The Mac is often left out when it comes to UI Design and pixel greatness in apps with most designers & developers focussing their efforts on mobile apps these days. MacPaw is one developer that creates great Mac apps. We’re huge fans of Gemini and are glad they gave their insanely useful app, CleanMyMac a UI overhaul with CleanMyMac 2.
The first thing that legacy CleanMyMac users will notice is the brand new look. CleanMyMac 2 is visually stunning. It has great icons and epic animations. One would expect an app that cleans up space to be boring and just get the job done but CleanMyMac 2 goes well beyond that. The app has a nice dark sidebar with lovely metallic icons indicating the 8 different things that can be done within the app. Switching between actions has a nice sliding animation and each action has a beautiful image on the splash screen on the right. Upon first launch the app prompts you to do an Automatic Cleanup. The round scan button at the bottom changes depending on the action. Automatic Cleanup makes use of all the other actions and is the most comprehensive action available in the app. Upon clicking scan the analysis of your computer begins. The first scan can take a little longer than expected and instead of having a boring loading indicator, MacPaw went the extra mile and added some fun Mac drawings to keep your mind away from the progress indicator below. CleanMyMac 2 knows which files are not to be removed or modified and everything it finds in this scan can be safely removed. iPhoto cleanup is something I have been wanting for a while. It finds photos that have been rotated or corrected and locates the originals that iPhoto stores along with the modified images. the System Cleanup indicated by a vacuum cleaner is responsible for cleaning unused binaries and other app localizations you don’t need. The Large & Old Files section gives you a list of files you haven’t used in a long time. You can adjust the filters to pick the file size and how long it has been since you used a file. Trash cleanup indicated by a nice garbage truck that reminded me of those LEGO Technic ones removes files from the trash on your computer and any external drives. Once the scan is completed, it shows you a summary of what items will be removed and clicking the Clean (previously Scan) button will remove the respective files. This is the simplest method of cleaning your Mac. After this has been done, you are presented with a Manual Cleanup option that goes beyond the basics. It lets you remove unused extensions in apps and uninstall applications you haven’t used in a long time. As with Gemini, CleanMyMac 2 lets you share your results to the usual places and I was shocked at how it freed up nearly 10GB on my MacBook Air SSD.
CleanMyMac 2 is a polished quality piece of software. It is beyond essential for your Mac. Since it is a MacPaw product, you can expect some really awesome minor things as well like the dock icon animation that shows a windshield wiper on an iMac cleaning the screen while it is cleaning your Mac. CleanMyMac 2 is a free upgrade for existing users and new users can purchase it directly from MacPaw for $19.95 which is 50% off the full price right now. Do your Mac a favour and get this amazing tool today. I’d recommend the MacPaw bundle for $24.97 that includes CleanMyMac 2, Gemini and MacHider.