01 · POSSIBLE RECOVERY
An estimate based on the findings.
The figure only includes items SpaceWise identifies as eligible. Your result depends on your Mac.
A storage companion for your Mac
Your Mac is full.
Let’s see why.
Find the files taking up room. Understand what they do. Then decide what you can live without.
Free personal use · macOS 14+ · Intel & Apple Silicon
SPACEWISE FOR MACScan. Understand. Choose.
Inside the dashboard
Storage is more than one number.
Here are real details from the app’s dashboard: its recovery estimate, category breakdown, and the space it could not account for.
02 · SCAN COVERAGE
See what the scan could not list.
In this example, 116.65 GB was not individually listed. The app cannot safely identify that space as removable.
03 · CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
Review what was found.
Categories show sizes and item counts, with unfamiliar files kept separate for review.
All three images are close-up details from the same genuine Build 8 dashboard screenshot above. They are not separate demo scans.
Your files stay on your Mac. Scan results are processed locally.
SpaceWise 1.0.1 (build 12) is available to download, signed and notarised by Apple. Read release status ↗
Made for real constraints
A full drive can get in the way of a lot more than storage.
An update that will not fit. A download that stops halfway. A Mac you are not ready to replace. SpaceWise helps you understand what is taking up room before you decide what to remove.
It explains recognized files, shows unfamiliar items for review, and is honest when macOS keeps some storage out of reach.
Free personal use · See release status ↗Clarity before cleanup
Make a careful plan before you move a single file.
Findings are grouped by category and risk. You can inspect the path, read why it matched, and choose what happens next. SpaceWise never treats a large file as disposable just because it is old or unfamiliar.
01 See where space goes02 Understand what a file does03 Decide what stays
How SpaceWise works ↗
A closer look
A storage total tells you how much.
SpaceWise helps explain what.
Old downloads. App caches. Background logs. Some things can be rebuilt. Others matter more than their size suggests.
Temporary files can become a permanent space problem.
Browsers and apps keep caches to load things faster. SpaceWise identifies recognized cache locations and explains the matching rule before you choose an action.
Before removing
How to review a cleanup ↗Check the exact location and close the related app when requested. Clearing a cache may mean content needs to download again.
You’re in control
A little checking.
A clearer decision.
You don’t need to recognize every folder name. Start with a scan, read the findings, and leave anything you’re unsure about.
Open the release status ↗- 01 /
See what’s taking up space.
Scan accessible locations for large files and recognized storage categories. The dashboard also shows storage the scan couldn’t explain.
- 02 /
Read the reason. Check the risk.
Review importance, removal consequences, and classification evidence. A large file is never safe to remove just because it’s large.
- 03 /
Choose what goes.
Review individual items or select eligible findings by category. Some actions use Trash; others permanently delete files. Keep a backup.
Start to finish
What using SpaceWise actually looks like.
Seven steps, from installing it to seeing what changed. No surprises, and nothing happens to a file until you say so.
- Step 1
Install it and give it permission to look
Drag SpaceWise to Applications and open it. macOS will ask you to grant Full Disk Access in System Settings. SpaceWise needs this to see inside protected folders — the ones where large forgotten files usually hide. Granting it lets SpaceWise read what is on your disk. It does not give the app permission to delete anything on its own.
You can revoke this at any time in System Settings, and SpaceWise will keep working with reduced visibility.
- Step 2
Run your first scan
Press Scan. SpaceWise walks your drive and measures what is there — file paths and sizes only. It never opens or reads the contents of your documents, photos, or messages. The first scan is the slowest because there is the most to look at; later ones are quicker.
Everything happens on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded, and the scan works with your Wi-Fi switched off.
- Step 3
Read the dashboard
The dashboard shows how much of your disk is in use and how much of it SpaceWise was able to identify. It deliberately shows you both numbers, because they are rarely the same — and a tool that hides the gap is hiding the most confusing part of the problem.
- Step 4
See what could not be explained
Some storage genuinely cannot be itemised by any third-party app — macOS snapshots, the sealed system volume, swap. Apple’s own Storage panel has the same blind spot; it just calls the leftovers “System Data” and moves on. SpaceWise names the limit instead of pretending it is not there.
