MacTidy

MacTidy

See what fills your Mac. Clear only what's safe.

MacTidy is a Mac cleaner and disk space analyzer. It maps what's using your disk, picks out the caches and build files you can safely remove, and moves them to the Trash, so any cleanup can be undone.

Coming soon See how it works
  • $10.99 once, no subscription
  • Runs entirely on your Mac
  • macOS 15 Sequoia or later
Example scan Macintosh HD, 512 GB

An example scan of a 512 GB Mac: 61 GB of Xcode build files, app caches and developer caches that are safe to remove, plus 53 GB of old simulators, Docker data and old logs worth reviewing. Photos, documents, iPhone backups, Downloads, apps and macOS are shown but never touched.

An interactive example. Select any block, then try a cleanup.

Three steps. You approve each one.

  1. Scan

    MacTidy reads file sizes and locations across your disk, in bulk, straight from the file system. It doesn't open your files or upload anything.

  2. Review

    Every item shows its size, where it lives, and why it was flagged. Safe items are pre-selected. Anything that might hold your data waits for you to decide.

  3. Move to Trash

    Selected items go to the Trash, not straight to deletion, and MacTidy keeps a history of every cleanup. Changed your mind? Undo it. Empty the Trash when you're sure.

What it finds

Rules for each location are written and tested by hand, and they update without an app update when a tool changes where it keeps its files.

Disk map

A zoomable map of your disk, sized by the space files actually take up. Hard links are counted once, and space shared through APFS clones is flagged, so what removing something would free is shown as a range, not one inflated number.

Developer leftovers

The biggest wins on a developer's Mac: build products, old simulators, device support files and package caches. Cache folders go to the Trash like everything else. Where a tool has to clean up after itself, like Xcode's simulators or Docker, MacTidy runs that tool's own command, marks the cleanup as permanent and never pre-selects it.

  • Xcode DerivedData
  • iOS DeviceSupport
  • Unavailable simulators
  • Swift Package caches
  • Homebrew
  • npm, pnpm
  • pip
  • Docker build cache

App leftovers

Dragging an app to the Trash leaves its settings, caches and support files behind. Drop the app on MacTidy instead and it removes the app together with them. Leftovers are matched by the app's bundle identifier, not its name, and folders another installed app still uses are kept. Other apps' containers need Full Disk Access.

  • Application Support
  • Containers
  • Group Containers
  • Preferences
  • Saved Application State
  • Launch agents

Caches and logs

Browser caches for Chrome, Edge, Brave, Firefox and Safari, app caches MacTidy has a tested rule for, such as Slack and Discord, and logs older than 30 days. Your browsing history, cookies, passwords and bookmarks are never touched. Caches that hold real data, such as offline music, are left alone. Mail attachment copies are measured and shown, not removed.

Your own files

New in 1.1

Forgotten downloads, installers for apps you already have, old screenshots, big old videos, duplicates and look-alike photos. Browse everything by kind or by where it was downloaded from. Nothing here is ever pre-selected.

Your Mac at a glance

An Overview of what's safe to clean, your storage, apps and memory. See which apps you haven't opened in months, what's using memory right now, and what starts at login, each with plain explanations and no scores.

  • Overview
  • Unused apps
  • Running apps and memory
  • Activity
  • Login and background items
  • History with undo
  • Search, including text in screenshots
  • Menu bar and Quick Search

What MacTidy won't do.

Plenty of cleaners sell fear. These are the lines MacTidy doesn't cross.

  • Claim to speed up your RAM

    macOS manages memory well on its own. Forcing it to drop cached data just makes apps slower to reopen.

  • Show scary warnings

    No red alerts, no "1,284 problems found". You see sizes and paths, and that's it.

  • Remove your photos, documents or mail

    They appear on the disk map so you know where your space went. MacTidy never selects them for removal.

  • Delete anything straight away

    Files go to the Trash first, so a cleanup can be undone until you empty it. A few developer clean-ups, like old simulators and Docker data, run through the tool's own command instead; MacTidy marks those as permanent and never pre-selects them.

  • Watch what you do

    No analytics, no account. Your file list never leaves your Mac.

  • Charge you every year

    You pay once. Every 1.x update is included.

