

To see whether a helper is still loaded for your user, open Terminal and run:

# Replace "example" with part of the app or developer name
launchctl list | grep -i example

No output means nothing matching is loaded for your user session.

What about apps installed with a .pkg installer?

Apps that came as a .pkg installer can put files outside the Applications folder, and macOS keeps a receipt listing them. You can read those receipts with pkgutil:

# List installed package receipts (filter by developer name)
pkgutil --pkgs | grep -i example

# Show where a package installed its files
pkgutil --pkg-info com.example.pkg

# List every file path that package installed
pkgutil --files com.example.pkg

Use that file list as a map, not a delete list. It often includes shared directories such as usr or Library that other software needs too. Remove only the items that clearly belong to the app. Once you're done, sudo pkgutil --forget com.example.pkg removes the receipt itself. It doesn't delete any files.

Which uninstall method should you use?

What is safe to remove, and what should you leave alone?

What should you not do?

• Don't delete a folder just because it's big. Some apps keep photo libraries, game saves or project files in Application Support. Open it and look before you remove it.
• Don't remove anything named com.apple.*. Built-in apps such as Mail and Notes can't be uninstalled, and their data supports macOS itself.
• Don't empty the Trash right away. Keep removed items for a day or two. File › Put Back restores them to where they came from.
• Don't run sudo rm -rf on paths from a pkgutil --files list. Those lists include shared system directories.
• Don't expect uninstalling to cancel a subscription. That's always a separate step.
• Don't uninstall security or VPN software by dragging alone. Their network extensions and daemons usually need the vendor's uninstaller.

Can an app do this more safely?

A dedicated uninstaller saves you from hunting through Library folders by hand, as long as it shows its work. It should list every related file before anything is removed, let you untick items, move everything to the Trash instead of erasing it, and work without an account or usage tracking. Be wary of any tool that removes things in one click without showing you a list.

Freshist's Apps tool works this way. It finds the files related to each app, shows you the full list with sizes, and moves only what you approve to the Trash. Scanning is free, so you can compare its list with what you found by hand. See how it compares or the Help & Docs.

Related guides

• What is System Data on Mac?: where leftover app data gets counted in Storage settings.
• Lost storage after the macOS 27 update?
• Mac cleaner without a subscription: what to check
• Does your Mac cleaner send data? How to check

Sources

• Apple Support: Delete or uninstall apps on Mac
• Apple Support: Install and uninstall apps from the internet or a disc on Mac
• Apple Support: Change Login Items & Extensions settings on Mac
• Apple Support: Remove login items to resolve startup problems on your Mac
• Apple Developer: macOS Library Directory Details
• Apple Developer: Creating Launch Daemons and Agents

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe.

Fan control apps let you override one of the few things macOS normally handles entirely on its own. That makes "is it safe?" a fair question. The answer depends mostly on which way you push the fans and on what happens when the app stops running. If you're still working out why your fans are loud in the first place, start with what's normal for Mac fan noise and heat. This guide picks up after that and covers the risks, the warranty question and how to make sure macOS ends up back in charge.

Key takeaways

• macOS already manages fans and heat automatically. Manual control is optional, not maintenance.
• Faster than macOS chooses costs noise, a bit of power and some fan wear. It is generally low-risk.
• Slower than macOS chooses is the risky direction, because it works against the system that protects the chip.
• Apple's warranty doesn't mention fan apps. It does exclude damage from operating a Mac outside Apple's published guidelines.
• The most important feature in any fan tool is a reliable way to hand control back to macOS.

How does a Mac control its own fans?

Apple says its computers have sensors that detect temperature changes inside the system and turn on fans to cool critical components. Heavy work makes the fans spin faster, and a hot room makes them start sooner. On Intel Macs, this job belongs to the System Management Controller (SMC), which Apple lists as handling "thermal features like fans". On Macs with Apple silicon, the same functions are built into the chip's own system, and Apple notes that the SMC resets automatically there.

Two other points matter here:

• Apple doesn't publish chip temperature limits. It publishes an ambient operating range for Mac laptops (10 to 35 °C, or 50 to 95 °F) and says the case runs much cooler than internal sensor readings.
• Apple advises against third-party apps for hardware diagnosis. A monitoring app is fine for watching trends. A high number on its own is not proof that something is wrong.

Left alone, the sensors, fans and performance management work together and need nothing from you.

What does a fan control app actually change?

Most fan tools do two things. They read the same sensors macOS uses, and they ask the hardware to run the fans at a set speed or above a minimum speed. Writing fan settings needs elevated access, so these apps usually install a privileged helper: a small background process with administrator rights that keeps running after you close the app's window.

That helper is why fan control is different from most utilities. Closing a window doesn't necessarily stop it. On recent macOS versions, helpers registered through Apple's modern framework can also live inside the app bundle instead of /Library/LaunchDaemons, so you may not see a separate file for them. Use System Settings to see them (more on that below).

Behaviour also varies by model. Some tools report that on certain Apple silicon MacBook Pro models a manual setting only takes effect once macOS has started the fans itself. Treat any fan app's controls as requests that the system may still limit, not as absolute switches.

Is it riskier to run fans faster or slower?

The cautious view isn't only ours. The Linux driver for fan control on Apple silicon Macs keeps manual control disabled by default and marks it as unsafe, because it can't be proven that the system will fail safe if it overheats while fans are under manual control. That driver is a different operating system, but the reasoning applies to any tool that overrides the defaults.

Does manual fan control void your Mac's warranty?

There is no Apple statement about fan control apps specifically, so nobody can promise you an answer either way. What the warranty text does say is useful, though:

• Apple's one-year limited warranty covers hardware defects in materials and workmanship when the product is used normally in accordance with Apple's published guidelines. Those guidelines include technical specifications, user manuals and service communications.
• It does not cover software, including Apple's own system software. A fan app is software, so problems with the app itself are outside the warranty.
• Among its exclusions is damage caused by operating the product outside Apple's published guidelines. It also excludes defects caused by normal wear and tear.

Running fans faster than the default doesn't obviously break any published guideline, and the warranty still covers genuine hardware defects. The theoretical risk is with settings that keep the Mac hotter than macOS would allow. If heat damage happened under a manual low-fan setting, that is the case where the exclusion could come into question.

Practical steps:

1. Set fans back to automatic (or quit the fan app) before you take the Mac in for service, so technicians see normal behaviour.
2. Ask Apple directly if warranty coverage is a deciding factor for you. Coverage terms differ by country.
3. Remember local law. Apple's warranty states that it doesn't limit your rights under consumer law, which in some regions go further than the warranty text.

Why does handing control back to macOS matter?

Most of the real risk comes from forgetting. A manual setting can outlive the reason you chose it:

• The app crashes or is force-quit, and the last setting stays in place.
• You drag the app to the Trash, but its helper is still installed.
• The Mac sleeps and wakes, or you move from a long export to light work, and the fan setting no longer fits.
• You sell or pass on the Mac with a helper still installed.

A well-behaved tool handles each of these by returning the fans to automatic, macOS-managed control when it quits and when its helper is removed. Before you trust a fan app, check that it does this, and test it once yourself.

How do you check the fans are back on automatic?

1. Quit the fan app completely, using its own Quit command (not just closing the window). If it offers an "automatic" or "system" mode, select that first.
2. Look for its background items. Open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions and find the app under App Background Activity (named Allow in the Background on older macOS versions). Turn it off if you no longer use the app. Our guide to login items and background apps explains what each section means.
3. Remove the app properly if you're done with it. Use its own uninstall option if it has one, then follow how to completely uninstall apps on Mac.
4. Restart. Apple's advice for unexpected fan behaviour is to restart (or close and reopen the lid) on Apple silicon, and to reset the SMC on Intel-based Macs.

For a read-only look at installed system helpers, Terminal can list the classic locations. This changes nothing:

ls /Library/LaunchDaemons /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools

An empty result doesn't prove a helper is gone, since newer helpers can live inside the app bundle. System Settings is the more reliable view.

Can built-in macOS settings do the job instead?

