Every other week, without fail, I get a little pop-up telling me my iCloud storage is full. Or Google Drive reminds me that I’ve hit my storage limit.
Sound familiar?
It’s not that I want to be a digital hoarder. It’s just that clearing out cloud storage is boring, fiddly, and always seems to take longer than I planned. So like most people, I just keep paying Apple and Google a few extra dollars a month and promise myself I’ll sort it “later”... and then never do.
That’s why I was curious when CleanMyMac announced Cloud Cleanup, a new feature that promises to take the pain out of decluttering your iCloud, Google Drive, and other cloud accounts.
So, is it worth using? Here’s my official Cloud Cleanup review.
What Is Cloud Cleanup?
Cloud Cleanup is CleanMyMac’s latest feature, designed to make cloud storage feel “infinite”, (even though we all know it isn’t).
The feature works by giving you a single dashboard that shows exactly what’s eating up all your storage space in the cloud. Old backups, massive video files, or that random PDF you downloaded in 2019 and never looked at again? They’re all flagged and ready for removal in just a few clicks.
It doesn’t just stop at the cloud, though. It also shows you which synced files are eating space on your Mac’s local drive. Because sometimes it’s not your iCloud that’s full, it’s your Mac nagging you for space too.
All of this is included in the CleanMyMac Plus plan, alongside the usual tools for clearing junk, removing malware, and speeding up your Macbook.
The Setup Experience
I don’t know about you, but every time an app says, “just sign in with your account”, I get ready for a 15-minute dance of pop-ups, permissions, and wondering if I’ve accidentally given a random developer access to my entire digital life.
That’s why it brings me great pleasure to say that Cloud Cleanup does not put you through that misery.
For Google Drive, for example, you just log in through the browser, approve access, and boom, you’re connected. No weird hoops, no hidden settings. It really is about as painless as it gets.
Once linked, everything sits neatly inside the CleanMyMac interface. You don’t need to jump between Finder, Google’s storage manager, and Apple’s “Manage iCloud” window; it’s all right there.
Security-wise, this isn’t some sketchy workaround either. CleanMyMac has been around long enough to be trusted by millions of Mac users, myself included, so I didn’t feel like I was handing over my bank details to a stranger.
And here’s the kicker: the dashboard is actually nice to use. Instead of a boring text list or some tiny pie chart, you get a clear, visual view of your cloud clutter. For once, managing my storage was (dare I say) kind of cool, and it didn’t feel like a chore.
Pros and Cons of Cloud Cleanup
Like any new feature, Cloud Cleanup has its strengths and a couple of quirks. Here’s what stood out while I was testing it.
CleanMyMac’s Cloud Cleanup Feature: Pros and Cons
Overall, the pros outweigh the cons here, especially if you’re already in the CleanMyMac ecosystem.
Alternatives & Comparisons
CleanMyMac’s Cloud Cleanup feels different because it:
- Brings everything together: Instead of hopping between apps and browser tabs, you get one dashboard.
- Goes deeper than the basics: Apple and Google will happily show you your largest files, but CleanMyMac also highlights duplicates, old backups, and how synced files are eating local disk space.
There are other third-party options out there, but most either focus solely on duplicates or don’t integrate neatly into the Mac environment. CleanMyMac has the advantage of being a tool many people already use for everyday maintenance, so Cloud Cleanup feels like a natural extension rather than yet another app to manage.
Who is Cloud Cleanup Actually For?
Not every CleanMyMac feature is for everyone. So where does Cloud Cleanup fit?
- Casual Mac users: If you just use iCloud for photos and a few documents, you’ll be shocked at how quickly “random junk” piles up. Cloud Cleanup makes tidying a 2-minute job instead of an afternoon project.
- Work-from-home warriors: Between shared Google Drive folders and endless Zoom recordings, you’re probably wasting gigabytes without even realizing it. This tool is basically a sanity check for your work files.
- Digital hoarders (like me): If your desktop has 300+ screenshots named Screenshot 2020-04-14 at 10.32.48, then… yeah, you need this.
Basically, if you’ve ever been nagged about running out of cloud space, Cloud Cleanup is for you. The only people who might not need it are those rare unicorns who actually manage their storage properly.
Honorable Mention: CleanMyMac’s New and Improved Space Lens
Cloud Cleanup might be the newest module in CleanMyMac, but it’s not the only one getting some love lately.
Space Lens, one of the app’s most visual and frankly, fun tools, has also been revamped. If you’ve never used it, Space Lens builds an interactive map of your storage on your Mac. So instead of poking around Finder, wondering why your SSD is full, you get a clear view of your folders and files, sorted by size. The biggest storage hogs jump straight out at you, and you can sort them out with a couple of clicks.
It’s a bit like pointing a telescope at your Mac’s hard drive and getting to see all the black holes where your storage has been vanishing.
My Final Verdict on Cloud Cleanup
If you’re already a CleanMyMac user, then Cloud Cleanup is a no-brainer. It’s genuinely useful, well-integrated, and saves you both space and money. Honestly, it feels like one of those features you don’t realise you needed until you’ve tried it.
If you’re not using CleanMyMac yet, I wouldn’t necessarily say to buy it purely for Cloud Cleanup. But when you factor in all the other tools bundled into the Plus plan (like junk cleanup, performance boosts, and malware removal), this new feature definitely tips the scales in favor of giving it a go.
And with CleanMyMac’s 7-day free trial, there’s no real downside. At worst, you’ll tidy up a few gigabytes and cancel. At best? It’s a win. My iCloud has stopped nagging, my Google Drive is lighter, and I didn’t have to waste a Sunday afternoon digging through folders to get there.
