Channel 01 · Shortcut ⌘1
SYSTEM JUNK
Short answer
CleanUai’s channel 01 finds app caches, logs, Xcode leftovers, developer tool caches and incomplete downloads, shows every folder with its size and moves what you check to the Trash. Caches of open apps come unchecked, and some of macOS’s own caches (iCloud, Keychain, Home) never make the list.
What it looks for, and where
- App caches: the contents of
~/Library/Caches. Temporary copies apps rebuild when they need them. - Logs: the contents of
~/Library/Logs, old app logs. - Xcode:
DerivedData, the iOS, watchOS, macOS and visionOSDeviceSupportfolders, and the simulator caches (CoreSimulator/Caches). - Developer caches: npm (
~/.npm/_cacache), pnpm (~/Library/pnpm/store), bun (~/.bun/install/cache), Gradle (~/.gradle/caches) and Cargo (~/.cargo/registry/cache). ~/.cache: command-line tool caches. It comes unchecked, because some tools keep things there that take a while to download again.- Incomplete downloads:
.download,.crdownload,.part,.partialand.opdownloadfiles in Downloads.
What it doesn’t touch
- Caches macOS uses for iCloud, Keychain and Home (
CloudKit,com.apple.bird,com.apple.akd,com.apple.HomeKitand others). Clearing them gains little and can force a re-sync. - The cache of an app that is open right now: it shows up, but unchecked.
- Everything the guard protects: system folders, Documents, Keychains, Mail, Messages, Photos, iCloud Drive and other users. See Safety.
Is it safe to delete cache files?
Usually, yes. A cache is a temporary copy: the app rebuilds what it needs. The trade-off is that it may open a little slower the first time, and caches of tools like npm, pnpm and bun get downloaded again on the next install. Since everything goes to the Trash, you can undo it until you empty it.
Step by step
- Open channel 01 (
⌘1). The scan runs on its own. - See the categories and the size of each. Open one to see its folders.
- Check or uncheck what you want. Anything open is already unchecked.
- Press Clean and confirm. The items go to the Trash.
Questions
Does clearing the cache make my Mac faster?
It frees up space, which is the main point. Speed changes little: an app may even be a bit slower the first time, while it rebuilds its cache.
Does CleanUai clear Safari and Chrome caches?
Browser caches stored in ~/Library/Caches are part of App caches. History, passwords and cookies are not touched.
Why does ~/.cache come unchecked?
Because command-line tools keep things there that take a while to download again, like models and packages. Check it if you want.
Does it need Full Disk Access?
It’s not required, but without it macOS hides part of Library and the scan finds less. See Full Disk Access.
See also
Updated