alienator88/pearcleaner

★ 13,098SwiftAudience · generalComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Pearcleaner))
    Core features
      Full app uninstall
      Leftover file finder
      Orphaned file cleanup
    Extra tools
      Homebrew manager
      Architecture stripper
      Language pruner
    Automation
      Sentinel monitor
      Trash-triggered cleanup
    Project status
      On hold late 2025
      Source available

mindmap root((Pearcleaner)) Core features Full app uninstall Leftover file finder Orphaned file cleanup Extra tools Homebrew manager Architecture stripper Language pruner Automation Sentinel monitor Trash-triggered cleanup Project status On hold late 2025 Source available

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Completely uninstall a Mac app including all its leftover caches, preferences, and support files.

USE CASE 2

Find and clean up orphaned files that no installed app claims, freeing disk space.

USE CASE 3

Manage Homebrew packages and developer environment remnants from a single interface.

Tech stack

SwiftmacOS

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Full Disk Access permission to find files in system folders, project is on hold since late 2025 with no active releases.

Free to use and modify, but you cannot sell or commercially monetize this app or any modified version of it. (Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause)

In plain English

Pearcleaner is a free Mac app for cleanly removing other applications from macOS. When you uninstall an app by dragging it to the Trash, macOS typically leaves behind scattered support files, caches, preferences, and other data in various folders. Pearcleaner finds and removes these leftover files so that uninstalls are more complete. The app covers several tasks beyond basic uninstall. It can search for orphaned files that no installed app claims, manage development environment remnants, search for files across the system, manage Homebrew packages, strip unneeded processor architecture code from apps to reduce their size, manage installer packages, plugins, and system services, and check for app updates. It also includes a background monitor called Sentinel that automatically triggers cleanup when an app is moved to the Trash. Additional options let you prune unused app language translations and export app bundles and file lists. The project is currently on hold. As of late 2025, the developer changed jobs and no longer has access to a Mac for personal development. This means bug fixes, new features, and releases are paused indefinitely. The README explains this directly and transparently, and notes that the project is not abandoned entirely. Installation is available from GitHub releases or via Homebrew with a single command. The app requires Full Disk permission to search for files and uses a privileged helper for operations in system folders. It supports macOS Ventura (13.x) through Sequoia (15.x). Pearcleaner is licensed under Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause, which means the source is freely available and can be modified, but commercial use or monetization of the app or any modified versions is not permitted.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I want to completely remove [app name] from my Mac using Pearcleaner, what files will it find beyond the app bundle itself?

Prompt 2

How does Pearcleaner's Sentinel feature work, and how do I enable automatic cleanup when I move an app to the Trash?

Prompt 3

Using Pearcleaner, how do I strip unused processor architectures from my installed apps to reclaim disk space?

Prompt 4

What permissions does Pearcleaner need and why, and how do I grant Full Disk Access on macOS Sonoma?

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