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Get a cleaner, faster, and smoother-running Mac with CCleaner

CCleaner has been downloaded over 2.5 billion times!

Start Free Scan

No credit card needed — just install and go

No credit card needed - just install and go Start Free Scan

Free Mac cleaner?

So what can you do if your Mac starts slowing down? A free Mac cleaner is definitely a great place to start! Before we get onto that, here are 5 things that can slow down your Mac and what you can do to fix it. Let's begin.

A full hard drive

A Mac that gets a lot of use can easily stack up programs and files that take up space. Problems start if your hard disk doesn't actually have enough free storage space to let your operating system run at its best. Keeping 20% of your hard drive free is a good way to prevent a Mac from running slow. So it's worth checking if your own Mac's drive is too full.

If you find some files you think you can remove to free up more space, keep in mind that macOS doesn't delete everything once you delete a file, but CCleaner for Mac actually has a way to sort this out which can benefit both your privacy and security. 

Unneeded startup programs

Macs are brilliant for online browsing, communicating with friends, family, or for work. These activities can sometimes cause Macs to collect lots of apps and programs competing for processing power - this could spell trouble for you.

Some of these apps, if not most, could be set to launch automatically each time you start up your Mac. This can definitely slow it down, a situation that might be completely unnecessary, especially if you don't need or use most of these particular apps and programs very often. The trick is to disable these apps during startup. We think we've made this quite easy thanks to a feature included in our free Mac cleaner.

Programs you don't need

Related to the point above, the programs that could be clogging up your Mac's startup process could also be the same ones that are taking up valuable room on your hard disk, particularly if you don't really need or use them anymore. If your Mac's running slow, this is something else to consider. It's a good idea to see if there are certain apps you could do without, bearing in mind that some may be needed by the operating system.

While dragging and dropping these apps into your Mac's 'Trash' folder is certainly an option, doing this won't necessarily remove everything. Plus, there are easier ways to remove apps without the need to jump between different folders. 

Missed or forgotten updates

Updates can sometimes be annoying to manage and easy to forget about. While this might be true, they still play an essential role in maintaining your Mac computer. Why? Updates to your programs and operating system can help with things like performance issues, glitches, add new tools.

They can even fix security issues that may be lurking behind the scenes on your system, strengthening your Mac security. This is also partly why CCleaner Professional (Mac) comes with its own automatic updates, keeping the app running at its best while, in a way, contributing to your Mac's overall upkeep and stability at the same time.

Stacked up junk files

Macs easily collect junk files over time just like other computers and operating systems. If you've never tried to clean these types of files or just haven't done it for a while, this could be one cause behind your Mac running slow. What do they look like? These could be certain files from your web browser, broken system permissions, temporary files and more. 

We realize trying to find and manage these files yourself might seem more trouble than it's worth, at least on the surface. It's not as if we all have time to become Apple experts, is it? That's exactly why we've developed CCleaner for Mac, complete with a free version, or free Mac cleaner, to give you a much easier way to identify problems like this and cleanse your computer, disable annoying startup programs and more. An improvement in your Mac's performance may be just around the corner. 

Why not give our free version a try today?

FAQs

  • What is the most trusted Mac cleaner?

    The first full release version of CCleaner for Mac was launched in 2012. Our happy community of users tell us that they value that the app does what it says it will. Our team of developers are constantly making updates based on feedback and any improvements that they identify themselves.

  • Can a free Mac cleaner work?

    Our free Mac cleaner certainly works in the sense that it can get your Mac into shape within just a few clicks. CCleaner for Mac is designed to delete unnecessary system junk, find duplicate files, identify space-hogging apps that you don’t need, and boost your Mac’s startup time.