Does Mac have Disk Cleanup like Windows?

No. The closest built-in tool is System Settings → General → Storage. It shows what uses space and offers recommendations, but it doesn’t clear caches, duplicates or leftover app files.

How do I run disk cleanup on an iMac?

The same way as on a MacBook: open System Settings → General → Storage, follow the recommendations, review Documents and Applications, then empty the Trash. For a deeper clean, scan for caches, duplicates and large files.

Is Disk Utility a disk cleanup tool?

Not really. Disk Utility’s First Aid checks and repairs disk errors; it doesn’t delete junk or free space.

How often should I clean up my Mac’s disk?

Check Storage every month or two, or whenever free space drops below about 15–20% of your disk. That leaves room for macOS updates and normal temporary files.

Disk Cleanup on Mac: The Mac Equivalent of Windows Disk Cleanup

Macs have no Disk Cleanup app like Windows. Here’s the Mac equivalent — Storage settings, Finder and a disk cleaner — step by step.

If you’ve come from Windows, you might be looking for Disk Cleanup — the tool that clears temporary files with a few checkboxes. macOS doesn’t have an app with that name, but it does have equivalents. Here’s how to do a proper disk cleanup on any Mac, including MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iMac.

Windows Disk Cleanup vs. what a Mac has

Windows Disk Cleanup item	Mac equivalent
Temporary files	Cleared automatically on restart; app caches in `~/Library/Caches`
Recycle Bin	Trash — empty with `⇧` `⌘` `⌫`
Downloaded program files	Old `.dmg` and `.pkg` installers in Downloads
Thumbnails cache	Quick Look cache (rebuilt automatically)
System error memory dumps	`~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports`
Windows Update cleanup	Handled by macOS; Time Machine local snapshots are purged when space is needed

Step 1: Use the built-in Storage settings

Open System Settings → General → Storage (on macOS Ventura and later; older versions: Apple menu → About This Mac → Storage → Manage). Wait for the bar to finish calculating, then work through the Recommendations:

Store in iCloud — keep Desktop, Documents and Photos in iCloud and only download them when needed.
Optimise Storage — removes watched Apple TV movies and shows.
Empty Trash Automatically — deletes items 30 days after you trash them.

Below the recommendations, click the ⓘ next to each category (Applications, Documents, iOS Files, Mail…) to review and delete items. Documents → Large Files is the quickest win.

Step 2: Clear old downloads and installers

Open Downloads in Finder, switch to list view (⌘ 2) and sort by Size. Installers (.dmg, .pkg, .zip) are safe to delete once the app is installed.

Step 3: Remove app caches and logs

Caches and logs are the Mac’s “temporary files”. In Finder choose Go → Go to Folder… and open:

~/Library/Caches — move the folders of apps you use heavily to the Trash (quit them first).
~/Library/Logs — old logs and crash reports.

Apps recreate what they need. Our cache guide explains what is safe.

Step 4: Uninstall apps you don’t use

In Applications, drag unused apps to the Trash. Many leave settings and caches behind in ~/Library/Application Support and ~/Library/Containers — remove those folders too, or use an uninstaller that finds them.

Do it in one scan with MacDiskCleaner

Finds junk, duplicates and large files across your Mac, shows everything for free, and moves what you choose to the Trash first — so nothing is lost by mistake.

Version 1.1.2 · 4.8 MB · macOS 14 or later · Apple Silicon & Intel

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Step 5: Find duplicates and large files

Storage settings don’t look for duplicate files, and they hide many large files inside folders. Use Finder search (⌘ F → File Size → is greater than 1 GB) or a scanner — see how to find large files.

Step 6: Empty the Trash and restart

Space is only freed once the Trash is emptied. A restart then clears temporary and swap files. Check Storage again — it can take a few minutes to update.

Doing it in one pass

MacDiskCleaner is a disk cleaner for Mac that combines these steps: one scan shows junk and caches, duplicates, large and old files, old downloads and developer data, with sizes. You pick what goes, and everything is moved to the Trash first. Scanning is free, and so is up to 2 GB of cleanup — see what’s included.

What not to “clean”

Anything in /System or /Library/Apple — protected by macOS.
Keychains and Preferences in ~/Library.
Purgeable space shown in Storage: macOS frees it automatically when needed, so you don’t have to.