How to Completely Uninstall CleanMyMac X and Daemons

You decided to uninstall CleanMyMac X. You dragged the icon from your Applications folder straight into the Trash, emptied the Trash, and assumed the software was gone for good.

A few hours later, a notification slides across your screen warning you about memory usage, or your fans spin up unexpectedly. You open Activity Monitor, filter by name, and there it is: CleanMyMac X HealthMonitor is still actively running in the background, consuming CPU cycles and RAM.

Why did this happen? And more importantly, how do you wipe every single trace of CleanMyMac from your Mac for good?

In this guide, we walk through why the standard macOS Trash method fails, where CleanMyMac hides its background files, and how to safely purge all leftovers without putting your personal files at risk.

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Why Dragging CleanMyMac to the Trash Leaves 2 GB Behind

On macOS, applications packaged as a .app bundle appear to be a single standalone file. When you drag CleanMyMac from /Applications into the Trash, macOS removes that single bundle.

However, modern macOS software distributes files across multiple system directories during normal operation:

When you delete only the main app, you leave behind between 700 MB and 2 GB of orphaned files. Worse, the startup scripts in your LaunchAgents folder remain scheduled, causing macOS to repeatedly search for an application executable that no longer exists.

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Understanding the "Hidden Startup Helpers"

To understand why CleanMyMac stays active, it helps to understand how background services work on a Mac.

When CleanMyMac is installed, it adds configuration files (known as property lists or .plist files) to your user LaunchAgents folder. These files tell the macOS launch subsystem (launchd) to keep the HealthMonitor and updater services alive 24 hours a day.

Because macOS treats these startup scripts independently from the icon in your Applications folder, deleting the icon does not cancel the startup instructions. macOS keeps running the helper process until you manually remove the script or restart after cleaning.

The Two-Vault Security Reassurance

Many users worry that deleting these files might harm their operating system. Here is the reassurance:

Modern macOS uses a Two-Vault System:

1. The Locked System Vault (Apple's Vault): Apple seals the entire core operating system on a dedicated, read-only volume behind digital security glass (the Signed System Volume). Even with an administrator password, third-party utilities cannot modify or delete core system files.
2. Your Personal Data Vault: This is where your documents, downloads, and user library files live. CleanMyMac and its helpers operate exclusively in this personal space.

Removing CleanMyMac files will never stop your Mac from booting or damage essential macOS functions. You are simply removing user-level application leftovers.

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Step-by-Step Manual Removal (The Free Finder Method)

You do not need to purchase any software to remove these files. You can clean them out yourself using Finder. Follow these six steps in order:

Step 1: Quit CleanMyMac and Stop All Active Helpers

Before deleting files, ensure the background processes are not locked in memory:

1. If the CleanMyMac menu bar icon is visible near your clock, click it, click the gear icon (Settings), and select Quit CleanMyMac X.
2. Open Activity Monitor (press Cmd + Space, type "Activity Monitor", and press Return).
3. In the search box at the top right, type CleanMyMac or MacPaw.
4. If any processes appear (such as CleanMyMac X HealthMonitor), select them, click the stop button (the X icon in the toolbar), and choose Force Quit.

Step 2: Remove the Main Application

1. Open Finder and click on Applications in the sidebar.
2. Find CleanMyMac X.
3. Right-click the icon and choose Move to Trash.

Step 3: Remove the Hidden Startup Helpers (LaunchAgents)

This is the most critical step to prevent background processes from restarting:

1. In Finder, click the Go menu in the top menu bar, then click Go to Folder... (or press Cmd + Shift + G).
2. Copy and paste this exact path into the box, then press Return:
   ~/Library/LaunchAgents
3. Look for any files containing com.macpaw or CleanMyMac, such as:
   • com.macpaw.CleanMyMac4.HealthMonitor.plist
   • com.macpaw.CleanMyMac4.Updater.plist
4. Move these files to the Trash.

Step 4: Purge Application Support, Caches, and Preferences

Now, use the same Go to Folder shortcut (Cmd + Shift + G) to open and clear these locations one by one:

1. Application Support:
   Path: ~/Library/Application Support
   Delete the entire folder named CleanMyMac X or CleanMyMac 4.
2. Caches:
   Path: ~/Library/Caches
   Delete any folder starting with com.macpaw.CleanMyMac4.
3. Preferences:
   Path: ~/Library/Preferences
   Delete any file named com.macpaw.CleanMyMac4.plist or com.macpaw.CleanMyMac4.HealthMonitor.plist.
4. Logs:
   Path: ~/Library/Logs
   Delete the folder named CleanMyMac X.

Step 5: Check System-Wide Library Folders

CleanMyMac may have installed an administrative helper tool in the root Library directory when you first granted it system permissions:

1. Open Go to Folder (Cmd + Shift + G).
2. Paste /Library/LaunchDaemons (note that this path starts with /, not ~/).
3. If present, delete any file named com.macpaw.CleanMyMac4.Agent.plist. Your Mac will ask for your administrator password to confirm.
4. Paste /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools and delete com.macpaw.CleanMyMac4.Agent if it exists.

Step 6: Empty the Trash and Restart

Once all files are moved to the Trash, right-click the Trash icon in your Dock and select Empty Trash. Restart your Mac to clear any remaining cached system states.

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Safe Terminal Verification (For Peace of Mind)

You do not need to be an engineer to check this, and you do not have to use the Terminal if you completed the Finder steps above. However, if you want 100% confirmation that no background processes are still scheduled to run, you can run a single safe, read-only command.

Open Terminal (press Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", and press Return). Then copy and paste this command:

launchctl list | grep -i macpaw

What this command does:

• launchctl list lists all currently active background jobs scheduled with macOS.
• grep -i macpaw filters the list to only show items containing the word "macpaw".

Interpreting your result:

• If the Terminal returns an empty line: Congratulations. There are zero CleanMyMac background services active on your computer.
• If a line appears with a label like com.macpaw.CleanMyMac4.HealthMonitor: A background job is still loaded in memory. You can safely tell macOS to unload it immediately by running:

  launchctl bootout gui/$(id -u)/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac4.HealthMonitor

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The 1-Click Method: Purging Leftovers with DiskCompanion

Hunting through seven different Library folders, deciphering .plist file names, and running Terminal commands takes time. If you prefer a fast, automated solution, DiskCompanion handles complete application uninstallation with zero guesswork.

If you are looking for an honest evaluation of whether third-party cleaners are necessary, read our detailed analysis on whether CleanMyMac is safe or bloatware. If you want to explore other one-time purchase alternatives, check out our guide to the best CleanMyMac alternatives with one-time payment.

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Frequently Asked Questions