Safety
Is MacWashing safe?
Yes.
MacWashing is made to clean carefully: it removes only what it can explain, shows you everything first and never touches what matters to you. Here is how it keeps your Mac safe.
Checked
Every version of MacWashing
- Signed by the developerYes
- Checked by AppleYes
- Your files stay on your MacYes
- Documents and photos left aloneYes
Checked by Apple
Every version is signed by us and checked by Apple before release. Your Mac opens it without any warnings.
Removes only what it understands
Each file is matched against our own database of 6,300+ rules for 930+ apps. If MacWashing can’t tell what a file is, it leaves it alone.
You decide
You see everything before cleaning and can uncheck any item. Anything debatable is left unchecked for you to decide.
Undo if you want it
MacWashing deletes right away by default. Choose To Trash in Settings and everything you remove can be put back.
What stays
What MacWashing leaves alone
These are never offered for cleaning. macOS and your Mac’s settings are locked in the app itself, so not even a mistake could reach them.
macOS
The system itself and its built-in apps are locked.
Documents and photos
Documents, photos, music and mail are never cleaned. Large Files only shows big files and lets you decide.
Passwords
Your keychains and saved passwords are never offered for cleaning.
Your Mac’s settings
Dock, Finder, keyboard, trackpad and other system settings are locked.
Your work in apps
Projects, photo libraries and catalogs are never selected on their own, even when you uninstall the app.
Folders you exclude
Add a folder to Exclusions and MacWashing never looks inside.
What it cleans
- App caches
- Old logs
- Leftovers of apps you deleted
- Xcode junk
- Forgotten installers
How cleaning works
Nothing goes without you
MacWashing looks
It scans your Mac and checks every find against its database.
You review
Everything it found is listed. Open any item and uncheck what you want to keep.
It checks again
Right before cleaning, every file is checked once more against the list of things it must never touch.
Clean
What you checked is removed right away, or goes to the Trash if you chose that in Settings. Apps make caches and logs again when they need them.
Privacy
Your files stay on your Mac
MacWashing does all its work on your Mac. It has no ads and no tracking.
MacWashing goes online only to
- check your license
- check for app updates
- get the fresh rules database
Never sent anywhere
- Names of your files and folders
- What MacWashing found and what you removed
- The list of your apps
- Anything from your documents, photos or mail
About Full Disk Access
On the first run macOS asks whether MacWashing may see your whole disk. Without it, apps can’t see caches and logs at all. You can turn it off at any time in System Settings.
Only genuine updates
New versions of MacWashing and of its database carry our signature. MacWashing installs an update only when the signature matches, so nobody can slip in a fake one.
FAQ
Questions about safety
Is MacWashing a virus?
No. MacWashing is signed by its developer and checked by Apple before every release, so your Mac opens it without warnings. It shows ads to no one and collects nothing about your files.
Can MacWashing delete something important?
It removes only files it can match to a known app or kind of junk. macOS and your Mac’s settings are locked in the app itself, and your documents, photos and passwords are never offered for cleaning. You review everything before cleaning, and anything debatable is left unchecked.
Can I get removed files back?
Yes, if you choose To Trash in Settings ▸ Removal: then anything removed can be put back until you empty the Trash. By default MacWashing deletes right away, so the space is freed at once. Caches and logs are safe to delete either way because apps rebuild them.
Does MacWashing collect my data?
No. Everything happens on your Mac. Names of your files, what was found and the list of your apps are never sent. MacWashing goes online only to check your license and updates.
Why does macOS ask to allow Full Disk Access?
Without it macOS hides caches and logs from every app, so there would be nothing to clean. MacWashing uses the access on your Mac only, and you can turn it off at any time in System Settings.
Will MacWashing ask for my administrator password?
Only if you want it to clean folders shared by everyone on your Mac. Then macOS asks you once to allow it in System Settings. Without that, MacWashing simply cleans your own folders.
See it for yourself
Download MacWashing and look at what it finds. Nothing is removed until you say so.