Often, yes. Try these before reaching for manual control:

• High Power Mode. On supported Macs, including MacBook Pro (2024 or later) with Pro or Max chips and some Mac mini and Mac Studio models, Apple says High Power Mode lets the fans run at higher speeds. It's the first-party way to favour cooling over quiet. Find it in System Settings › Battery (or Energy on desktops), under Energy Mode.
• Low Power Mode. On macOS Sequoia 15.1 and later, Apple says it helps reduce fan noise on Macs with fans. It's the safe way to get a quieter Mac, unlike forcing the fans slower.
• Activity Monitor. If one process is pinning the CPU, faster fans only make the noise louder. Find and stop the process first. After a big update, background indexing is a common cause; see why your Mac feels slow after the macOS 27 update.

What should you not do?

• Don't force fans below automatic speed to quiet a Mac under heavy load. Use Low Power Mode instead.
• Don't run more than one fan control app. Two helpers sending different instructions to the same fans can leave them behaving unpredictably.
• Don't treat a high internal temperature reading as an emergency. Apple notes that internal sensors run much hotter than the case.
• Don't uninstall a fan app by dragging it to the Trash without checking that its helper and background items are gone.
• Don't use fan control to cover a real problem. Grinding noises, or fans roaring while the Mac is idle and cool after a restart, are reasons to contact Apple.

Choosing a fan tool you can trust

Look for a tool that shows clearly when it's in control, offers an automatic mode that leaves the fans to macOS, and hands control back when it quits or is uninstalled. It should also need no account and not track how you use it.

Freshist's menu bar HUD shows live CPU, GPU and memory alongside fan presets: Auto, Cool and Max, where Auto leaves the fans to macOS. If Freshist had taken manual control, it returns the fans to macOS when the app quits or its helper is removed. See how it compares, the Help & Docs or pricing.

Related guides

• MacBook fan loud or running hot? What's normal
• Login items and background apps on Mac: what to keep
• Spotlight indexing and high CPU on Mac
• How to completely uninstall apps on Mac

Sources

• Apple Support: About fans and fan noise in your Apple product
• Apple Support: How to reset the SMC of your Mac
• Apple Support: Keep your Mac laptop within acceptable operating temperatures
• Apple Support: About Power Modes on your Mac
• Apple: Apple One (1) Year Limited Warranty for Mac (US)
• Apple Platform Deployment: Manage login items and background tasks on Mac
• Linux kernel documentation: Kernel driver macsmc-hwmon

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe.

Every app that wants to do something without being open needs a way to start on its own. Updaters check for new versions, sync clients watch your files, keyboard tools wait for input and VPNs keep a connection ready. macOS gathers most of these in one place, and on a Mac that's a few years old the list is usually longer than you'd guess. This guide explains what each kind of item is, which ones to keep, and how to review them without breaking anything. If you're removing an app altogether, see how to completely uninstall apps on Mac instead.

Key takeaways

• Everything you need is in System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions. Start there, not in Terminal.
• Open at Login apps launch visibly when you log in. App Background Activity items run invisibly, with no window.
• App Background Activity is the newer name for Allow in the Background, which macOS 13 to 15 used.
• Switching an item off is reversible. Deleting its files by hand isn't, so do that last.
• Leave security, backup, cloud sync and input-device helpers on unless you've removed the app.

What are login items and background items?

macOS has three related ideas, and they're easy to mix up:

Apple describes App Background Activity as letting apps "perform tasks when the app isn't open, such as checking for software updates or syncing data." Since macOS 13, apps can register these helpers through a system framework, and the helper itself can live inside the app bundle. That's why newer apps don't always leave a separate file in a Library folder.

Why did "Allow in the Background" disappear?

It didn't go away; it was renamed. On macOS Ventura, Sonoma and Sequoia, the section was called Allow in the Background. On macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27 Golden Gate, the same list appears as App Background Activity. Older guides, and many app vendors' help pages, still use the old name.

macOS 26 also added a related prompt. If an app starts background tasks that keep running after you quit it, macOS asks whether to allow them to stay active. Choose Allow for apps whose job continues in the background, like backup or sync, and decline for apps that have no reason to keep working once you've closed them.

How do you review login items safely?

1. Open the settings. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click Login Items & Extensions. You need to be an administrator to change these settings.
2. Trim Open at Login. Look down the list and ask whether you need each app the moment you log in. Select the ones you don't and click the Remove button (the minus sign). The app stays installed; you can still open it whenever you want. A yellow warning triangle means the item was moved or deleted and won't open anyway, so remove it.
3. Review App Background Activity. Each entry has a switch. Turn off items for apps you've uninstalled or no longer use. Some entries are listed under the developer's name rather than the app's, so a company name you don't recognise may belong to an app you do use. Click the info button, where shown, to see which files the entry includes.
4. Leave managed items alone. Entries marked as managed by your organization come from a device management profile on a work or school Mac. Only your administrator can change them.
5. Check Extensions while you're there. Further down the same page, the Extensions section lists add-ons such as Finder, Quick Look, Sharing, File Providers and Network Extensions. Click the info button next to a category to turn individual extensions on or off.
6. Restart and test. Restart the Mac, then check that the apps you rely on, such as backup, sync, your password manager and keyboard or mouse tools, still behave normally.

Which background items should you keep?

Switching off an updater is a trade-off. The app may stop checking for security updates until you open it. If you turn one off, update that app manually from time to time.

How do you see what's running with launchctl?

Terminal gives a fuller, read-only view. This lists the jobs launchd has loaded for your user account and changes nothing:

launchctl list | head

The output has three columns:

• PID: the process ID if the job is running right now, or - if it isn't.
• Status: the last exit status. A negative number means the job was stopped by a signal, so -9 means it was killed. That's common and usually harmless.
• Label: the job's name, normally in reverse-domain form such as com.example.agent.

To hide Apple's own jobs and see only third-party ones:

launchctl list | grep -v com.apple

Labels that start with application. are ordinary apps you've opened, which macOS also tracks through launchd. They aren't login items. Note that this command shows your user's jobs only. System-wide daemons run in a different domain, so seeing them in full needs administrator access. For a detailed, read-only dump of everything registered as a login or background item, Apple documents sfltool dumpbtm. Its output is long, but it's useful for working out which app owns a mysterious entry.

Where do launch agent and daemon files live?

Classic launch jobs are defined by .plist files in these folders:

You can look without changing anything:

ls ~/Library/LaunchAgents /Library/LaunchAgents /Library/LaunchDaemons

If an entry keeps coming back after you've switched it off and removed its app, find the matching .plist file by its label, move it to the Trash and restart. Only do this for files that clearly belong to software you've removed.

What should you not do?

• Don't delete .plist files you don't recognise. Look up the label first; it might belong to a driver or security tool you rely on.
• Don't touch anything in /System/Library. It's Apple's, and macOS protects it.
• Don't run launchctl unload or bootout on jobs you don't understand. Switching an item off in System Settings does the same job more safely.
• Don't switch off security software to speed up startup.
• Don't remove everything at once. If something breaks, you won't know which item caused it. Apple's own approach is to change one thing at a time and restart.

When does a background item point to a bigger problem?

If the Mac starts slowly or misbehaves right after login, try Apple's routine. Remove all Open at Login items, restart, then add them back one at a time, restarting after each, until the problem returns. The last item you added is the likely cause. Starting up in safe mode is another quick test, because it stops login items and extensions that macOS doesn't need from loading. If the problem disappears in safe mode, a third-party item is the likely suspect.

Keeping background apps under control

Most leftover background items come from apps that were deleted but never fully uninstalled. When you remove an app, look for a tool that shows every related file, including helpers, before anything moves, and sends it all to the Trash so you can undo it.

Freshist's Apps tool finds all related files per app for you to review before removing, and its Status view lists the processes using the most CPU, power and memory right now. See how it compares or the Help & Docs.

