🧹 macOS App Cleaner

A Python script to find and clean up leftover data from uninstalled macOS applications — reclaim disk space without third-party tools.

Features

• Orphan Scanner — Automatically detects ~/Library folders that don't belong to any installed app
• Batch Cleanup — Select multiple items at once (1,3,5 / 1-5 / all)
• Deep Search — Scans 10+ Library sub-paths (Application Support, Caches, Preferences, Containers, etc.)
• Dry Run by Default — Lists files without touching anything unless you explicitly opt in
• Backup Mode — Move files to a Desktop backup folder instead of permanent deletion
• System Protection — Built-in whitelist prevents accidental deletion of system files
• Keychain Reminder — Prompts you to manually check Keychain Access for related entries

Requirements

• macOS
• Python 3 (pre-installed on macOS)

Quick Start

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/wang2/mac-app-cleaner.git
cd mac-app-cleaner

# Scan for orphaned app data
python3 cleanup_app_data.py --scan

# Clean a specific app by name (dry run)
python3 cleanup_app_data.py "AppName"

Usage

Scan for Orphans

python3 cleanup_app_data.py --scan

Lists all ~/Library/Application Support folders without a matching installed .app. You can then select items interactively:

Found 12 potential orphans in Application Support:
1. [503.49 MB] SomeOldApp
2. [127.45 MB] AnotherApp
...

Select items to clean:
  - Enter numbers separated by commas: 1,3,5
  - Enter a range: 1-5
  - Enter 'all' to select everything
  - Enter 'q' to quit

Clean a Specific App

# Dry run (default) — only lists what would be deleted
python3 cleanup_app_data.py "AppName"

# Backup to Desktop
python3 cleanup_app_data.py "AppName" --backup --force

# Permanently delete
python3 cleanup_app_data.py "AppName" --force

Batch Scan + Delete

# Scan → select → backup
python3 cleanup_app_data.py --scan --backup --force

# Scan → select → permanently delete
python3 cleanup_app_data.py --scan --force

Scanned Paths

Path	Content
~/Library/Application Support	App data, databases
~/Library/Caches	Cache files
~/Library/Preferences	.plist config files
~/Library/Saved Application State	Window state
~/Library/Logs	Log files
~/Library/Containers	Sandboxed app data
~/Library/Group Containers	Shared app group data
~/Library/Cookies	Cookies
~/Library/LaunchAgents	Auto-launch daemons
~/Library/WebKit	WebKit storage

Safety

• Dry run is the default — nothing is deleted unless you pass --force
• System paths (/System, /Library, /usr, etc.) are never touched
• Whitelist filters out common system folders (Apple, Adobe, Google, etc.)
• Backup mode moves files to ~/Desktop/<AppName>_Cleanup_Backup/ so you can restore them
• Keychain items are never modified programmatically — the script only reminds you to check manually

License

MIT