App Archiver compresses installed Mac apps so they take less disk space and can still run. It can also archive an app until you need it again, or save a ZIP or DMG backup. Each option changes how the app is stored and how you open it afterward.
Why Mac storage keeps filling up
Photos, videos, downloads, projects, games, and apps all use disk space. An installed app takes space even if you have not opened it for months.
If you delete an app, you need a download or backup to install it again. That can be a problem if an older version is no longer available.
How Mac cleaner tools free up space
Uninstallers remove installed apps. Cache cleaners remove temporary files created by apps. Those actions free space in different ways.
Uninstalling
Remove apps or data
Removing an app frees the space used by its installed files. Deleting related data may also remove settings and documents you wanted to keep.
Cache cleaning
Clear caches
Caches can be deleted because apps can rebuild them. The available space may increase immediately, but normal use causes those files to return.
Why deleted caches come back
Browsers cache downloaded files. Other apps save previews and indexes to avoid repeating work. After you delete these files, the app may download or generate them again.
Clearing a broken or oversized cache can help, but it does not reduce the size of the installed app.
Compressing and archiving apps
App Archiver's Optimize App mode uses macOS filesystem compression. macOS decompresses files as the app reads them, so you can continue using the app without restoring it first.
Lossless compression preserves the contents of the app's files, including its executable. App Archiver verifies the compressed copy before replacing the installed app.
Archive in Place stores the app in a compressed archive and replaces it with a small restore launcher. The launcher keeps the app's icon in Applications. Double-click it to restore the app to the same location. An archived app cannot run or update until restoration is complete.
By default, data outside the app stays in place. If you choose Include App Data, App Archiver also archives supported files from the folder you select and offers to restore them with the app.
Choose the right App Archiver mode
Optimize an app you use
Compress its files and continue opening and updating the app normally. An update may replace compressed files, so you may need to optimize the app again afterward.
Archive an app for later
Store it as a compressed archive. Open its icon to restore it when you need it.
Create a portable backup
Save a ZIP or DMG copy in a local folder or on an external drive. Keep the installed app, archive it, or remove it after the backup is ready.
Keep a backup of an app or an older version
A backup stores the app you have now. You do not have to rely on a store or developer to keep offering that version.
App Archiver creates ZIP or DMG backups. You can restore either format with App Archiver. You can also recover the app without App Archiver by expanding the ZIP or opening the DMG and copying the app back to Applications.
Creating a backup does not remove the installed app or free the space it uses. After App Archiver verifies the backup, you can choose to move the source app to Trash.
A backup preserves the app you saved, but it cannot guarantee that an old app will remain compatible with every future macOS release. Licenses, accounts, external components, and online services may still be required by the original app.
Steps to free disk space
- Start with the largest apps and the ones you have not opened recently
- Review the estimated saving before processing an app
- Optimize apps you use regularly
- Archive apps you do not need to run now
- Save ZIP or DMG backups to keep separate copies of apps or older versions
- Restore an archived app by opening its familiar icon when you need it again
If the available storage number does not change immediately after a large saving, Time Machine local snapshots may still retain the former version for a while. The current app is smaller, but macOS may keep the old data until snapshots are moved to your backup disk or removed. TheApp Archiver FAQ explains what happens and the optional next steps.
Check the result
Review the before and after sizes when processing finishes. Savings depend on the app's files. Compression cannot reduce every app by the same amount, and an archived app will need space again when restored.