Related guides

• How to completely uninstall apps on Mac
• Is manual fan control safe on a Mac?
• Mac slow after the macOS 27 update?
• Mac Library folders explained

Sources

• Apple Support: Change Login Items & Extensions settings on Mac
• Apple Support: Remove login items to resolve startup problems on your Mac
• Apple Support: Use safe mode on your Mac
• Apple Platform Deployment: Manage login items and background tasks on Mac
• Apple Developer: Creating Launch Daemons and Agents
• Apple Developer: SMAppService
• macOS manual page: man launchctl

Written for macOS 27.0 Golden Gate on Apple silicon Macs.

Apple released macOS 27 Golden Gate on September 14, 2026, and a lot of people noticed the same thing right after upgrading: much less free space than before. For some, the drop was big enough to trigger low-storage warnings.

Part of that space comes back by itself. The rest can be explained, and some of it you can reclaim safely. The order matters here: wait first, then look, and delete only once you know what you're deleting.

Key takeaways

• Some of the drop is temporary. Update files, a pre-update snapshot and re-indexing usually settle within 24 to 48 hours.
• Apple Intelligence models are the biggest lasting change. Apple lists up to 14 GB on Macs with M3 or later and at least 12 GB of memory, and up to 8 GB on other supported Macs.
• System Settings has no button that deletes the AI models, and turning features off doesn't reliably give the space back.
• The space you can reclaim yourself is usually in installers you kept, old device backups and app caches.
• Deleting system folders is not a way to get space back after an update.

Why does the macOS 27 update use so much space?

Three things take the space, and each behaves differently.

1. Temporary update files and a safety snapshot. Apple advertised the upgrade download at about 30.8 GB. The installer needs that download plus working room. Since macOS High Sierra, Apple has also saved a local Time Machine snapshot before installing any macOS update. Apple says your Mac counts snapshot space as available storage and removes snapshots when space is needed or after 24 hours.

2. Re-indexing and housekeeping. After a major update, macOS rebuilds indexes and caches in the background. Spotlight and Photos are typical examples. While that runs, it takes up space and your Mac feels busier than usual.

3. Apple Intelligence models. Apple's next generation of Apple Intelligence requires macOS 27. Apple's own figures are up to 14 GB of on-device storage for Macs with M3 or later and at least 12 GB of unified memory, and up to 8 GB for other supported Macs. Independent reports show higher numbers in Storage settings, often 20 to 30 GB. Apple hasn't said whether its figure is measured the same way as the Storage readout.

The Eclectic Light Company tracked a Mac mini through the upgrade, and its numbers show the pattern clearly. Used space peaked about 150 GB above its previous level 24 hours after the upgrade. It then fell back, but stayed about 30 GB higher than before. Storage settings reported about 29 GB for AI components on that Mac. Your numbers will be different, but the shape (a big spike, then a smaller lasting increase) is common.

Should I wait before cleaning up?

Yes. Give your Mac 24 to 48 hours after the upgrade before deciding anything. In the meantime:

• Keep it plugged in and awake for a while so background indexing can finish.
• Restart it once to clear some temporary files.
• If you use Time Machine, let it run a normal backup so pre-update snapshots expire on schedule.

Then look again. A day later, the "where did my space go?" question has often answered itself.

How do I see what's taking the space now?

1. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click Storage.
2. Wait for the bar to finish calculating, then hover over each segment. Look for Apple Intelligence (if listed), macOS, System Data, Applications, and iOS Files.
3. Click the info button next to Applications, Documents, iOS Files, and Trash to see the largest items.
4. To check for leftover snapshots, open Terminal and run this read-only command:

# Lists local Time Machine snapshots on the startup disk (read-only)
tmutil listlocalsnapshots /

5. Look in /Applications for an app named Install macOS Golden Gate. If you downloaded the full installer yourself and kept it, it can take a lot of space. You can delete it if you don't need it for a bootable installer.

If System Data is the big one, see what is System Data on Mac? for a breakdown. If caches turn out to be a large share, our cache guide covers which cache folders are safe to clear.

What about Apple Intelligence: can you turn it off?

Apple's macOS 27 guide explains how to turn off or restrict individual features. There's no single master switch:

• Siri AI: System Settings › Siri › Turn Off Siri. You can then turn Siri back on and choose Use Siri Classic.
• Notification summaries: System Settings › Notifications › Summarize Notifications.
• Summaries in Messages and Mail: in each app's Settings.

Turning these off stops the features from running. Apple doesn't say it removes the model files, and owners report that the Storage figure doesn't reliably drop. If you're after disk space, these switches probably won't get it back.

You may come across scripts online that delete AI model folders. The models are system-managed assets, and we don't recommend deleting them by hand or disabling system protections to get at them.

What can you safely remove after the update?

To clear local snapshots sooner, Apple's method is to open System Settings › General › Time Machine, click Options, set Backup Frequency to Manually, wait a few minutes, then set it back. Don't leave automatic backups switched off.

To remove old device backups, connect the iPhone or iPad, select it in the Finder sidebar, click Manage Backups on the General tab, right-click an old backup, and choose Delete.

Then check the usual places. Your Downloads folder, apps you no longer use (see how to uninstall apps completely), and developer caches are often worth more than anything the update added.

What not to do

• Don't delete folders in /System or /System/Library/AssetsV2. macOS downloads and removes these assets itself.
• Don't disable System Integrity Protection to remove AI models.
• Don't panic-clean on day one. A good part of the drop goes away by itself.
• Don't switch off Time Machine permanently to get rid of snapshots. Turn it back on.
• Don't downgrade just for disk space. It means erasing and restoring, and the space is easier to find elsewhere.
• Don't trust "free 50 GB now" promises. No tool knows what it can free before it scans.

A before-and-after view, if you want one

To see exactly which folders changed, a disk treemap helps: scan before and after cleaning and compare. Freshist's Analyze view is one option. It's hardlink-aware, so files aren't counted twice, and its cleaner lists every item and moves it to the Trash. Scanning is free. See the help docs or how it compares.

Related guides

• What is System Data on Mac?
• Mac cleaner without a subscription: what to check
• MacBook fan loud or running hot? What's normal
• How to completely uninstall apps on Mac

Sources

• Apple Support: How to get Apple Intelligence (storage requirements)
• Apple Mac User Guide: Turn off or restrict access to Apple Intelligence
• Apple Support: About Time Machine local snapshots
• Apple Mac User Guide: Change Storage settings on Mac
• Apple Support: Free up storage space on your Mac
• Apple Support: Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• The Eclectic Light Company: How did Golden Gate affect free disk space?
• The Eclectic Light Company: Apple has released macOS Golden Gate
• MacRumors: Here are the Macs compatible with macOS Golden Gate

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe.

Paying every year for an app you open once a month feels wrong to a lot of Mac users. You don't have to. Some Mac cleaners are sold once, some are free, and macOS itself handles a good part of the job. The catch is in the fine print, where "lifetime", "one-time" and "free" mean different things depending on who's selling.

Below: how the common pricing models work, seven checks to make before you pay, the red flags that should send you elsewhere, and an honest look at whether you need a cleaner in the first place. For the wider picture, including what macOS already handles and a full checklist for choosing a cleaner, see do you need a Mac cleaner?

Key takeaways

• One-time Mac cleaners exist, but "lifetime" can mean every future version or only the current one. Check before you buy.
• Compare what you'd pay over three years. The first-year price hides a lot.
• The license terms (number of Macs, refund window, offline use, telemetry) deserve as much attention as the feature list.
• macOS already covers the basics under System Settings › General › Storage, so start there.
• Skip any app that tries to scare you into buying with fake malware alerts or "GB freed" promises.

How do Mac cleaner pricing models actually work?

Most Mac cleaners are sold in one of four ways.

Yearly or monthly subscription. You pay for as long as you use the app, and updates are included. Stop paying and the app usually drops back to a limited or scan-only mode. The developer gets steady income; you get a recurring bill for a job you might do a few times a year.

One-time license, all future versions. You pay once and updates keep coming, new major versions included. For you this is the simplest deal, as long as the developer says so in writing, ideally on the pricing page.

One-time license for the current major version. You pay once for, say, version 5 and get its bug fixes. When version 6 comes out, you pay for an upgrade, often at a discount. Fair enough, though it isn't what most people picture when they read "lifetime".

