Free & Open Source Mac cleanup tool
Scan and remove junk files, caches, logs, and more — all from your terminal.
🪟 Also available for Windows: windows-cleaner-cli
npx mac-cleaner-cliThat's it! No installation needed. The CLI will:
- 🔍 Scan your Mac for cleanable files
- 📋 Show you what was found with sizes
- ✅ Let you select exactly what to clean
- 🗑️ Clean the selected items safely
$ npx mac-cleaner-cli
🧹 Mac Cleaner CLI
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Scanning your Mac for cleanable files...
Found 44.8 GB that can be cleaned:
? Select categories to clean (space to toggle, enter to confirm):
◉ 🟢 Trash 2.1 GB (45 items)
◉ 🟢 Browser Cache 1.5 GB (3 items)
◉ 🟢 Temporary Files 549.2 MB (622 items)
◉ 🟡 User Cache Files 15.5 GB (118 items)
◉ 🟡 Development Cache 21.9 GB (14 items)
Summary:
Items to delete: 802
Space to free: 41.5 GB
? Proceed with cleaning? (Y/n)
✓ Cleaning Complete!
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Trash ✓ 2.1 GB freed
Browser Cache ✓ 1.5 GB freed
Temporary Files ✓ 549.2 MB freed
User Cache Files ✓ 15.5 GB freed
Development Cache ✓ 21.9 GB freed
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
🎉 Freed 41.5 GB of disk space!
Cleaned 802 items
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| 🚀 One Command | Just run npx mac-cleaner-cli — no complex flags |
| 🎯 Interactive | Select exactly what you want to clean with checkboxes |
| 🛡️ Safe by Default | Risky items hidden unless you use --risky |
| 🔍 Smart Scanning | Finds caches, logs, dev files, browser data, and more |
| 📱 App Uninstaller | Remove apps completely with all associated files |
| 🔧 Maintenance | Flush DNS cache, free purgeable space |
| 🔒 Privacy First | 100% offline — no data ever leaves your machine |
| 📦 Minimal Dependencies | Only 5 runtime deps, all from trusted maintainers |
| Category | What it cleans |
|---|---|
trash |
Files in the Trash bin |
temp-files |
Temporary files in /tmp and /var/folders |
browser-cache |
Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Arc cache |
homebrew |
Homebrew download cache |
docker |
Unused Docker images, containers, volumes |
| Category | What it cleans |
|---|---|
system-cache |
Application caches in ~/Library/Caches |
system-logs |
System and application logs |
dev-cache |
npm, yarn, pip, Xcode DerivedData, CocoaPods |
node-modules |
Orphaned node_modules in old projects |
| Category | What it cleans |
|---|---|
downloads |
Downloads older than 30 days |
ios-backups |
iPhone and iPad backup files |
mail-attachments |
Downloaded email attachments |
duplicates |
Duplicate files (keeps newest) |
large-files |
Files larger than 500MB |
language-files |
Unused language localizations |
# Interactive mode — scan, select, and clean
npx mac-cleaner-cli
# Include risky categories
npx mac-cleaner-cli --riskyRemove applications completely with all their preferences, caches, and support files:
npx mac-cleaner-cli uninstall# Flush DNS cache (may require sudo)
npx mac-cleaner-cli maintenance --dns
# Free purgeable space
npx mac-cleaner-cli maintenance --purgeable# List all available categories
npx mac-cleaner-cli categories
# Manage configuration
npx mac-cleaner-cli config --init
npx mac-cleaner-cli config --show
# Manage backups
npx mac-cleaner-cli backup --list
npx mac-cleaner-cli backup --cleanIf you use this tool frequently:
npm install -g mac-cleaner-cli
mac-cleaner-cli| ✅ Open Source | All code publicly available for audit |
| ✅ No Network | Operates 100% offline |
| ✅ Minimal Deps | Only 5 runtime dependencies |
| ✅ CI/CD | Every release tested with TypeScript, ESLint, and automated tests |
| ✅ Socket.dev | Dependencies monitored for supply chain attacks |
Found a vulnerability? Report it via GitHub Security Advisories.
git clone https://github.com/guhcostan/mac-cleaner-cli.git
cd mac-cleaner-cli
npm install
npm run dev # Run in dev mode
npm test # Run tests
npm run lint # Run linter
npm run build # Build for productionContributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
- Fork the repository
- Create your feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature') - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - Open a Pull Request
If this tool saved you time or disk space, consider supporting the project!
Your support helps maintain and improve this tool. Thank you! 🙏
MIT License — see LICENSE for details.
This tool deletes files from your system. While we've implemented safety measures, always ensure you have backups of important data.
Made with ❤️ for Mac users everywhere