Spring Cleaning Your Mac: Built-In Tools First, Then the Best Cleanup Apps

A full disk slows down updates, breaks backups, and makes every "Save" dialog a hunt. The fix doesn't have to start with a cleaner app: macOS now has decent storage tools built in, and they cover a lot of the job for free.

This guide works in that order. First the built-in tools, then the apps that do specific jobs better: finding big folders, removing apps cleanly, catching duplicates, and keeping files organized automatically. It works any time of year, not just in spring.

Quick Takeaway

• Start with System Settings > General > Storage. It shows what's using space and offers one-click fixes.
• Back up before you delete anything. A Time Machine backup makes every step reversible.
• Use apps for what macOS doesn't do well: a visual disk map (DaisyDisk), clean uninstalls (AppCleaner or Pearcleaner), duplicates (Gemini 2 or PhotoSweeper), and automatic filing (Hazel).
• CleanMyMac is the all-in-one option if you'd rather use one app for everything.

Step 1: Back Up First

Cleanup means deleting things, and sooner or later you'll delete the wrong one. Run a Time Machine backup, or a clone with Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!, before you start. Our backup app comparison covers the options.

Step 2: See What's Using Space

Open System Settings > General > Storage (Apple's guide). The bar at the top shows space by category: Applications, Documents, Photos, Messages, and so on.

Click the Info button next to a category to see the files inside and delete them directly. Apple notes this is especially useful for Applications, Documents, Messages, Trash, and TV. The Documents view is where large forgotten downloads and old disk images usually turn up.

System Data often looks alarmingly large. Apple describes it as a general category for Apple and third-party files that don't fit any other category, such as caches and logs. macOS clears some of these on its own when space runs low, so don't delete system folders by hand.

Step 3: Turn On the Built-In Recommendations

The same Storage pane offers three recommendations:

• Store in iCloud: keeps Desktop and Documents, photos, and messages in iCloud, with only recent files stored locally when space is needed. This needs enough iCloud storage.
• Optimize Storage: removes Apple TV movies and shows you've already watched and keeps only recent email attachments on your Mac.
• Empty Trash Automatically: deletes items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.

Empty Trash Automatically is the easiest win for most people. Store in iCloud is the biggest, if you're comfortable with files living in the cloud.

Step 4: Clean Up Login Items and Background Apps

Apps you no longer use often leave something running. Open System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions (Apple's guide) and review three lists: apps that open at login, apps allowed to run in the background, and extensions. Turn off anything you don't recognize or need. This won't free much disk space, but it makes the Mac feel lighter at startup.

Step 5: Find the Big Folders With DaisyDisk

macOS's Storage pane is organized by category, which hides where space actually goes inside folders. DaisyDisk scans a disk and draws it as an interactive ring chart, so a 40 GB folder of old video exports is obvious at a glance, and you can clear what you don't need without leaving the app. It can also scan as administrator to reveal space that's otherwise hidden.

It costs $9.99 one-time, directly or on the Mac App Store, and the developer offers a student discount. For other disk analyzers, see our DaisyDisk alternatives.

Step 6: Uninstall Apps Properly

Dragging an app to the Trash leaves its support files, caches, and preferences behind. A dedicated uninstaller finds those too.

• AppCleaner is free. Drop an app on its window, review the related files it finds, and delete them together. Version 3.7 is for macOS 15 and later.
• Pearcleaner is a free, open-source alternative that also finds leftover files from apps you've already deleted.

Step 7: Remove Duplicates

Duplicate photos and files waste a surprising amount of space.

• Photos (built in): Photos detects duplicate pictures and videos and shows them in a Duplicates collection under Utilities in the sidebar (older versions call it the Duplicates album). Select a set and click Merge to keep the best copy; the extras go to Recently Deleted for 30 days (Apple's guide).
• Gemini 2: The Duplicate Finder from MacPaw finds duplicate and similar files anywhere on your Mac, not just in Photos. It's a free download with a $19.99 yearly in-app purchase on the Mac App Store, and it's also included with Setapp. See our Gemini 2 alternatives.
• PhotoSweeper ($14.99 on the Mac App Store) is built for photographers. It compares similar shots side by side and works with Photos, Lightroom Classic, and Capture One libraries.

Step 8: Consider an All-in-One Cleaner

CleanMyMac (no longer called CleanMyMac X) bundles junk cleanup, optimization tools (such as turning off unneeded background and login apps), an app uninstaller, malware protection, and cloud storage cleanup. It's convenient if you'd rather run one app occasionally than learn several.

On the Mac App Store it's a free download with a $39.99 yearly plan or $9.99 monthly, and MacPaw's site lists a 7-day free trial. It's also included with Setapp. Be selective with "junk" it finds: caches rebuild themselves, so clearing them frees space only briefly. Our CleanMyMac alternatives post compares it with cheaper and free tools.

Keep It Organized Afterwards

Cleanup is wasted if the clutter comes back. These tools help keep files in order.

Built-in: Stacks and Smart Folders

• Desktop Stacks group files on your desktop by kind, date, or tag. Click the desktop and choose View > Use Stacks (⌃⌘0) (Apple's guide).
• Smart Folders are saved searches that update themselves, such as "PDFs older than a year" or "files larger than 1 GB". In Finder, choose File > New Smart Folder, add criteria, and save (Apple's guide).

Hazel 6: Automatic Filing

Hazel watches folders and acts on files that match your rules: move invoices to a Finance folder, rename screenshots, delete old downloads, or empty the Trash on a schedule. Hazel 6 costs $42 ($65 for a family pack, $20 to upgrade from an earlier version). New in version 6, it can match text inside images and PDFs without a separate OCR step, handle encrypted PDFs, and put a file back where it came from with Revert. For other options, see our Hazel alternatives.

Default Folder X: Faster Open and Save Dialogs

Default Folder X adds recent and favorite folders to every Open and Save dialog, so files land in the right place instead of Downloads. It's $39.95 for a single user, supports macOS 27, has a 30-day trial, and is also on Setapp.

Path Finder: A More Powerful Finder

Path Finder is still being developed (the current line is Path Finder 26) and adds dual panes, a file drop stack, and more file details than Finder. It's sold as time-limited licenses, from $32.95 for one year, and it's also on Setapp.

Keep It: Notes, Links, and Documents in One Place

Keep It collects notes, web links, PDFs, and files you'd otherwise scatter across the desktop. It's still updated (it requires macOS 15.6 or later) and is a free download on the Mac App Store with paid plans as in-app purchases.

A Simple Maintenance Schedule

• Monthly: check the Storage pane, clear Downloads, and let Empty Trash Automatically do its job.
• Quarterly: uninstall apps you haven't opened, review login items, and run a duplicate scan.
• Yearly: run DaisyDisk or a similar scan to find large old projects to archive to an external drive.

Final Verdict

Start with what macOS already does: the Storage pane, its recommendations, and the Photos duplicate merge are free and handle the basics. Add DaisyDisk to find big folders, AppCleaner or Pearcleaner for clean uninstalls, and Hazel if you want files to sort themselves. Choose CleanMyMac or a Setapp subscription if you'd rather have one place for all of it.

Catch these apps on sale: many paid Mac apps, including cleanup and file management utilities, run discounts at least once a year, most often around Black Friday. Subscribe to the Apps.Deals newsletter to hear when the deals arrive.

Note: First published in January 2025 and updated in October 2026. Features and prices are current as of October 2026 and can change; verify them on each official site before buying.

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