Is CleanMyMac safe, and how do I uninstall it?
By Vishva Variya · Updated · 5 min read
Short answer
Yes. CleanMyMac is made by MacPaw, an established Mac developer, and sold on the Mac App Store as well as its own site. It isn’t malware. The real questions are whether you need it, since macOS clears most caches on its own, and the price: mostly a subscription. To remove it, use its own Applications › Uninstaller, which MacPaw says removes it completely.
What does CleanMyMac do?
It’s a maintenance suite: it clears system junk and caches, scans for malware, uninstalls apps with their leftovers, updates apps, and finds large, old and duplicate files. It asks for Full Disk Access, as any app that cleans outside your own folders must.
Is it worth it?
- Caches and “system junk” grow back: apps rebuild them as soon as they run, so the space gained is often temporary.
- macOS already removes old update files, trims local Time Machine snapshots and frees purgeable space when the disk runs low.
- What usually fills a disk is your own stuff: videos, downloads, old installers, duplicates and apps you forgot. Any tool that shows those, including Finder, gets you most of the way.
- It costs $39.99 a year, $9.99 a month or $89.99 once on the Mac App Store (checked October 31, 2026).
How do I uninstall CleanMyMac completely?
- 1Open CleanMyMac and click Applications in the sidebar.
- 2Run a scan, then open Manage My Applications and choose Uninstaller.
- 3Select CleanMyMac in the list and click Uninstall.
- 4Confirm. MacPaw says it then removes itself without leftovers.
Dragging CleanMyMac to the Trash also works but leaves its support files behind. If you bought it on the Mac App Store, cancel the subscription in App Store › your account › Subscriptions; uninstalling doesn’t cancel it.
Where does CleanMyMac leave files?
If you dragged it to the Trash, check for folders and files named after CleanMyMac or com.macpaw in ~/Library/Application Support, Caches, Preferences, LaunchAgents and Group Containers. This lists them without deleting anything:
find ~/Library -maxdepth 3 \( -iname "*cleanmymac*" -o -iname "*macpaw*" \) 2>/dev/nullThen check System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions for a CleanMyMac menu bar helper.
Where Peekaboo fits
Peekaboo isn’t a maintenance suite: it has no malware scanner or app updater. It’s a file browser that also frees space, focused on the files that actually fill a disk, with app caches and developer data explained folder by folder. Everything goes to the Trash and any cleanup can be put back in one click, and it’s a one-time purchase with a 14-day trial. Its App Uninstaller also finds leftovers of apps you already removed, CleanMyMac included.
- 1Find leftovers of apps you already deleted in the App Uninstaller.⇧⌘X
- 2See what’s really using the disk with Space Map.⇧⌘M
Questions
Is CleanMyMac a virus?
- No. It’s commercial software from MacPaw, sold on the Mac App Store, which means Apple reviewed it. Pop-ups imitating it on websites are a different matter: download it only from macpaw.com or the App Store.
Is CleanMyMac free?
- No. You can download and try it, but it’s sold as a subscription ($39.99 a year or $9.99 a month on the Mac App Store) or a one-time $89.99 license, as of October 31, 2026.
Does Apple recommend CleanMyMac?
- Apple doesn’t recommend cleaner apps. It sells CleanMyMac on the Mac App Store, and its own advice for space is System Settings › General › Storage.
Does uninstalling CleanMyMac cancel my subscription?
- No. Cancel it where you bought it: App Store › your account › Subscriptions, or your MacPaw account for direct purchases.