Janet Ingber
CleanMyMac X (CMM X), an app by MacPaw, claims that it "is an all-in-one package to awesomize your Mac. It cleans megatons of junk and makes your computer run faster. Just like it did on day one.” The app costs $34.99 per year for a single license.
CMM X can be purchased from the Mac App Store. A free trial of the app, with limited functionality, is available from the MacPaw site. Activate the Free Download link and the trial app will start downloading.
MacPaw states that CMM X supports VoiceOver and high contrast. We decided to take the app for a spin ourselves to determine if it is usable by someone with vision loss. For this review, I used version 4.6.2,on a 2016 MacBook Pro running macOS Catalina.
Getting Help
Unfortunately, MacPaw does not provide phone or tech support. They have email support and a knowledge base.
Installing the App
Before you install any new software, I strongly recommend backing up your Mac. When CMM X is first opened, there are checkboxes to share anonymous usage data and agree to the privacy policy. The Share Data button is below the share request and the privacy policy agreement checkbox is above the agreement. VoiceOver said there was a button labeled, “SkipNOTRANS.” With sighted assistance, I learned that the button was not on the screen. The last controls on the screen were an option to quit the app and an OK button.
Using CMM X
When I activated the OK button, some music played. VoiceOver eventually said, “Side bar” and a few seconds later said that I was on a table. The sidebar had many options including Smart Scan, System Junk, Trash Bins, and Malware Removal. There is an Assistant button to the left of the sidebar. The Assistant gives suggestions based on which feature you are using.
Menus and Preferences
CMM X has six Menus: File, Edit, Action, View, Window, and Help. The File menu has a single option: to close a window. The Edit menu is the standard Edit menu with options including Undo, Select All, and Delete. The Actions Menu has options to start a scan, access the Assistant, and authenticate your Mac. The View menu provides a way to view processes such as Smart Scan and Protection. Selecting an option brings up a sublist under that category. Keyboard commands are given. The Window menu is the standard Window menu you will find in most programs. The Help window has options including Contact Support, Leave Feedback, and Search.
In Preferences, there are tabs including Assistant, Protection, and Menu. As with any app, check out Preferences to determine which features are controllable.
CMM X has an additional menu that allows quick access to features including upload and download speed, resource usage, and processor load. This menu is not accessible with VoiceOver, because it's in the Mac menu bar as a graphic. It's supposed to be in Menu Extras but when I installed CMM X, it did not work. Instead, a new item was added to Menu Extras labeled “Menu bar item light.” I was unable to even open the menu. I have made MacPaw aware of this inaccessibility.
If you want CMM X to have access to your disk and you are running an operating system newer than Mojave you need to authorize that access in the Security and Privacy section in System Preferences. If your operating system is older than Mojave, you don't need to authorize access.
Using the Sidebar and Table
VoiceOver does not discriminate between headings and items under the heading in the sidebar. When I landed on a sidebar heading, VoiceOver told me I was in a cell in the table. For example, I thought Speed was a category option, but it was not. Speed was a heading under which were Optimization and Maintenance. The headings are Clean Up, Protection, Speed Applications, and Files.
By default, Smart Scan is selected when CMM X is launched. Use table navigation to explore other listed options. On a selected item, VO + Right Arrow once and there is a brief description of the selected item. For example, if Malware Removal is selected, the description is, “perform an in-depth checkup of your Mac for all kinds of vulnerabilities.” Using VO-Right Arrow again brings you to a table where more details about what CMM X will do are listed. If you just want to go from the sidebar to the table, use Tab. After the table there may be additional information, depending on which sidebar item you chose. Either way, you will need to VO + Right Arrow to get to the Scan button. As you do this, you may come across an unlabeled button. Selecting it brings you to a MacPaw page that says, “It’s time to share your excitement and inspire folks to fine-tune their Macs too.” Here is where you will find their social media links.
Uninstalling Apps
The first CMM X feature I tried was the uninstaller. This option is under the Apps heading in the sidebar. From there the Tab key will get you to the applications table. I interacted with the table and chose to uninstall Skype. I selected it with VO + Spacebar. VoiceOver said, “Uncheck Skype.APP checkbox.”
Next, I stopped interacting with the table and used VO + Right Arrow to get to the Uninstall button. The first time you use this feature, you will be prompted to enter your computer’s user name and password. CMM X will play a sound when the process is complete.
When the screen re-loads, there will be information about another MacPaw product and a Get It Now button. There is an option to View Log that will list what has been deleted. There is also an option to go back to the Apps table.
Removing Email Attachments
Next, I went to the Cleanup section of the sidebar and chose Email Attachments. With VO-Right Arrow, I was able to explore the page and then get to the Scan Button. Once the button was activated, VoiceOver said, “Pressed, Stop.” It took a few seconds to do the scan. When completed, the usual sound was played.
When the new screen loaded, it said how much space had been cleaned. Using VO +_Left Arrow, I got to a Review Details button. Selecting it brought up a table with all my email accounts and how much space was used by each account. I selected one account but did not exit the table. Instead, I used the Tab key to get to a disclosure triangle. When opened, it displayed a list of attachments that could be deleted. I could choose attachments that I did not want deleted. If you do not want to review the files, exit the table and go to the Clean button.
Removing Malware
Having malware on your computer can be very troublesome and it is not always obvious when your computer is infected. I went to the Malware Removal option under Protection. Using VO + Right Arrow, I found information about malware removal. Next was information about CMM X’s database of malware software and when it was last updated. Next was the Scan button.
When the scan was complete, I learned that CMM X found one potential threat on my computer: one piece of adware (a program that sends you to advertising). I activated the Remove button. I got a message that the threat was removed and my computer was safe.
Running a Smart Scan
I then tried Smart Scan. When the scan finished, I used VO + Left arrow to get to my results table. Using VO navigation, I was able to check the results. Finally, I used VO + Right Arrow to get to the Run button. If I did not want to review the results, I could have used VO + Right Arrow to get to the Run button. When the operation was completed, CMM X made recommendations for optimizing my Mac.
The Bottom Line
I recommend starting with the free trial since CMM X is a paid app. This will give you a good feel for the app and help you decide if you want to make a purchase.
This app is definitely usable with good VoiceOver skills, though it can be a little tricky going back and forth in the results table. I feel that the lack of live help is a negative. If I can't find my answer in the knowledge base, I don't want to wait for someone to return my e-mail. I want to speak or live chat with a human. Finally, The inaccessibility of the CleanMyMac X menu is an issue. Having the menu made accessible would offer users who are blind a quick way to access important features.
Product Information
Product: CleanMyMac X
Manufacturer: MacPaw
Price: $34.99 per year for one Mac
This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.
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