Getting Started with DiskCleanKit: A Complete Beginner's Guide

Welcome to DiskCleanKit

Congratulations on downloading DiskCleanKit! This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get started with cleaning and optimizing your Mac.

Installation

1. Download from Mac App Store - Search for "DiskCleanKit" or use the direct link

2. Open the app - Find it in your Applications folder or Launchpad

3. Grant permissions - DiskCleanKit needs access to scan your files. Click "Grant Access" when prompted and select your home folder

Understanding the Dashboard

When you first open DiskCleanKit, you'll see the main dashboard with several key elements:

Storage Overview

The circular chart shows your current disk usage at a glance. You can see:

• Used space in blue
• Available space in gray
• Cleanable space highlighted when detected

Quick Actions

• One Touch Clean - Single-click cleaning for safe junk removal
• Deep Scan - Comprehensive analysis of your entire system
• Disk Manager - View and manage all connected drives

Your First Scan

Running One Touch Clean

1. Click the One Touch Clean button on the dashboard

2. Wait for the quick scan to complete

3. Review the results showing what will be cleaned

4. Click Clean to remove the junk files

5. See your summary showing how much space was recovered

Running a Deep Scan

For a more thorough cleaning:

1. Click Deep Scan from the dashboard

2. Select which categories to scan (Caches, Logs, Downloads, etc.)

3. Wait for the scan to complete

4. Browse through the three-panel interface to review files

5. Use checkboxes to select what to remove

6. Click Clean Selected to delete chosen files

Safe Cleaning Tips

• Start with One Touch Clean - It targets common junk files like caches and logs
• Review before deleting - In Deep Scan, always preview files before removal
• Check the Downloads folder - Make sure you don't delete important files
• Use the preview feature - Right-click any file to preview its contents

What Gets Cleaned?

System Caches

Temporary files created by macOS that can be safely removed.

Application Caches

Cache files from browsers, apps, and system services.

Log Files

Old system and application logs that accumulate over time.

Temporary Files

Files in /tmp and other temporary directories.

Next Steps

Once you're comfortable with basic cleaning:

• Set up widgets for quick access (see our widget guide)
• Explore specialized cleaning for developers and creatives
• Configure keyboard shortcuts for faster workflows

Welcome to a cleaner Mac experience!