Protect your privacy
(Updated: )While you browse online and use apps locally, your Mac stores traces of your activity for quicker access. However, this information can compromise your privacy.
Use the Protection module in CleanMyMac to remove unwanted traces such as browsing history, cookies, downloads history, recent items lists, and more.
CleanMyMac quickly erases these traces across your system, but don't worry – your actual files remain untouched.
Find and manage privacy items
In CleanMyMac, click Protection in the sidebar.
Click Scan to begin, and wait for the results.
To repeat the scan, click Start Over on the upper left, confirm, and click Scan again.
Review and manage privacy items:
Items recommended for quick removal (such as browser-related data or recent items) appear in tiles.
Click Remove to delete items quickly without reviewing.
CleanMyMac automatically selects privacy items for removal only in the group shown in the tile.
Click Review to explore details of the items within the group shown in the tile, and select the ones you want to remove.
After reviewing, click Remove to delete the selected items.
To view and manage all privacy items in detail at once, click the button above the tiles (Review Found Threats, or Manage Privacy Items, or whichever is shown), then select the Privacy category.
After reviewing, click Remove to delete the selected items.
CleanMyMac only removes items in the currently viewed category. For example, if you select items in the Malware Removal category, then select items in the Privacy category and click Remove there, CleanMyMac will only delete items in the Privacy category.
Privacy items details
CleanMyMac shows privacy items in groups:
Here's a closer look at each group.
Browser-related items
CleanMyMac lets you clear your browsing history and other traces of your online and offline activities.
To detect all browser-related items, you'll need to quit the browser. If the browser is open, CleanMyMac will prompt you to close it.
Browser-related privacy items are grouped by browser name:
- Safari
- Google Chrome
- Firefox
Each browser group includes:
Autofill Values: Information stored by the browser to fill in fields quickly.
Browsing History: A list of websites you've visited.
Cookies: Small files that store information about your browsing activities and preferences.
Downloads History: A list of files you've downloaded (the files themselves aren't removed).
HTML5 Local Storage (Safari only): Locally stored data, similar to cache.
Saved Passwords (Firefox and Google Chrome only): A list of credentials saved by the browser.
Search Queries (Google Chrome only): A log of search terms entered in the browser's search field.
Tabs from Last Session: The tabs and windows open during your last browser session.
For Google Chrome, if you use:
Guest account: CleanMyMac won't display items for removal.
Local account: CleanMyMac will show items for removal, and you can choose to delete everything.
Google account: CleanMyMac will show items, but some (such as autofill data or browsing history) can't be deleted since all data gets instantly synced back, so there's no point in clearing them.
Recent items lists
When you open a file with an app, it usually adds the file to its own list of recent items. Similarly, your Mac keeps track of recently accessed apps, documents, and servers in the Recent Items menu.
CleanMyMac lets you review and remove items from these lists:
- Recently Accessed Servers
- Recently Launched Applications
- Recently Opened Documents
When reviewing a list, you can:
See the name and number of items in each list.
Select individual or all items for removal.
Expand the list to view included items.
For apps and documents, right-click an item to:
- Reveal it in Finder
- Get file info
- Preview it via Quick Look
Wi-Fi networks
Your Mac saves a list of all previously connected Wi-Fi networks, including open hotspots. CleanMyMac lets you review both open and secure networks, along with their names and connection dates. For this, click the disclosure arrow next to the list.
Consider removing those networks you're not using from the list of preferred networks to stay safe.
Starting with macOS Sonoma, Wi-Fi networks can only be removed via System Settings. To do this, click the info icon next to a network type group (Open Networks or Secure Networks), then click Go to Wi-Fi Settings.
