SpotlessWhy Spotless needs Full Disk Access
Full Disk Access lets Spotless read folders that macOS keeps private by default, such as the Trash, Mail data, Safari data and parts of System Data. Without it Spotless still works, but its numbers are lower than what your disk really holds. You switch it on once in System Settings.
What changes with it on
A scan with access matches what macOS reports for the disk. Without it, folders macOS refuses to open are skipped and Spotless tells you how many it could not read. The space you can free is usually underestimated in that case, because mail attachments, old downloads inside Mail and parts of the Trash are among the skipped places.
Switch it on
- Open System Settings and choose Privacy & Security.
- Choose Full Disk Access.
- Switch on Spotless. macOS asks for your password or Touch ID.
- Quit Spotless and open it again if macOS says it must restart the app.
Spotless shows the state under Settings, Privacy. The Recheck button reads it again, and Open Settings takes you to the right pane.
What access does not give Spotless
Access to the disk is not permission to delete. Spotless still ticks nothing for you, still shows every item before it moves, and still keeps its locks. Your Photos library and iCloud files are a separate choice in Settings, Privacy, and that switch is off until you turn it on. Online-only iCloud files are never downloaded.
If you prefer not to grant it
You can leave it off. Spotless then scans the folders it is allowed to read, which covers caches, logs, downloads, developer folders and large files in your home folder. The results are smaller, and the Home page notes how many places it could not read.
If it still says off
- Remove Spotless from the list with the minus button, then add it again with the plus button.
- Make sure you are switching on the copy in Applications. A second copy elsewhere is a different app to macOS.
- Quit and reopen Spotless after any change.
Still stuck? Write to yashraj@oth3l.com with your macOS version.
Related
- What is System Data on Mac?: Spotless breaks the System Data number into named owners, shows what it cannot attribute, and checks its total against Settings.
- What is System Data on Mac and how to reduce it: What the grey System Data bar in macOS Storage contains, how to measure each part from Terminal, and which parts are safe to shrink.
- How a Spotless clean works: Scan, look, choose, review, Trash.
- Pricing: Every feature for $9, once.