20 CleanMyMac X Hidden Features You Should Know
CleanMyMac X, IMO, is one of the essential Mac apps you should install if you care about your Mac’s performance.
This junk-cleaning app, along with other similar apps like OnyX, DaisyDisk, MacFly Pro, MacClean, BuhoCleaner, AppCleaner, etc., does similar things. They scan your Mac looking for (and delete) junk files in ways impossible to be done manually.
However, I won’t talk about cleaning up junk with CleanMyMac X in this post. Instead, I’m going to shed light on other (great, if you will) hidden features of CleanMyMac X you probably don’t know.
In this article:
- Repairs broken file and folder permissions
- Reindex Spotlight
- Erase private files
- Clear all browsers’ histories and other data
- Delete all previously connected Wi-Fi Networks
- Discover which apps have access to your Mac
- Bulk update outdated apps
- Perform speed test
- Find out the system’s uptime, temperature, heavy apps
- Find out space-hogging files
- Backup files instead of deleting them
- Uninstall Preference Pane extensions
- Look for system threats in the background
- Reset apps instead of uninstalling them
- Remove leftover app items
- Shrink Time Machine backup size
- Show apps installed via App Store or manual
- Customize what Smart Scan does
- Get notified if Bin exceeds a certain size
- Total space saved since using CleanMyMac
1. Repairs broken file and folder permissions
Since macOS is a UNIX compliance operating system, all files and folders are attached with permissions, as all UNIX systems do. If you encounter any problems with permissions for files and folders (i.e., unable to move or delete files, not owner of a file or folder, etc.), this can be easily fixed using CleanMyMac.
2. Reindex Spotlight
Mac’s Spotlight is a great tool for searching for apps, files, or just about anything on your Mac. If you noticed the following symptoms when using Spotlight, that probably means you should re-index it again for better performance.
- Searching is slow.
- Existing apps or files do not show up in search results.
- Spotlight is stuck, and it does not search.
3. Erase private files
Sometimes deleting files to trash won’t give you peace of mind, especially regarding highly sensitive files (or folders). CleanMyMac lets you delete them securely without leaving a trace and ensure they are unrecoverable.
4. Clear all browsers’ histories and other data
Cleaning a browser’s history, cookies, and browsing history doesn’t seem like a tedious task, but if you constantly use a lot of different browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Brave, etc.), then wiping all these data off can take some time.
CleanMyMac’s Privacy feature allows you to check all the browsers you want data wiped off and remove them with just one click.
5. Delete all previously connected Wi-Fi Networks
Your Mac keeps a record of all Wi-Fi connections you’ve previously connected to. You can find the list under:
System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Wi-Fi.
CleanMyMac shows you all the Wi-Fi networks and allows you to delete all of them (or a selected few) in one simple interface.
6. Discover which apps have access to your Mac
Do you know what app has access to your Desktop Folder? Or, do you know what app can access your Camera?
Head over to Privacy in CleanMyMac, click Scan and look under Applications Permissions to find out all the apps that have access to various parts of your Mac’s functionally, devices, or system features.
7. Bulk update outdated apps
If you install any Mac apps manually via the .dmg file, you will have to manually update them if they have gone outdated. To find out – manually – which apps need to be updated can be a tedious job.
Updater in CleanMyMac gives you a list of outdated apps; it also allows you to bulk-update all outdated apps.
8. Perform speed test
There’s no need to visit Okla, or install an additional 3rd party app just to test your Internet connection.
Click on the CleanMyMac icon on your Menu bar to bring up the widget to see your current upload and download speed, or click Test Speed to test your Internet connection.
9. Find out the system’s uptime, temperature, heavy apps
CleanMyMac also shows you much other information about your system you probably don’t know about. Click the CleanMyMac icon on your Mac’s Menu bar, then select CPU.
Information about your system’s uptime, temperature, and top-consuming apps will be shown. You can also manually quit any open apps from the same screen.
10. Find out space-hogging files
Ever wonder what takes up most of the space on your Harddisk drive? Are the photos, movie files, documents, or applications installed? There are a few ways to find out and delete them to save space.
You can either use the Storage Management app on your Mac or you can use CleanMyMac’s Large & Old Files feature. IMO, the latter gives a clear picture of things.
11. Backup files instead of deleting them
Now, after discovering what’s hogging your hard disk space, you can either delete them and never have access to them again, or you can keep a backup instead.
CleanMyMac allows you to select all your large and old files, and instead of deleting them, move them to any folder (on the current system or connected NAS) you prefer.
12. Uninstall Preference Pane extensions
System add-on like Java comes as a preference pane in your System Preferences. They can be easily managed or removed under Extensions in CleanMyMac.
13. Look for system threats in the background
This feature keeps a watch for malicious activities on your Mac, even when CleanMyMac is not opened.
To ensure this feature is turned on, go to Preferences of CleanMyMac, select the Protection tab, and check “Look for threats in the background“.
14. Reset apps instead of uninstalling them
Want to bring an app (or a few apps in bulk) back to its default setting instead of deleting it? Go to Uninstaller, look for the app under All Applications, click once to select it, change the dropdown from Uninstall to Reset, and then click the Reset button.
15. Remove leftover app items (files)
If you manually delete an app by moving it to the Bin, then chances are some of its remnants may still stay on your system. You can go to Uninstaller, then click Leftovers to find out all remaining items of apps you’ve previously deleted.
16. Shrink Time Machine backup size
This feature shrinks the size of your Time Machine’s backup without jeopardizing the quality and amount of data backed up.
17. Show apps installed via App Store or manual
Under Uninstaller, look for “App Store” and “Other“. These screens give you a list of the apps installed via the App Store or by manual installation (installing via .dmg file).
18. Customize what Smart Scan does
By default, CleanMyMac’s Smart Scan does a series of actions when clicked, including cleaning up the system, protecting it, and optimizing its speed.
But you can also customize what Smart Scan does to your liking.
19. Get notified if Bin exceeds a certain size
Files deleted goes inside the Bin will still hog your disk space until you empty the bin. You can have CleanMyMac prompting a reminder shall Bin excess a certain file size.
20. Total space saved since using CleanMyMac
Last but not least, for the data nerd, if you’ve been using CleanMyMac for a while now, you can find out how much space the app has helped you save since installed.
Click on the Assitant button on the top right, and then look at the information at the bottom of the next screen.
