Risk levels
Every category is rated by how much you lose if you delete it and need it again. The rating drives both the color of its size bar and whether it is ticked by default. The same legend lives in Settings → Risk Levels.
- SAFE Pure caches that regenerate on the next build or launch. Pre-selected, because there is nothing to lose. Quick Clean and Auto Clean only ever touch this tier.
- WARNING Slow or tedious to rebuild: simulator runtimes, downloaded LLM model weights, package stores, old SDK versions. Never pre-selected. Worth keeping if you use them often.
- DANGER Things that can break your development environment if removed. Never pre-selected, and selecting one asks for an extra confirmation.
- DANGER+ Uninstall only — complete Application Support / CLI data for a tool (e.g. Cursor, VS Code forks, Xcode, Android Studio). The app will not work until reinstalled. Never pre-selected, excluded from Quick Clean / Select All / automation, Pro only, and requires double confirmation (dedicated warning, then Touch ID or typing DELETE). Deletes permanently (not Trash). Not for routine cleaning.
The dashboard separates cleanable space from uninstall (Dangerous+) totals so full-folder sizes are not inflated. The Selected to clean total always reflects exactly what will be deleted, and you see that number on the confirmation before anything happens.
Inspect before you delete
In the main window, open a category’s info control to see evidence: paths, sizes, dates, and rebuild hints. Use Reveal in Finder when you want to look at a path yourself before cleaning.
Files that are never deleted
Some files look like cache but hold your identity or your work. During normal cleaning DevCleaner refuses to delete them regardless of which Safe / Warning / Danger category you select:
- Cookies, local storage and session files
- Credential files and saved logins
- SSH keys
Your logins are untouchable by design for cache cleans. Dangerous+ uninstall is a separate, explicit flow that removes that tool’s data on purpose.
Trash vs permanent delete
In Settings → General you can enable Move to Trash instead of deleting permanently for filesystem items. The first manual Clean also asks once so you can choose. Auto Clean, Smart Triggers, and Quick Clean do not show that preference sheet each time. Docker and Homebrew still use their own cleanup commands. Dangerous+ uninstall always deletes permanently so the tool is actually gone.
Running-app protection
Deleting a cache out from under a running app is the classic way to break things, for example wiping Xcode's package checkouts in the middle of a build. If you try to clean an app that is currently running, DevCleaner warns you first and lets you cancel or proceed deliberately.
Pending app updates are protected
Self-updating apps stage their downloaded update in a folder that looks like leftover junk. DevCleaner leaves those updater staging folders alone during automatic cleanups, so an app like Claude Desktop installs its update correctly instead of losing it. You can still clear updater leftovers manually when no update is pending.
Locked files and Admin Clean Helper
A few caches are protected by macOS permissions. DevCleaner fixes permissions where it safely can. For allowlisted failures it offers Admin Clean via a one-time privileged helper:
- Install / Repair from the failures sheet or Settings → General → Admin Clean Helper
- Approve DevCleaner Helper in System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions when macOS asks
- Later retries use Touch ID in the app for allowlisted paths
If anything still fails, DevCleaner tells you exactly which items and why rather than failing silently. Non-allowlisted protected paths are skipped instead of offering a dead-end elevate prompt. See troubleshooting.
FAQ
- What does SAFE mean?
- Pure caches that regenerate on the next build or launch. These are pre-selected because there is nothing meaningful to lose.
- What is Dangerous+?
- Complete uninstall data — irreversible without reinstalling the tool. Pro only, double confirmation, never automated. Use it only when you intend to remove that app’s data.
- Will DevCleaner sign me out of apps?
- No for normal cache cleaning. Cookies, sessions, credentials and SSH keys are never deleted. Dangerous+ uninstall is an explicit separate action.
- Can automatic cleanup remove Danger or Dangerous+ items?
- Never. Auto Clean, Smart Triggers and Quick Clean only touch SAFE categories. Danger and Dangerous+ require manual selection and extra confirmation.
Clean with confidence
Safe by default, honest about the rest. Reclaim space without the gamble.
Download for macOS ↓