Free Mac cleaner that only uses the Trash
Housekeeper is a free macOS app that cleans caches, logs, duplicates, app leftovers and privacy traces without deleting anything: every removal goes to the Trash with Undo and a History log, scans are read-only, and a menu-bar panel shows live CPU, memory, disk and battery figures with the apps behind them.
Version 0.1.0 (build 148), an 11 MB disk image. No account, no payment, nothing phones home. Drag the app to Applications and open it.
Not notarised yet: on first launch macOS asks you to confirm the app under System Settings › Privacy & Security. Full Disk Access is optional; without it, Housekeeper scans what your account can read and says what it skipped.
What Housekeeper does, and the one rule it never breaks
Housekeeper is a native macOS app for the part of site work that has nothing to do with your site: the Mac filling up while you build. It finds what can go and shows you before anything moves.
The rule: scans are read-only and every removal goes to the Trash, with Undo and a History log that can Put Back. There is no hard delete anywhere in the app, so a wrong tick costs a trip to the Trash, not a file.
- 1Smart Care: one scan across caches and logs, duplicates, app leftovers, privacy traces and startup items; only items marked safe are preselected.
- 2Space Lens: your folders as glass spheres sized by what they hold. Click to select, double-click to fly in, review and send to the Trash.
- 3Applications: uninstall an app together with its leftovers, with a pre-flight that shows what will move; a Leftovers tab for apps you already removed.
- 4Protection and Performance: browser history, cookies and site data per browser and profile; saved Wi-Fi networks and app permissions; login and background items with Disable, Enable or Trash.
- 5Menu bar: live CPU, GPU, memory, temperature, network, battery and free space, the apps behind each figure with Quit, Quick Actions that ask first, and Free up now, which previews safe junk, cached memory and idle apps before running what you tick.
How it compares with the usual Mac cleaners
Most Mac cleaners are paid, run background daemons and delete directly. Housekeeper is free, runs only while its window or panel is open, and never deletes.
| Housekeeper | Typical paid cleaner | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Subscription or one-time fee |
| Removal | Trash only, with Undo and History | Permanent delete, sometimes with a recovery window |
| Background activity | None; reads only while open | Launch agents and menu-bar daemons |
| Admin helper | Optional, installed only when you ask | Often required at setup |
| Data leaving your Mac | Nothing | Varies; often analytics |
Requirements and what to expect on first launch
Housekeeper needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later and runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel Macs. The glass look uses Liquid Glass on macOS 26 and later and a frosted fallback before that.
The build is signed ad hoc and not yet notarised with Apple, so the first launch goes through System Settings › Privacy & Security, where macOS lets you open it. Granting Full Disk Access lets it scan every folder; without it, protected folders are listed as skipped rather than guessed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Housekeeper really free?
Yes. The download is free, there is no account and no in-app purchase. It is built by the HubSEO team and shares none of your data with us or anyone else.
Can Housekeeper delete something I need?
It can only move items to the Trash, and every move is listed in History with Put Back. Nothing is removed from disk until you empty the Trash in Finder yourself.
Why does macOS warn me when I open it?
The app is not notarised with Apple yet. macOS shows a warning for apps it has not checked; you can allow it once under System Settings › Privacy & Security, after which it opens normally.
Does it need Full Disk Access?
No. Without it Housekeeper scans what your account can already read and says which folders it skipped. With it, Space Lens and the cleaners cover the whole disk.
Which Macs does it run on?
Any Mac on macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel. The menu-bar panel's temperature and fan figures depend on sensors the Mac exposes.
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