Free or open source. No cost, and sometimes the source code is public so anyone can review it. Some of these tools are excellent and some were abandoned years ago. Look at when it was last updated and whether it supports your macOS version.

What do you actually pay over three years?

The first-year price doesn't tell you much. The table below compares the four models over three years. For a sense of scale, subscription-based cleaners commonly cost around $40 a year at the time of writing, though prices vary.

The cheapest option over three years isn't automatically the right one, but you should know the real number before you choose.

Seven checks before you buy a Mac cleaner

1. Does "lifetime" include major upgrades?

Look for plain wording such as "every future version" or "free major upgrades". If the page just says "lifetime license", ask the developer what happens when the next major version ships.

2. How many Macs does one license cover?

Some licenses cover one Mac and others cover several. Also find out whether you can move a license to a new Mac yourself or have to email support to do it.

3. What is the refund policy?

A refund window written as a number of days is a good sign. "Contact us" with no terms attached is not.

4. Does it work offline?

Some apps check the license online every time they launch. If you travel or often work offline, make sure the app still opens without a connection.

5. Does it send telemetry?

A cleaner usually needs Full Disk Access, which lets it see a lot. Read the privacy policy: phrases like "usage analytics", "diagnostics" or "help us improve" usually mean data is sent. We explain how to check any app's network activity in does your Mac cleaner send data?.

6. How does it delete files?

The safest cleaners show you every file before removal and move items to the Trash, so a mistake can be undone. Be wary of apps that delete permanently by default or won't show you what they selected.

7. Is it notarized?

Apple says a notarized app "indicates that Apple checked it for malicious software and none was detected". That's a useful baseline, but it isn't a quality review and says nothing about privacy or how carefully the app deletes. Apps downloaded outside the App Store should still be notarized, and macOS checks for it before the first launch.

Do you need a paid Mac cleaner at all?

Plenty of people don't. Before you buy anything, try what macOS already offers:

1. Open Apple menu › System Settings › General › Storage. You'll see a bar that shows which categories use your space.
2. Review the recommendations. Depending on your setup, these include Store in iCloud, Optimize Storage (which removes movies and TV shows you've already watched), and Empty Trash Automatically (which removes items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days).
3. Click the info button next to a category, such as Applications or Documents, to see and remove large items.
4. If you back up an iPhone or iPad to this Mac, delete old backups. Connect the device, select it in the Finder sidebar, click Manage Backups on the General tab, then right-click a backup and choose Delete.
5. Empty the Trash.

That handles most everyday cleanup. A dedicated app is most useful for:

• removing the files an app leaves behind after you delete it (see how to uninstall apps completely)
• clearing developer caches
• seeing exactly which folders make up categories like System Data

If your disk only fills up once a year, the built-in tools may be all you ever need.

What red flags should make you walk away?

These patterns come up again and again in this category. Any single one is a reason to stop and think.

• Pop-ups saying your Mac is "infected" or "seriously damaged" before you've scanned anything.
• Countdown discounts with timers that reset every time you open the page.
• "GB freed" promises. No app knows how much it will free before it has scanned your Mac, and the big numbers often count caches that macOS would rebuild anyway.
• One-click cleaning that selects everything for you, including items you never saw.
• Cancellation that's hard to find. If the terms don't say how to cancel, assume it will be a hassle.
• Unsigned downloads, or instructions to turn off Gatekeeper so you can install.

What not to do

• Don't delete folders inside /System or anything macOS protects. It manages those folders itself.
• Don't assume uninstalling an app cancels its subscription. Cancel where you subscribed. For App Store purchases, open the App Store, click your name, click your name again on the account page, then choose Subscriptions.
• Don't buy in a panic because the disk is full. Free up a little space with the steps above, then decide.
• Don't run two cleaners at once. They can disagree about what's safe and undo each other's work.

Choosing a cleaner by these criteria

If you decide a dedicated app is worth paying for, use the checklist above as a filter. A good one should:

• show every file and its size before anything is removed
• never pre-select items it isn't sure about
• move items to the Trash rather than erasing them
• have no subscription, and state its update policy in plain words
• send no telemetry and require no account
• be notarized

We build Freshist to meet that list. It's a one-time purchase with every future version included and no telemetry. One license activates on up to 3 Macs, and it comes with a 14-day refund. Scanning is free, so you can see what it would remove before you pay. You can see the current price on the pricing section, compare it point by point on the comparison page, or read the help docs first.

Whatever you pick, read the license terms before paying and look at every item before it's deleted.

Related guides

• What is System Data on Mac?
• Lost storage after the macOS 27 update?
• How to completely uninstall apps on Mac
• Does your Mac cleaner send data?

Sources

• Apple Support: Free up storage space on your Mac
• Apple Mac User Guide: Change Storage settings on Mac
• Apple Support: Safely open apps on your Mac
• Apple Support: If you want to cancel a subscription from Apple
• Apple Support: Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe.

Apple released macOS 27 Golden Gate on September 14, 2026. After the upgrade, a lot of people notice the same thing. Apps take a beat longer to open, the Mac is warm while you're doing nothing, and the battery drops faster than it used to. Most of the time that's the Mac catching up on work the upgrade created, and it passes. This guide explains what's normal, how long it lasts, and what to check when it doesn't settle.

Key takeaways

• A slow first day or two is common. Spotlight, Photos and other system tasks redo their work after a major upgrade.
• Help it finish. Keep the Mac plugged in, awake and online, then restart once.
• Install macOS 27.0.1 or later. Apple shipped it on September 28, 2026.
• If it's still slow after a few days, check CPU, memory pressure, free disk space, login items and old apps, in that order.
• Don't reach for a reinstall or a downgrade first. Most causes are much simpler.

Why does a Mac feel slow right after a major update?

Because it's busy with work you can't see. Several system tasks start over after a major upgrade, all at the same time:

• Spotlight re-indexing. Apple says Spotlight indexes after you install a software update or upgrade, and that it "can take hours or even days" depending on how much data you have. You'll see mds_stores and mdworker in Activity Monitor. Our Spotlight indexing guide covers this in detail.
• Photos analysis. The Photos library is analyzed again in the background. In Activity Monitor this usually shows up as photoanalysisd or mediaanalysisd.
• System assets. Apple says Apple Intelligence is automatically available on eligible devices when you update to the 27.0 releases, and it lists up to 14 GB of on-device storage for it on some Macs. Getting those models and other on-demand assets in place is more background work.
• Syncing and app updates. iCloud, mail accounts and apps catch up after the restart, and many apps update themselves for the new system.

None of this is a fault, but it all competes for the processor, memory and disk with the apps you're using, so the Mac feels slower until it's done. The same work also takes up disk space for a while, which we cover in lost storage after the macOS 27 update.

How long is "normal" after updating?

Apple doesn't publish a single number, but its Spotlight guidance gives a good sense of scale: hours to days for the first indexing, much faster afterwards. Here's what to expect in practice:

What should I check first?

Work through these in order. Each check takes a minute or two, and the list starts with the most common causes.

1. Leave it on power overnight. Apple says indexing goes faster when the device isn't in use, is connected to power, and is online. Plug in, keep the Mac awake and on Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and let it work.
2. Restart. This clears temporary files and any background process that got stuck during the upgrade.
3. Install updates. Open System Settings › General › Software Update and install macOS 27.0.1 or later. Then update your apps, from the App Store's Updates section and from each app's own updater.
4. Look at the CPU. Open Activity Monitor (Applications › Utilities), click CPU, and sort by % CPU. At the bottom, Apple's guide explains that System is CPU used by macOS processes and User is CPU used by the apps you opened. High System use after an update usually means indexing or setup work.
5. Check memory pressure. Click the Memory tab and look at the Memory Pressure graph at the bottom. Apple says it's based on free memory, swap rate, wired memory and file cached memory. If it stays high, or Swap Used keeps growing, an app may need more memory than your Mac has easily available. Quit apps you're not using.
6. Check free disk space. Apple's guide for a slow Mac starts with this: the startup disk "may not have enough free disk space." Open System Settings › General › Storage to see where you stand.
7. Review login items. Open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions. Remove apps from Open at Login that you don't need, and turn off background items you don't recognize. Our guide on login items and background apps explains what each section means.
8. Find old Intel apps. Choose Apple menu › System Settings › General › About, then click System Report. Under Software › Applications, the Kind column shows Apple Silicon, Universal, Intel or iOS for each app. Intel apps run through Rosetta 2, and Apple has said that Rosetta 2 support for apps ends after macOS 27. Look for native updates now.

