How TheCleanDisk keeps your files safe
A cleaner should never make you nervous. Here's exactly what happens when you scan, review, clean and undo.
1. Scanning only reads
A scan reads the names, sizes and dates of files. To confirm exact duplicates and show previews it also reads file contents, on your Mac. It never moves or changes anything, and it runs entirely on your Mac. The app shows "Read-only until you review" while you look around.
2. Every item is explained
Each item says what made it and whether it comes back on its own. Items are marked:
- Safe Things apps recreate when they need them, like caches and build data. Only these are ever pre-selected.
- Review Things that may matter to you. They're never selected for you.
Big Files and Duplicates start with nothing selected, and in Duplicates one copy always stays.
3. Protected by default
Your documents, photos, keychains, iCloud Drive and cloud-storage folders are never pre-selected. They're only removed if you select them yourself, for example in Big Files or Duplicates. iCloud & Drives only removes the downloaded copy of a file from your Mac; the file stays in iCloud.
4. Clean goes to quarantine first
When you clean, items are moved into quarantine on your Mac instead of being deleted. Press Undo straight away, or restore them later from Quarantine & History.
Still restorable for 5 more days.
5. Space is freed after 7 days
Quarantine is on the same disk, so the space comes back when it empties: after 7 days by default, after the period you choose in Settings, or straight away with Free Space Now.
Automations never delete
Scheduled scans are read-only and only notify you. Removing anything always needs you to press Clean.
Honest about health
Mac Health shows measured readings. TheCleanDisk doesn't claim to "boost" or "speed up" your Mac, because macOS already manages memory well. Security Check is read-only: it reports on protections built into macOS and never invents threats.
Questions
See Support or email support@thecleandisk.com.