There’s nothing like that “fresh Mac” feeling when everything is clean and running like new. A healthy Mac boosts productivity by working well and eliminating downtime. So, how to achieve this wonderful state? There are three ways.
First, buy a brand-new Mac. It’s not the most economical option, but there it is. Second, perform a clean install of macOS. While buying a new Mac is expensive financially, a clean reinstall costs you time, as it’s a tricky process that requires attention and careful preparation. That brings us to number three.
The third option is more economical, safer, significantly simpler, and comes in two parts. First, reclaim disk space by removing unwanted, troublesome files, and second, perform routine maintenance to keep your Mac in tip-top shape. A Mac cleaner app like CleanMyMac lets you do all of that quickly, effectively, and, best of all, without reinstalling macOS. And you can do a lot manually, too.
In this article, you’ll learn how to clean up your Mac and get it running beautifully. But first, I’ll look at performing a clean installation for those interested in that route. It’s burdensome but possible. So here’s what you need to know about performing a fresh install of macOS.
Clean up your Mac with a fresh install — the drastic way
Apple designs its Mac operating systems so that they can be installed “over the top,” which means all settings and user accounts will remain intact when you upgrade. For most people, this works just fine and is the recommended method. Those who still wish for a clean install must recognize that this means everything will be erased from their drive:
- The boot drive
- User accounts
- Your network settings and all software licenses
- Photos, music, and documents
That’s “everything,” as in every last thing. So, if you’re still game, here’s what you need to know before doing a clean install.
- Make reliable backups of your entire boot drive in several ways. Make sure one of these backups is via Time Machine (System Settings > General > Time Machine).
- Move important files to an online storage service like Dropbox plus a local external drive.
- Note what has been backed up to your iCloud account, if anything, as well as how to recover it.
With that done, you certainly can perform a clean install of macOS. Set aside a Saturday that you can devote to the task. We, however, recommend less drastic measures. Forget risky reinstallation and see the difference a cleaner Mac can make.
Clean up your Mac with a cleaner app — the easy way
Broken preference files, login items, and even unneeded language files can accumulate on your computer’s drive. Most of these you won’t even see, so looking through your Mac’s folders won’t necessarily yield the junk you’re after. Fortunately, CleanMyMac has three tools within the dedicated Cleanup feature that let you declutter your Mac quickly:
- System Junk — There’s so much potential for bulky, hidden files here, including language files, macOS localizations, outdated cache files, and old user logs.
- Mail Attachments — When you open or view a new attachment in Mail, the application stores a copy on your disk and keeps it there until you delete the associated email. After a while, the total volume of copied files may reach a couple of gigabytes or more. Clean the local copy while keeping the original on your email server intact.
- Last but not least is Trash Bins. It’s so easy to forget about items in the trash. I’ve certainly done it, only to discover later I’ve got a couple of GBs just sitting in there!
Start your free CleanMyMac trial — try it for yourself to see how easily it accomplishes all of this and more, including regular maintenance.
Bonus tip: run regular maintenance to keep your Mac like new
The other key to a Mac that’s happy and healthy is regular maintenance. CleanMyMac’s Performance feature provides access to all sorts of optimization goodies. Quickly run essential tasks and procedures that will keep your Mac in great shape for a long time and prevent lag under high workloads. To find them, simply launch CleanMyMac and click Performance > Scan.
The first option you’ll find useful is maintenance tasks, which are basic system routines like repairing disk permissions or reindexing Spotlight. They aim to keep your Mac in shape, and now you can run them whenever you like.
Additionally, it lets you remove Time Machine snapshots and manage login items and background extensions. By doing so, you can reclaim some purgeable space as well as reduce pressure on memory and CPU.
Clean up your Mac manually — the longer way
If you're not a fan of third-party apps, there's still a lot you can do to clean up your MacBook without clean installing macOS. However, be aware that the process is tedious and time-consuming. Here are a few ideas for decluttering:
- Go to System Settings > General > Storage. Wait for the colored graph to load and see what's eating up space. Now, enable recommendations under the graph and check categories below. Click an i next to each category and see what you no longer need. Send those files to the Trash.
- While in System Settings, go to General > Login Items & Extensions and disable apps you do not need to boot at your Mac's startup and run in the background. We recommend removing everything except antimalware software.
- Now, go to your Applications folder. Find the apps you do not use and delete them. Send the binaries to the Trash and type the name of the app you've just removed into the search bar. Delete any app-related files to ensure complete app removal.
We also recommend keeping your macOS and apps up to date. Finally, clear up browser cache to reclaim even more space. In Chrome and Firefox, you can do it in Settings > Privacy & Security. In Safari, go to Develop in the menu bar > Empty Caches.
By following the steps above, you can get that “fresh Mac feeling” yourself either with CleanMyMac or manually. While it’s admittedly not as fun as unboxing a brand new Mac, it’s effective and a lot less terrifying than wiping your drive clean, crossing your fingers, and starting from scratch.