If you're comfortable in Terminal, these read-only commands give you the same picture in a few seconds:

# Top 10 processes by CPU; the second sample has the real numbers
top -l 2 -o cpu -n 10 -stats pid,command,cpu | tail -11

# How much swap is in use
sysctl vm.swapusage

# Free space on the startup disk
df -h /

We ran all three on a Mac running macOS 26 Tahoe to check the syntax. top needs two samples because the first one shows no CPU use.

Is it the update, or something else?

If the Mac is still slow after a week, the update is probably no longer the cause. Use this table to narrow it down:

Test in safe mode

Safe mode is a clean way to tell macOS problems from third-party ones. Apple says it prevents certain software from loading at startup, including login items and extensions that aren't required by macOS.

On a Mac with Apple silicon: shut down, then press and hold the power button until Loading startup options appears. Select your startup disk, press and hold Shift, click Continue in Safe Mode, and release Shift. You'll see Safe Boot in the menu bar at the login window. To leave, restart normally.

If the Mac feels fine in safe mode, something you installed is the likely cause. Go back through your login items and background items one at a time.

When to reinstall or contact Apple

If nothing above helps, Apple's guide on reinstalling macOS says it "doesn't remove your apps or personal data", though you should still make a backup first. Contact Apple Support if the Mac is slow even in safe mode, if Disk Utility reports errors it can't repair, or if apps freeze across the board.

What not to do

• Don't judge speed in the first hours. The Mac is doing a lot of one-time work.
• Don't force quit system processes like mds_stores or photoanalysisd. They'll restart and pick up the work again.
• Don't turn off Spotlight entirely to get speed back. You lose search, and the CPU use was temporary anyway.
• Don't install several cleanup or "speed booster" apps at once. Each one adds its own background helpers.
• Don't downgrade on day one. Going back to macOS 26 Tahoe means erasing and restoring from a backup. Give it a week first.
• Don't delete system folders because a forum post blames them for the slowness.

Keeping an eye on it afterwards

After the first week, a quick look now and then tells you whether the Mac has really settled. Any monitor that shows live CPU and memory in the menu bar will do, as long as it's light and doesn't phone home.

Freshist has a menu bar HUD with live CPU, GPU and memory readings, and a Status view that lists the processes using the most CPU, power and memory, so a runaway app stands out. When you're freeing disk space, its Analyze treemap shows which folders are big, and its cleaner moves files to the Trash rather than deleting them. See the help docs, how it compares or pricing.

Related guides

• Spotlight indexing high CPU on Mac: mds_stores explained
• Lost storage after the macOS 27 update? Here's why
• MacBook fan loud or running hot? What's normal
• Login items and background apps on Mac
• How to completely uninstall apps on Mac

Sources

• Apple Mac User Guide: If your Mac runs slowly
• Apple Support: About Spotlight indexing and search results on Apple devices
• Apple Activity Monitor User Guide: View CPU activity in Activity Monitor on Mac
• Apple Activity Monitor User Guide: View memory usage in Activity Monitor on Mac
• Apple Mac User Guide: Change Login Items & Extensions settings on Mac
• Apple Support: Start up your Mac in safe mode
• Apple Support: How to reinstall macOS
• Apple Support: Reset the SMC of your Mac
• Apple Support: About Power Modes on your Mac
• Apple Support: How to get Apple Intelligence
• MacRumors: Apple releases macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1 with bug fixes
• MacRumors: macOS Tahoe 26.4 displays warnings for apps that won't work after Rosetta 2 support ends

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

A sudden rush of fan noise in a quiet room sounds like a warning, but it rarely is. Your Mac has temperature sensors inside, and the fans respond to them on their own. Below: what's normal, how to find the cause when the fans won't settle down, and when manual fan control is worth it.

What is the short answer?

A loud fan usually means your Mac is cooling a busy processor, which is normal. Open Activity Monitor, click CPU, and sort by % CPU to see what is working hard. Quit anything that's stuck. Keep the vents clear, use the Mac on a hard, flat surface, and keep the room within Apple's 10 to 35 °C (50 to 95 °F) operating range. If the fans run hard while the Mac is idle, restart it.

Key takeaways

• Fan noise during heavy work such as video exports, games, compiling or indexing is expected and harmless.
• After a macOS update, Spotlight re-indexing can keep the fans busy for a while, so give it a day.
• Activity Monitor's CPU and Energy tabs show which process is responsible.
• Soft surfaces such as beds, pillows and laps trap heat and make fans work harder.
• Apple doesn't publish internal chip temperature limits, so take the numbers in temperature apps as background information. They don't diagnose anything.

Why does a Mac's fan spin up?

According to Apple, the sensors inside your Mac switch the fans on when internal temperatures rise, and intensive tasks make them run faster. Video compression, graphics-heavy games and Spotlight indexing after a migration are Apple's own examples. Room temperature plays a part too: in a warm room, the fans kick in sooner and spin faster.

Most cases come down to one of these:

1. Workload. Something is genuinely using the CPU or GPU: an export, a build, a browser tab running heavy scripts, a video call, or macOS background work.
2. Environment. A hot room, direct sunlight, or a Mac on a duvet or cushion that blocks airflow.
3. Something stuck. A process that hangs at high CPU, or (rarely) a fan that misbehaves even when the Mac is idle.

What counts as normal?

About temperatures: Apple publishes an ambient (room) operating range of 10 to 35 °C for Mac laptops, with humidity between 0% and 95%, non-condensing. It doesn't publish limits for the chip itself. Monitoring apps read internal sensors, and those readings can look alarming under load while being perfectly normal. Apple also points out that the case is much cooler than those internal readings, and advises against using third-party temperature apps to diagnose hardware problems.

How do you find what is making your Mac hot?

1. Open Activity Monitor. It's in Applications › Utilities, or press Command-Space and type "Activity Monitor".
2. Click the CPU tab and click the % CPU column header so the busiest processes are at the top. A single process sitting near or above 100% for minutes is your likely cause. (On multi-core Macs one process can show more than 100%.)
3. Check the bottom of the window. Apple's guide explains the split: System is CPU used by macOS processes, User is apps you opened, and Idle is what's left. High System usage right after an update often means indexing or setup work.
4. Click the Energy tab. Energy Impact is a relative measure of each app's current energy use (lower is better). On laptops, the 12 hr Power column shows which apps have been hungry over time, not just right now.
5. Quit the culprit if it's an app you opened. Select it and click the Stop (X) button, then choose Quit. Use Force Quit only if it doesn't respond. Leave processes you don't recognise alone: many belong to macOS and will just restart.
6. If it's a browser, close tabs one by one, or use the browser's own task manager, to find the heavy page.

If the top processes are things like mds, mds_stores or mdworker (Spotlight), especially after an update, leave the Mac plugged in and awake for a while so indexing can finish. That's the fix.

How can you cool a Mac without installing anything?

• Give it airflow. Apple recommends a hard, flat surface such as a desk or table. Don't use a laptop on a bed, pillow or under bedding, and keep objects out of the vents.
• Mind the room. Keep the Mac within 10 to 35 °C, out of direct sun, and never leave it in a parked car.
• Install updates. Apple lists keeping macOS and your apps up to date as a first step when a Mac runs hot.
• Use Low Power Mode when you want quiet. Open System Settings › Battery (or Energy on desktop Macs) and set Low Power in the Energy Mode menu. On macOS Sequoia 15.1 and later, Apple says this also helps reduce fan noise on Macs that have fans.
• Restart if the fans run with nothing to do. For unexpected fan activity on an idle, well-ventilated Mac, Apple's advice is to close and reopen the lid or restart on Apple silicon, and to reset the SMC on Intel-based Macs.
• Know your model. MacBook Air models with Apple silicon are fanless. They stay silent and handle heat in other ways during long, heavy work, so there's no fan to hear or control.