Pay once. No subscription.

Every 1.x update is included. Scan for free before you buy.

Personal

$10.99once

For you, on up to 3 of your Macs.

  • Up to 3 Macs
  • Every 1.x update
  • Full refund within 14 days
Coming soon

For households

Family

$17.99once

For one household, on up to 6 Macs.

  • Up to 6 Macs
  • Every 1.x update
  • Full refund within 14 days
Coming soon
  • Instant activation
  • 14-day money back
  • Secure checkout by Polar
  • Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • Pay once, no subscription

MacTidy is in development. These are the launch prices.

Try before you pay

The free download scans your Mac and shows everything it would clean. A license unlocks cleaning and the uninstaller.

Who handles the payment

Checkout runs through Polar, which acts as the merchant of record: it processes the card, handles the right sales tax or VAT for your country, and emails your receipt. Your license key is in your Polar customer portal, which the receipt links to.

Moving to a new Mac

Deactivate MacTidy on the old Mac from its settings, or free up a slot from your customer portal, then activate on the new one. A Family license works the same way, with 6 slots.

Questions, answered.

Is it safe to use?

MacTidy only pre-selects items that apps rebuild on their own, such as caches and build files. Anything that could be your data is marked "Review first" and is never selected for you. Removed items go to the Trash, and MacTidy keeps a history so you can undo a cleanup until you empty the Trash.

Why does it ask for Full Disk Access?

macOS protects some folders, such as Mail and other apps' data, from every app by default. Without Full Disk Access, MacTidy still works on everything it can read and tells you which folders it couldn't see. If you turn the permission on, macOS asks you to reopen MacTidy. You can turn it off at any time in System Settings, under Privacy & Security.

Will it make my Mac faster?

It frees disk space. If your disk is nearly full, macOS slows down and updates fail, and freeing space fixes that. If you already have plenty of free space, a cleaner won't make your Mac noticeably faster, and MacTidy won't pretend otherwise.

Which Macs does it support?

Any Mac running macOS 15 Sequoia or later, with Apple silicon or Intel.

Does MacTidy collect any data?

No analytics and no file lists. The app connects to Polar, our payment provider, to activate and check your license, and to mactidy.dev to check for app and rule updates. The privacy policy lists exactly what those requests contain.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. Ask within 14 days of purchase and you get your money back, no questions asked. See the refund policy.

Why isn't it on the Mac App Store?

The Mac App Store requires apps to run in a sandbox and doesn't allow license keys or an app's own updater, so the full MacTidy can't be sold there. Instead it's signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized: Apple scans it for malware, and macOS checks that signature before it opens.

How do I free up disk space on my Mac?

Open MacTidy and scan your home folder or the whole disk. The disk map shows which folders take the most space, and Clean lists caches, logs, developer build files and old app leftovers that are safe to remove. Review the list, then move what you don't need to the Trash. The space comes back when you empty the Trash.

How do I completely uninstall an app on a Mac?

Dragging an app to the Trash leaves its settings, caches and support files behind. In MacTidy, open Uninstall, pick the app (or drop it on the window), and MacTidy lists the app together with its leftovers, matched by the app's bundle identifier. Everything goes to the Trash, so you can put it back from History.

Is it safe to delete caches on a Mac?

Most caches are rebuilt by the app that made them, so removing them is safe, though the app may be a little slower the first time it starts again. MacTidy only pre-selects caches it has a tested rule for, skips them while their app is open, and never touches browser history, cookies, passwords, documents, photos or mail.

How do I clear Xcode DerivedData and old simulators?

Open Developer in MacTidy. It lists Xcode's DerivedData by project, marks projects that no longer exist, and shows device support files by iOS version and simulators by device. Build files go to the Trash; simulators are removed with Apple's own simctl tool, after a confirmation that names each one. Simulators that are running are never offered.

Is MacTidy a subscription?

No. MacTidy is $10.99 once for one person on up to 3 Macs, or $17.99 once for a household on up to 6 Macs. Every 1.x update is included, and scanning is free before you buy.

Who makes MacTidy?

Zeus Olivar, an independent developer who has shipped six apps on Apple's platforms. Questions and bug reports go straight to him through the support page.