Tidy Up 5

Clean up your Mac’s files

From $28.99 From Hyperbolic Software hyperbolicsoftware.com

Tidy Up 5 aims to keep your Mac clear of duplicate and unnecessary files by finding such files and making them easier to delete.

It does so from a gorgeous interface, with smoothly animated transitions, and even honest information about why a search is taking time. There are two modes: Simple and Advanced. Simple image search finds pictures that are identical; in Advanced mode you can hone in on date, location, even camera used.

Searches are quite quick. When done, Tidy Up provides detailed suggestions for removal, showing the path to each file with previews.

The problem with Tidy Up isn’t what it does, so much as the damage you could do with it. It doesn’t remove duplicate images in Photos, but marks them for later removal. We still wouldn’t unleash it on an important Photos library.

It will happily remove files from Time Machine backups, which can make them permanently unusable, and it can wreak havoc on apps too.

the bottom line. A great housekeeping tool, but use with caution! Tidy Up 5 Excellent interface Detailed results Can break documents No help manual Great