App removers
Remove the installed app
Uninstalling frees the space used by the app. You need a download or backup to install it again. Some uninstallers also offer to delete its settings and other data.
What you getThe app is no longer installed
App Archiver for macOS
Compress Mac apps to save disk space.
App Archiver compresses installed apps so they use less disk space and still open normally. It can also archive apps until you need them again, or save ZIP and DMG backups.
Storage Saver Duo includes App Archiver and DiskPress.
Available nowmacOS 12 or laterWorks offline
See App Archiver in action Why I built App Archiver
I wanted to keep apps I rarely used.
I keep Mac apps that I might need later, but some of them take several gigabytes.
Deleting an app means downloading it again. Saving it in a ZIP file means remembering where I put it.
I built App Archiver to store an app as a compressed archive and leave its icon in Applications. When I need it again, I open the icon to restore it.
Ighor July, developer of App Archiver
Deleting, cleaning, and archiving
What happens to the app and its files?
Deleting an app removes the installed copy. Clearing caches removes temporary files. Archiving stores the app in a compressed form that you can restore later.
Cache cleaners
Remove temporary files
Clearing caches can free space, but it does not reduce the installed app's size. Apps may recreate the cache files as you use them.
What you getCache files may return
App Archiver
Store a compressed app
Archive in Place compresses the app and leaves a restore launcher in its location. The app must be restored before it can run or update.
What you getThe app can be restored later
Your documents and settings are not included unless you select an app data folder.
Example sizes
Android Studio compression results
This Android Studio installation used 3.48 GB. These are the sizes after optimization, archiving in place, and creating a DMG backup.
Starting size3.48 GB
Optimized and runnable
1.76GB
1.72 GB saved49.4% reduction
- Afterward
- Ready to open
Archived in place
1.53GB
1.95 GB saved56.0% reduction
- Afterward
- Double-click to restore
Standalone DMG backup
1.31GB
2.17 GB smaller62.4% reduction
- Afterward
- Portable app backup
Results vary by app and Mac. Percentages use the rounded sizes shown above. A backup alone does not free space. The installed app stays until you choose to remove it.
Storage Overview
See app sizes and saved space
Check disk usage, review the space saved so far, and find large apps to compress or archive.
Three actions
How each mode works
Select an app and review the estimated savings. Choose whether to compress it, archive it in place, or create a separate backup.
Optimize App
Compress the app's files using macOS filesystem compression. macOS decompresses them as they are read, so you can keep opening and updating the app without restoring it first.
For apps you still useArchive in place
Store the app in a compressed archive and replace it with a small restore launcher. Its icon stays in Applications. Open the icon to restore the app before using it.
For apps you rarely useCreate a backup
Save a ZIP or DMG copy to a folder or external drive. App Archiver checks the backup before letting you move the installed app to Trash. You can keep both copies if you prefer.
For copies stored separatelyLarge Apps
Find apps that use the most space
Compare current size, recent use, and estimated archive savings. Filter large apps from 200 MB to 5 GB and above, then search or sort before choosing an action.
- Best Opportunities suggests up to ten apps to archive
- Running, archived, and system apps are kept out of recommendations
- Reveal any app in Finder before deciding
Optimized Apps
Keep using compressed apps
Optimization compresses files on disk without changing their contents. macOS reads the original contents automatically. The app stays installed and can open and update normally.
What to expect
Results vary by app. If compression produces no useful savings, App Archiver leaves the app as it is.
Archived Apps
Find and restore archived apps
An in-place archive keeps its icon in Applications and app launchers such as Spotlight. Double-click it to restore the app. You can also browse and restore ZIP and DMG backups in App Archiver.
Choose a restore location
Restore a ZIP or DMG backup to the original app location or another folder you choose.
Reconnect removable storage
Disconnected locations stay remembered. Reconnect the drive or choose its folder again when you want to restore.
App backups
Save a ZIP or DMG copy
Choose a format and destination folder. Keep the backup on your Mac or an external drive. You can include a selected app data folder with the backup.
All Apps
Browse your installed apps
Browse installed, optimized, archived, running, and backed-up apps together. Search, filter, sort, and rescan when your Applications folders change.
Before you start
Review the app, action, and estimated savings
App Archiver shows the app size and estimated savings before you confirm an action. Quit the selected app before processing it. macOS may ask you to grant folder access or approve installation.
See savings first
Compare app size and estimated savings before deciding what to change.
Keep using an app
Optimize apps you still use so they stay installed and open normally.
Leave the icon visible
Archive in place so the app remains easy to find in Applications.
Double-click to restore
Bring an archived app back from the same icon when you need it again.
Choose backup storage
Keep ZIP or DMG copies in any local folder or external drive you choose.
Check before replacing
App Archiver verifies the compressed copy before replacing the installed app.
App Archiver and DiskPress
Compress other files with DiskPress
Storage Saver Duo
Get App Archiver and DiskPress together at a reduced price compared with buying them separately.
Get Storage Saver DuoApp Archiver optimizes, archives, and backs up supported Mac apps. For the files and folders you keep alongside them, try DiskPress, also made by Ighor July.
DiskPress compresses ordinary files and lets identical files share storage using APFS deduplication. Files keep their names, locations, and contents. It skips application bundles and executables.
Visit DiskPressMore by Ighor July
Other Mac apps by Ighor July
These apps manage app shortcuts, Dock placement, software inspection, and lock screen messages.
Browse every app
Multi-instance launcher
Parall
Create independent shortcuts for Mac apps, websites, files, folders, and command-line tools with their own Dock icon and launch behavior.
Visit Parall
Mac Dock control
DockLock Pro
Keep the Dock on the display you choose, including after wakeups, display changes, and screen sharing.
Visit DockLock Pro
Mac software inspection
App Trust Preview
Inspect a Mac app in Quick Look, then send it to App Archiver to optimize, archive, or restore it. Add App Archiver to the "Open with other apps" panel in App Trust Preview.
Learn more about App Trust Preview
Lock screen messages
LockLines
Add an owner name, return instructions, or an asset label to the Mac login screen. Preview how the text will look before applying it.
Visit LockLinesReverse Everything
Articles by Ighor July
Read the technical investigations, reverse engineering notes, product stories, and personal Mac history behind the apps.
Visit the blogInvestigation. 19 min read.
ChatGPT for Mac Is Broken. Support Was Worse Than Expected.
A frozen model selector, weeks of irrelevant support, and the localization bug uncovered by reverse engineering.
Read the article Apps and tools. 5 min read.How I Finally Stopped the macOS Dock from Jumping Between Screens
How a long-running multi-display frustration became DockLock and a deeper investigation into controlling the macOS Dock.
Read the articleOffline processing
No app or backup uploads
Everything App Archiver does happens on your Mac. It has no account, analytics, or tracking, and it does not send your files anywhere.
App Archiver for macOS
Get App Archiver
Compress installed apps, archive them for later, or create ZIP and DMG backups.