Mac maintenance: how to keep your Mac clean automatically
Mac maintenance is mostly about a few habits, not tools: updates, free disk space, a backup and some cleanup now and then. This guide lists what is worth doing and how often, then shows how to hand the cleanup to MacWashing so that it removes junk on a schedule by itself. Auto-clean deletes only caches, logs and leftovers a scan checks by itself, and never touches your documents or apps that are open.
What Mac maintenance really needs
- Updates. macOS and app updates fix bugs and security holes. See how to update your Mac.
- Free space. macOS needs room for virtual memory, updates and temporary files. Keep at least 10–15% of the disk free. See how to free up space on Mac.
- A backup. Time Machine on an external drive protects your files from a failed disk or a mistake. See how to back up a Mac.
- Fewer login items. Apps that open at startup slow down the start and take memory. See how to stop apps from opening at startup.
- A restart now and then. It clears temporary files and memory that apps didn’t give back.
- Junk cleanup. Caches, logs and leftovers of deleted apps grow back all the time. This is the part MacWashing can do on a schedule.
How to keep your Mac clean automatically
Auto-clean comes after one cleanup by hand: you see what MacWashing finds and choose, and auto-clean then repeats that choice. It needs a license.
- Open System Junk, click Start Scan, look through what MacWashing found and click Clean.
- When cleaning is done, click Set Up Auto-Clean.
- Choose how often: Daily, Weekly or Monthly, and the Time. A weekly run falls on today’s day of the week, a monthly one on today’s date.
- Under What to Remove, keep Recommended: everything a scan checks by itself. If you unchecked a category in this cleanup, you can pick Remember My Choice instead.
- Click Turn On.
How to change the schedule
- In MacWashing, click Settings in the sidebar, then Auto-Clean.
- Change How Often and When, go back to Use Recommended, or turn on Notify About Results: a notification comes when a run frees more than 2 GB. The switch at the top turns auto-clean off and keeps the schedule for later.
Auto-clean and the menu bar
While auto-clean is on, closing MacWashing’s window keeps the app in the menu bar: there it waits for the next run without a window or a Dock icon. Click its icon to see free space on your disks, the last cleanup and when the next auto-clean is due.
- To quit the app, click the gear in that window and choose Quit App. Auto-clean doesn’t run until you open MacWashing again.
- You can hide the icon in Settings › General › Show in Menu Bar. Auto-clean works without it.
- Auto-clean turns on Open at Login in Settings › General, so that the schedule survives a restart. If you turn that off, auto-clean turns off too.
What auto-clean never touches
- Items marked Caution and anything a scan leaves unchecked, such as Project Dependencies.
- Files of apps that are open at that moment. Auto-clean never quits apps: it takes their files next time.
- Your documents, photos and other files: System Junk doesn’t look at them at all.
- System items, unless the helper for system folders is installed.
A run waits while the Mac is on battery below 20% or in Low Power Mode, while its display is asleep, or while you clean by hand. If the Mac was off at the time, one cleanup follows when it is on again.
Try it on your Mac
Start with one cleanup by hand: System Junk shows what it found, what each item takes and what stays unchecked. After that, auto-clean repeats your choice on a schedule.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
How often should I clean my Mac?
For most people once a week is enough: caches and logs grow back, but slowly. If you work with video, code or big downloads, a daily run keeps the disk freer. Monthly suits a Mac that is used now and then.
Does auto-clean need a license?
Yes. Without a license every section of MacWashing works, and Set Up Auto-Clean offers to buy a license. If a license ends, auto-clean pauses and turns on again by itself with a new one.
Will auto-clean delete something I need?
It deletes only what a scan checks by itself: caches, logs, old installers and leftovers of deleted apps. Items marked Caution, unchecked items and files of open apps stay. You can see what the last run freed in Settings › Auto-Clean.