Should you take manual control of the fans?

Usually not as a first step. Running the fans faster than macOS would is generally low risk; running them slower under load is where the risk lies, and faster fans don't fix a process that's pinning the CPU. For warranty questions, failure modes and why handing control back to macOS matters, see is manual fan control safe on a Mac?.

Built-in modes to know: on supported MacBook Pro models with Pro or Max chips and some desktop Macs, the High Power energy mode lets the fans run faster for sustained heavy work, and Apple warns that you may hear more fan noise. It's the first-party way to favour cooling over quiet.

What should you not do?

• Don't block the vents to quiet the fans, and don't use a laptop under blankets.
• Don't put the Mac in a fridge or freezer. Condensation is a far bigger risk than heat. Apple specifies non-condensing humidity.
• Don't force quit system processes you don't recognise. Many restart immediately and may be doing necessary work.
• Don't reinstall macOS for a loud fan before trying the simple steps above.
• Don't panic about a single high temperature reading. Internal sensors under load are expected to run much hotter than the case.

When should you contact Apple?

Contact Apple Support, or book a repair, if:

• the fans run at high speed while the Mac is idle, cool and well ventilated, even after a restart (and an SMC reset on Intel Macs);
• you hear grinding, clicking or rattling instead of rushing air;
• the Mac shuts down or freezes from heat during ordinary use in a normal room.

Can an app help you keep an eye on it?

Once you know what normal looks like on your Mac, a small monitor helps. "The fan is loud" becomes "this process has been at 300% CPU for ten minutes". A good one is lightweight, shows live CPU, memory and fan readings, has a clear way to return fan control to macOS, and needs no account or usage tracking.

Freshist includes a menu bar HUD with live CPU, GPU and memory readings and fan presets (Auto, Cool and Max), where Auto leaves the fans to macOS. If Freshist has taken manual control of the fans, it hands fan control back to macOS when you quit the app or remove its helper. Its Status view lists the processes using the most CPU, power and memory. See how it compares or the Help & Docs.

Related guides

• Lost storage after the macOS 27 update?
• What is System Data on Mac?
• How to completely uninstall apps on Mac: useful when a background helper keeps the CPU busy.
• Does your Mac cleaner send data? How to check

Sources

• Apple Support: About fans and fan noise in your Apple product
• Apple Support: Keep your Mac laptop within acceptable operating temperatures
• Apple Support: About Power Modes on your Mac
• Apple Support: View CPU activity in Activity Monitor on Mac
• Apple Support: View energy consumption in Activity Monitor on Mac
• Apple Support: MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025) Tech Specs

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe.

You update your Mac, open Activity Monitor because things feel warm and busy, and see processes you've never heard of at the top: mds, mds_stores, mdworker_shared. They can take a large share of the CPU for hours. That's Spotlight building its search index. Most of the time it's normal and it ends on its own. This guide shows how to tell normal indexing from a stuck loop, and how to calm it down without breaking search.

Key takeaways

• mds, mds_stores and mdworker are Spotlight. They read your files so search can find them.
• Indexing after an update is expected. Apple says it can take hours or even days, depending on how much data you have.
• Help it finish. Keep the Mac idle, plugged in and online for a while, then restart.
• Exclude what you don't search, such as big build or VM folders, in Spotlight's Search Privacy list.
• Rebuild the index only if it's stuck, and use Apple's method first.

What are mds, mds_stores and mdworker?

They are the processes behind Spotlight, and you'll see them in Activity Monitor whenever indexing is running.

• mds is the metadata server. Its manual page says it "serves all clients of the metadata APIs, including Spotlight."
• mdworker (and mdworker_shared) are worker processes. According to the manual page, mds uses them "to scan and index files as a volume is mounted or a file changes." You'll often see several at once.
• mds_stores manages the index databases themselves. When it's busy, Spotlight is writing a lot of new index data.

Their manual pages say the same thing for both: there's nothing to configure, and you shouldn't run them by hand. macOS starts and stops them as needed.

Why does Spotlight use so much CPU after a macOS 27 update?

Apple's Spotlight article lists the moments when Spotlight indexes: when you first set up a device, after you install a software update or upgrade, and whenever data changes, such as when you install apps or receive new email. A major upgrade like macOS 27 Golden Gate touches a lot of the system at once, so Spotlight has a lot of re-reading to do.

Several other things make it take longer:

• How much data you have. Apple says indexing "can take hours or even days" depending on how much is on your device. A Mac with years of mail, photos and project folders takes longer.
• Folders that never stop changing. Code build output, virtual machine images, sync folders and downloads in progress all change constantly, and each change gives Spotlight more work.
• New volumes. Connecting an external drive or mounting a large disk image starts indexing for that volume too.
• Low disk space. The mdutil manual page notes that indexing "may be delayed due to low disk space or other conditions." On a nearly full disk, indexing can drag on.

Apple also lists Spotlight indexing as one of the intensive tasks that make the fans spin faster. If heat and noise are your main concern, see MacBook fan loud or running hot?

How long should Spotlight indexing take?

Apple doesn't give a fixed number, only "hours or even days" for the initial indexing, with later updates "much faster." Here's a reasonable way to read it:

How do I check if Spotlight is still indexing?

1. Open Spotlight. Press Command-Space. Apple says that on a Mac you'll see an indexing progress indicator at the top of the Spotlight window while indexing is underway.
2. Open Activity Monitor (Applications › Utilities), click CPU, and sort by % CPU. Look for mds, mds_stores, mdworker or mdworker_shared near the top.
3. Check the status in Terminal, if you prefer. This command is read-only and shows whether indexing is turned on for your startup disk:

# Shows Spotlight indexing status for the startup disk (read-only)
mdutil -s /

On a healthy Mac it prints Indexing enabled. It doesn't show progress, so pair it with a CPU snapshot:

# Top 10 processes by CPU; the second sample has the real numbers (read-only)
top -l 2 -o cpu -n 10 -stats pid,command,cpu | tail -11

We ask for two samples because the first one from top shows no CPU use. When we ran this on a Mac running macOS 26 Tahoe, mds_stores was in the top five, along with mediaanalysisd, which is Photos analysis rather than Spotlight.

How do I calm Spotlight down without breaking search?

Start at the top. If things settle after a step, you can stop there.

1. Give it the conditions it needs. Apple says indexing finishes faster when the device isn't in use, is connected to power, and is online (some mail and other data may need to download). Leave the Mac plugged in, awake and on Wi-Fi or Ethernet for a few hours, or overnight.
2. Restart once. That clears any worker that has hung, and indexing picks up where it left off.
3. Install the latest update. Apple's first step for Spotlight problems is to install software updates. Check System Settings › General › Software Update. macOS 27.0.1 shipped on September 28, 2026.
4. Exclude folders you never search. Open System Settings, click Spotlight in the sidebar, then click Search Privacy in the lower right. Click the Add button, or drag folders in. Good candidates are build output, VM images, large archives and external drives you only use for storage.
5. Rebuild the index if it's stuck. Apple's method: in the same Search Privacy list, add the disk or folder you want to reindex, wait a few seconds, select it, click the Remove button, then click Done. Spotlight reindexes that location. Expect another round of high CPU while it does.

Two cautions before you exclude anything

Apple notes two side effects in its guide:

• If you exclude a Time Machine backup disk, you'll keep seeing messages that Spotlight is indexing it. That indexing is required for Time Machine and can't be turned off.
• If you exclude certain files and folders, you might not be told about updates for some apps. Excluding the entire internal disk means you won't get update notifications at all.

The Terminal rebuild, as a last resort

If Apple's method doesn't help, mdutil can erase and rebuild the index for a volume. This throws away the whole index for that volume. Search will be incomplete and CPU use high until it's rebuilt, which can take hours. It needs an administrator password.