- Step 5
Explore the categories
Findings are grouped by what they actually are — app caches, developer build folders, downloaded AI models, installed applications. Each group explains what the files do and what you lose if they go, in plain language rather than file paths.
Step 6Review before you decide
Every item carries a rating. Safe means it regenerates by itself. Caution means read it first. Anything unrecognised is never marked safe by default, and personal files are protected and require separate, deliberate confirmation. You choose what is selected — nothing is pre-ticked on your behalf.
- Step 7
Clean up, and see what actually changed
Confirm, and SpaceWise reports what it removed. One honest caveat it tells you up front: moving files to the Trash does not free space until the Trash is emptied, and APFS snapshots can hold on to storage for a while afterwards. You will not be shown a triumphant number that your disk does not agree with.
Screenshots are from the current build on a real Mac. Figures shown depend entirely on what is on your own machine.
Open about the evidence
We would rather show our testing than ask for trust.
SpaceWise is new, so it has no crowd of reviewers to point at yet. What it does have is a published record of how it was tested — including the parts that are still unfinished.
App tests passing with zero failures in the current build, alongside 57 tests covering the classification and safety engine.
Files in a single generated tree, plus 1,000 consecutive cleanup actions, to check it stays correct under load rather than only on a tidy disk.
Apple Silicon and Intel, built as a universal binary and checked by Xcode’s static analyser with no outstanding diagnostics.
Scanning and cleanup are entirely local. You can verify it yourself: watch Activity Monitor’s Network tab, or pull your Wi-Fi, and use the app normally.
What is not finished yet
Paid licensing is not switched on yet, so there is nothing to buy today. SpaceWise 1.0.1 itself is Developer ID signed and notarised by Apple. We would rather name what is unfinished plainly here than have you discover it later.
Where the numbers come from
These are our own test runs, not an independent audit, and we publish the release notes behind them so the claims can be checked rather than taken on faith. Read the version history ↗
Built for a very
ordinary problem.
See recognized storage, read why it matters, and decide what to do. Items the scan cannot identify stay marked for review.
It gives you a way to look through storage without starting by deleting your own work. It explains recognized items, shows unfamiliar files for review, and keeps protected system data out of category cleanup.
It won’t find every byte or promise a fixed amount of recovered space. It gives you more information to make the decision yourself.
Compare your options ↗For your own Mac
Useful software.
Free personal use.
Personal use is free with every feature included. SpaceWise 1.0.1 (build 12) is signed, notarised and ready to install.
SPACEWISE PERSONALFree
Scan, review, and clean. Apple Silicon and Intel. macOS 14 or later.
Download for MacSigned and notarised by Apple. Support and license activation are not available yet.
Want to support development? Optional support is not available while checkout is being prepared.
Using it for work? Business licensing is $15 per Mac per year. Read the terms ↗
Payments and license activation are not available yet. Ask about business use or team deployment.
Is it really free?
Personal use is free, with every feature included. Support payments are not available yet. Organizational work needs a business license. See the license terms for the distinction.
Will it remove anything automatically?
No cleanup happens until you choose an action. Read the selected items and their consequences before confirming. Some actions permanently delete files. Eligible personal files require separate review and typed confirmation.
When can I download SpaceWise?
SpaceWise 1.0.1 (build 12) is available now, Developer ID signed and notarised by Apple. See the version history and update notes for progress.
Does it see all of my storage?
No. macOS permissions, snapshots, system-managed storage, and scan scope can leave some space unclassified. The dashboard reports coverage limits. Full Disk Access helps with protected locations but doesn’t make every file readable.
Does it upload my files or scan results?
No. Scanning and classification happen on your Mac. License checks contact Lemon Squeezy when a license key is entered or saved. Read the privacy policy for details.
How much space will I get back?
It depends on your files and choices. Moving a file to Trash does not free space until Trash is emptied, and APFS snapshots can retain storage. There is no promised recovery amount.
Start by taking a look