Channel 11 · Shortcut ⌥⌘1
DISKS
Short answer
CleanUai’s channel 11 (Disks) shows one card per mounted disk, with its usage and its junk: the disk’s Trash, the ._ files your Mac leaves on exFAT, FAT and NTFS, and .DS_Store files. You can scan, clean and eject right there. Time Machine, read-only and network disks are only shown.
The junk on an external disk
- The disk’s Trash: a file deleted on an external disk goes to that disk’s Trash and keeps taking up space there.
._files: your Mac makes one next to each file on exFAT, FAT and NTFS to keep what those formats can’t. Off the Mac they’re clutter..DS_Store: the view settings Finder leaves in every folder. It makes new ones when it needs them.
Why this junk is deleted for good
Moving those files to the Trash would leave them on the same disk and free nothing. So cleaning here deletes for good: the confirm screen tells you first, and it only happens by holding the button until the LED fills.
Ejecting
If an app is using the disk, CleanUai says which one and can quit it the normal way, like Command-Q. If the app has unsaved work, it asks first. It never forces a quit: if the app doesn’t quit, the disk stays and you’re told.
Other channels
The disk picker at the top of Lens and Large points those channels at the disk you choose. An optional notice, off by default, tells you when a disk with junk is plugged in.
Step by step
- Plug in the disk and open channel 11 (
⌥⌘1), or click the disk meter at the foot of the channel column. - See the usage and the junk found on the disk’s card.
- Press Clean, check what will leave and hold the button until the LED fills.
- Press Eject when you’re done.
Questions
Does it delete my files from the USB drive?
No. Only the disk’s Trash, ._ files and .DS_Store files. For the rest, you look through Lens or Large and decide.
Does it work with a Time Machine disk?
It shows up, but only to look at. CleanUai never touches a backup. The same goes for read-only and network disks.
Why do ._ files come back?
Because your Mac makes them again when you write to exFAT, FAT or NTFS. That’s normal and harmless: you can clean again before taking the disk to another computer.
See also
Updated