# WARNING: erases and rebuilds the Spotlight index for the startup disk.
# Search is incomplete until indexing finishes. Use only if Apple's method failed.
sudo mdutil -E /

We haven't run this command on our test Mac for this guide, because it isn't read-only. Its syntax comes from the mdutil manual page on macOS 26.

What not to do

• Don't keep force-quitting mds or mdworker. They're system processes. macOS starts them again, and the work starts over.
• Don't delete hidden index folders by hand, such as .Spotlight-V100 at the root of a volume. Use the Search Privacy list or mdutil instead.
• Don't exclude your whole internal disk to stop the CPU use. You lose search, and Apple says you also lose app update notifications.
• Don't rebuild the index on day one. Rebuilding while the first post-update indexing is still running just starts it again.
• Don't run indexing on battery in a bag. Busy CPU plus no airflow means a hot Mac. Let it work on a desk, plugged in.

Watching CPU without opening Activity Monitor

Once you know that mds_stores is the cause, it helps to watch it settle without keeping Activity Monitor open. A small menu bar monitor with live CPU and a list of the busiest processes does that. Choose one that's lightweight, so it doesn't add to the load.

Freshist has a menu bar HUD with live CPU, GPU and memory readings, and its Status view lists the processes using the most CPU, power and memory. Its fan presets include Auto, which leaves the fans to macOS, and fan control goes back to macOS when you quit the app or remove its helper. If you want to cool things down while indexing runs, read is manual fan control safe on a Mac? first. There's more in the help docs, on how it compares and under pricing.

Related guides

• Mac slow after the macOS 27 update? What's normal
• MacBook fan loud or running hot? What's normal
• Lost storage after the macOS 27 update? Here's why
• Developer caches on Mac: build folders are a common reason indexing never settles.
• Login items and background apps on Mac

Sources

• Apple Support: About Spotlight indexing and search results on Apple devices
• Apple Mac User Guide: Prevent Spotlight searches in specific folders or disks on Mac
• Apple Support: About fans and fan noise in your Apple product
• Apple Activity Monitor User Guide: View CPU activity in Activity Monitor on Mac
• macOS manual pages: man mds, man mdworker, man mdutil (checked on macOS 26 Tahoe)
• MacRumors: Apple releases macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1 with bug fixes

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe.

You delete a big folder, empty the Trash, and the free space hardly changes. Or a disk tool tells you something is holding tens of gigabytes that Finder can't see. Often the answer is local Time Machine snapshots. They're designed to clean up after themselves, and usually they do. This guide explains what they are, how to see them, and how to clear them safely when you need the space now.

Key takeaways

• Time Machine takes a local snapshot about every hour and keeps it for 24 hours, plus one of your last successful backup.
• Apple counts snapshot space as available and deletes snapshots when space is needed. You rarely have to do anything.
• Snapshots keep deleted files on disk until they expire, which is why deleting files can free less space than you expect.
• Apple's way to clear them is to switch Backup Frequency to Manually for a few minutes, then switch it back.
• Not every snapshot belongs to Time Machine. Leave the com.apple.os.update snapshot alone.

What are Time Machine local snapshots?

They are point-in-time copies of your startup disk, stored on that same disk. Apple's support article spells out the rules:

• Time Machine saves a snapshot of your startup disk approximately every hour and keeps it for 24 hours.
• It keeps an extra snapshot of your last successful backup until space is needed.
• On macOS High Sierra and later, another snapshot is saved before any macOS update is installed.
• Snapshots are stored only on APFS disks, and only while Back Up Automatically is on.

Apple's Mac User Guide frames them as a way to recover earlier versions of files when your backup disk isn't available, such as a laptop away from its desk. It also says they're not a substitute for real backups. If your Mac's disk fails, the snapshots go with it.

Why do snapshots seem to take up space?

A snapshot records the state of the disk at one moment. Anything that existed then has to stay on the disk while the snapshot exists, even if you delete it afterwards. The Eclectic Light Company puts it simply: the file system has to keep all the storage blocks that were in use when the snapshot was made.

You'll usually notice it in one of these ways:

1. Deleting files frees less than expected. The deleted files still belong to a snapshot until it expires.
2. Big changing files cause big snapshots. Virtual machine images and large media projects change a lot, and the old versions get held. Eclectic Light notes that snapshots always cover whole volumes, so you can't exclude one big file from them.
3. "Available" and "free" disagree. Apple says your Mac counts the space used by snapshots as available storage. Different tools may report it differently.

The good news is in the same Apple article: Time Machine automatically deletes snapshots as they age or as space is needed for other things.

How do I see my local snapshots?

You can check from Terminal or from Disk Utility. Both ways only look.

In Terminal, list the Time Machine snapshots on the startup disk:

# Lists local Time Machine snapshots on the startup disk (read-only)
tmutil listlocalsnapshots /

# Shows just their dates, formatted YYYY-MM-DD-HHMMSS (read-only)
tmutil listlocalsnapshotdates /

Time Machine snapshots have names that start with com.apple.TimeMachine. followed by a date. On our test Mac running macOS 26 Tahoe, both commands came back empty, which is what you'd expect when Time Machine has nothing held locally.

In Disk Utility, you can see sizes:

1. Open Disk Utility (Applications › Utilities).
2. Choose View › Show APFS Snapshots.
3. Select your data volume in the sidebar (usually Macintosh HD - Data). Its snapshots appear in a table at the bottom of the window.

Eclectic Light explains the two size columns. Private Size is roughly what you'd get back by deleting that one snapshot. Size is cumulative and includes older snapshots it depends on.

If you prefer Terminal, this read-only command lists every APFS snapshot on the data volume, Time Machine or not:

# Lists all APFS snapshots on the data volume (read-only)
diskutil apfs listSnapshots /System/Volumes/Data

The snapshot you must leave alone

If you run diskutil apfs listSnapshots / (the system volume rather than the data volume), you'll likely see a snapshot named com.apple.os.update- followed by a long string. That isn't a Time Machine snapshot. Apple's Platform Security guide explains that since macOS 11, the system runs from a cryptographically sealed system volume, and APFS snapshots are part of how that works. On our test Mac, diskutil marked it Purgeable: No. Don't try to delete it.

Which snapshots are safe to remove?

How do I free the space safely?

Go in this order. Stop as soon as you have the space you need.

1. Wait. If you aren't short on space right now, do nothing. Snapshots older than 24 hours go away on their own, and Time Machine removes them sooner when space runs low.
2. Use Apple's method. Apple says to turn off automatic backups temporarily. On macOS 27 and 26, open System Settings › General › Time Machine, click Options, set Backup Frequency to Manually, and click Done. Wait a few minutes, then set it back to your usual frequency. Don't forget the second half. Leaving it on Manually means no automatic backups.
3. Delete specific snapshots in Disk Utility. With View › Show APFS Snapshots turned on, select the data volume, select one or more snapshots in the table, then click the Delete Snapshot button. There's no undo. Eclectic Light suggests you can remove all Time Machine snapshots except the most recent one, which the next backup needs. Without it, the next backup could be a full one.
4. Thin from Terminal, if you're comfortable. tmutil thinlocalsnapshots asks Time Machine to remove snapshots until a set amount of space (in bytes) is free, with an urgency from 1 to 4:

# WARNING: removes local Time Machine snapshots until about 20 GB is reclaimed.
# Snapshots can't be recovered afterwards. Your backups on the backup disk are not affected.
sudo tmutil thinlocalsnapshots / 20000000000 4

We took this syntax from the tmutil manual page on macOS 26 Tahoe and didn't run it on our test Mac, because it removes data. Apple's Manually method above does the same job without Terminal.

After any of these, check System Settings › General › Storage again. It can take a few minutes for the numbers to catch up.

What not to do

• Don't delete the com.apple.os.update snapshot, or any snapshot on the system volume.
• Don't delete snapshot folders with rm, even if a guide suggests it. Use Time Machine, Disk Utility or tmutil.
• Don't leave Time Machine on Manually after clearing snapshots. You'd be trading a little disk space for no backups.
• Don't treat local snapshots as your backup. They live on the same disk they protect.
• Don't clear snapshots right after a macOS update unless you need the space. The pre-update snapshot is a safety net for the first day.
• Don't trust a tool that removes "snapshots" without showing their names. You want to know exactly which ones go.

