Mac Cleaner

Safely analyze and reclaim disk space on macOS. Designed for everyday Mac users — no technical knowledge required.

When to use

• "My Mac says System Data is taking too much space"
• "How do I free up disk space?"
• "Why is my disk full?"
• "Clean up my Mac storage"
• "What's taking up space on my Mac?"

What this skill covers

NEVER delete

• /System folder contents
• /Library/Extensions or kernel extensions
• /private/var/db (system databases)
• Active iOS backups you need
• Parallels VMs you use

Quick start

Analyze (safe, read-only)

bash scripts/mac-cleanup.sh analyze

Shows disk usage and identifies large items without making changes.

Clean (with confirmation)

bash scripts/mac-cleanup.sh clean

Performs safe cleanup after user confirmation.

What gets cleaned

1. User Caches (~/Library/Caches/*)
• App temporary files, thumbnails, downloaded content
• Safe: apps rebuild these automatically

1. Xcode Derived Data (~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/*)
• Build artifacts and intermediate files
• Safe: rebuilds on next compile

1. iOS Simulators (unavailable devices only)
• Old iOS simulator images
• Safe: easily re-downloaded via Xcode

1. Browser Caches
• Chrome, Safari, Firefox cache files
• Safe: websites reload, login sessions preserved

1. Old System Logs (7+ days)
• Requires sudo password
• Preserves recent logs for debugging

1. Trash
• Empties .Trash folder
• Safe: user already chose to delete these

Manual cleanup for large items

If the script identifies large items you want to handle manually:

iOS Device Backbacks (~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup)

# List backups
ls -lah ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup/

# Delete specific backup (use folder name from above)
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup/[FOLDER_NAME]

Or use Finder → Locations → [Your iPhone] → Manage Backups

Time Machine Local Snapshots

# List snapshots
tmutil listlocalsnapshots /

# Delete all local snapshots
sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots /

# Or delete specific date
sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots 2024-01-15-123456

Parallels VMs

Open Parallels Desktop:

• Right-click VM → Reclaim Disk Space (safest)
• Or Delete if you don't need Windows

WeChat / Large Apps

Clear from within the app:

• WeChat: Settings → General → Storage → Manage
• Telegram: Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Usage
• Slack: Help → Troubleshooting → Clear Cache

Large folders to review manually

Expected results

Typical cleanup results for an everyday Mac user:

• Light user: 2-5 GB freed
• Developer: 20-50 GB freed (Xcode, simulators)
• Heavy messaging apps: 50-100 GB freed (WeChat, Telegram)
• With VMs: 50-200 GB freed (if deleting Parallels)

Troubleshooting

"Operation not permitted" errors

Grant Terminal Full Disk Access:

1. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access
2. Add Terminal (or iTerm)
3. Restart terminal

Cleanup didn't free much space

Run the analyze mode again:

bash scripts/mac-cleanup.sh analyze

Look for:

• iOS device backups (often 50-200GB)
• Parallels VMs (20-100GB each)
• WeChat/Telegram data (can be 100GB+)
• Time Machine snapshots (can accumulate)

These require manual review before deletion.

References

• Apple's storage documentation: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/check-storage-space-mchlc03eb677/mac
• Safe macOS cleanup practices: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202083