Where the rest of the space went

Once snapshots are ruled out, the space is usually in ordinary folders: caches, old installers, device backups or files from apps you no longer use. A disk map makes that quick to see. Remember the snapshot rule, though. Files you delete while a snapshot still holds them won't free space until that snapshot expires.

Freshist's Analyze view draws your disk as a treemap, hardlink-aware so nothing is counted twice, and its cleaner lists every item before moving it to the Trash. Scanning is free. See the help docs, how it compares or pricing. For individual folders, our cache guides and Library folder guide explain what each location holds.

Related guides

• What is System Data on Mac?
• Lost storage after the macOS 27 update? Here's why
• Developer caches on Mac: virtual machines and build folders are common snapshot hogs.
• How to completely uninstall apps on Mac
• Mac cleaner without a subscription: what to check

Sources

• Apple Support: About Time Machine local snapshots
• Apple Mac User Guide: About Time Machine local snapshots on Mac
• Apple Disk Utility User Guide: View APFS snapshots in Disk Utility on Mac
• Apple Platform Security: Signed system volume security
• Apple Mac User Guide: Change Storage settings on Mac
• The Eclectic Light Company: Take control of snapshots
• The Eclectic Light Company: How did Golden Gate affect free disk space?
• macOS manual page: man tmutil (checked on macOS 26 Tahoe)

Written for macOS 27 Golden Gate, with notes for macOS 26 Tahoe.

You open Storage settings to find out why your disk is full. Most of the bar makes sense: Applications, Documents, Photos. Then there's a large grey block labelled System Data, often bigger than you'd expect, with no obvious way to see inside it. Here's what's in it, why it moves around, and how to reduce it without breaking anything.

Key takeaways

• System Data is a category, not a folder. It's whatever macOS can't put in a more specific bucket.
• Most of it is normal: caches, logs, temporary files, local snapshots and virtual machine files.
• It changes size on its own and often swells for a day or two after a macOS update.
• You shrink it by removing specific things inside it. Deleting system folders is never the answer.
• Back up first, and move things to the Trash instead of deleting them permanently.

What is System Data on a Mac?

System Data is the storage category for files that don't fit any other category. Apple's Mac User Guide describes it as files that "don't fall into the categories listed here," mostly system files such as logs, caches, and temporary files. Apple also says you can't manage its contents directly, because macOS manages them and the size varies with the current state of your Mac.

Older versions of macOS called this category "Other". Same idea, new name.

On a typical Mac, these are the usual contributors:

• Caches. App and system caches in ~/Library/Caches and /Library/Caches.
• Logs and diagnostic reports. Usually small, though some can grow.
• Local Time Machine snapshots. Hourly snapshots of your startup disk, kept for about 24 hours.
• Virtual machines and containers. Disk images for virtualization and developer tools can be tens of gigabytes each.
• Leftovers from deleted apps. Support files that stay in ~/Library/Application Support after you drag an app to the Trash.
• On-demand system assets. Components that macOS downloads and manages itself, such as extra fonts. Apple Intelligence models are system-managed too, though recent macOS versions may list them on their own line in Storage settings rather than under System Data.

Why doesn't the number match what I see in Finder?

Usually for one of three reasons.

1. Snapshots count as available space. Apple says your Mac counts the space used by local snapshots as available storage, because Time Machine removes them when space is needed. So "available" and "actually free" can differ.
2. Some of the space is purgeable. macOS can reclaim it automatically, so different tools report it differently.
3. The category is calculated, not measured. System Data is roughly what's left after macOS counts every other category. If the other categories are off, System Data absorbs the difference.

This is also why the number jumps after a major update. The installer, a pre-update snapshot (Apple saves one before every macOS update), re-indexing and new system assets all arrive at once. For the macOS 27 specifics, see lost storage after the macOS 27 update.

Before you start

• Make a Time Machine backup, or another backup you trust.
• Quit the apps whose files you plan to touch.
• Move items to the Trash instead of deleting them permanently, and wait a day or two before you empty it.
• If you don't recognize something, leave it. That one habit prevents more damage than any cleaner.

How do I see what's inside System Data?

macOS won't list System Data item by item, but you can get fairly close.

1. Open Storage settings. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click Storage. Hover over the bar to see category sizes, and give it a minute to finish calculating.
2. Check the other categories first. Click the info button next to Applications, Documents, iOS Files, and Trash. Clearing these is often easier than chasing System Data.
3. List local snapshots. Open Terminal and run the read-only command below. A long list means snapshots are part of the picture.

# Lists local Time Machine snapshots on the startup disk (read-only)
tmutil listlocalsnapshots /

4. Measure your Library folders. In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder (Shift-Command-G), enter ~/Library, and switch to list view. Choose View › Show View Options and turn on Calculate all sizes. Then look at Caches, Application Support, and Containers.
5. Find big folders from Terminal if you prefer:

# Ten largest folders in your user Library (read-only)
du -sh ~/Library/* 2>/dev/null | sort -rh | head -10

How do I reduce System Data safely?

Start with the safest step and work toward the more involved ones, checking Storage settings after each.

1. Restart your Mac. This clears some temporary files and costs nothing.
2. Delete old iPhone or iPad backups. Connect the device, select it in the Finder sidebar, click Manage Backups on the General tab, right-click an old backup, and choose Delete. Backups live in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/, but use the Finder button rather than deleting them by hand.
3. Let local snapshots expire. Apple says they're removed after 24 hours or when space is needed. To clear them sooner, Apple's own method is to open System Settings › General › Time Machine, click Options, and set Backup Frequency to Manually. Wait a few minutes, then set it back. Don't leave automatic backups off.
4. Clear caches for one app at a time. Quit the app, open ~/Library/Caches, and move that app's folder (usually named after its bundle ID, such as com.example.app) to the Trash. Many apps, especially browsers, also have a clear-cache option in their own settings, and that's the better route when it exists. For what the common cache folders hold and which ones rebuild cleanly, see our cache guide.
5. Remove leftovers from apps you've already deleted. Look in ~/Library/Application Support, ~/Library/Containers, and ~/Library/Preferences for folders named after apps you no longer have. Our guide on uninstalling apps completely covers this step by step.
6. Clean up virtual machines and developer data. If you use virtualization or container tools, delete unused images from inside those tools rather than in Finder. Use each tool's own cleanup command where one exists.
7. Empty the Trash once you're sure nothing broke.

Which parts of System Data are safe to remove?

What not to do

• Don't delete /System, /private/var, or system asset folders, even if a forum post tells you to. macOS manages them, and removing them by hand can cause problems.
• Don't disable System Integrity Protection to "clean deeper". Whatever space you'd gain isn't worth the risk.
• Don't wipe all of ~/Library/Caches at once. You lose nothing permanent, but every app has to rebuild its caches at the same time, and you'll forget what you removed.
• Don't treat System Data as a problem by default. A few dozen gigabytes on a well-used Mac is normal.
• Don't chase the number right after an update. Give macOS a day or two to finish its own cleanup.
• Don't trust any tool that promises to "remove System Data" in one click.

Seeing System Data folder by folder

The built-in tools tell you how much System Data there is but not where it lives. A disk analyzer fills that gap. Whichever one you try, it should show sizes as a map of folders, list every item before removing anything, and send removals to the Trash.

Freshist does this with a hardlink-aware storage treemap (so nothing is counted twice) and a cleaner that previews every file and moves it to the Trash. Scanning is free. See the help docs or how it compares. If you're weighing paid options in general, read what to check before buying a Mac cleaner.

Related guides

• Lost storage after the macOS 27 update? Here's why
• How to completely uninstall apps on Mac
• Mac cleaner without a subscription: what to check

Sources

• Apple Mac User Guide: Change Storage settings on Mac
• Apple Support: Free up storage space on your Mac
• Apple Support: About Time Machine local snapshots
• Apple Mac User Guide: About Time Machine local snapshots
• Apple Support: Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• Apple Support: How to get Apple Intelligence