Know what changes.
Know what does not.

App Archiver helps you reclaim space from Mac apps you want to keep. It finds large and rarely opened apps, estimates the savings, and lets you optimize an app, archive it in place, or create a backup.

Cleaner apps often delete apps and related data, or clear temporary caches that grow back. App Archiver reduces the space used by the app itself while keeping it available for later. An in-place archive stays small until you restore it.

No. Archive in Place changes only the app bundle you choose. Your documents, preferences, and other app data stay in place, ready for when you restore the full app.

Choose Optimize App for software you still use regularly. Choose Archive in Place for an app you want to keep visible but do not need right now. Choose Create a Backup when you want a ZIP or DMG copy in another folder or on an external drive. After creating a backup, you decide whether the installed app stays or is removed.

Savings depend on the app. App Archiver shows the current size and estimated result before you start. If changing an app would not free useful space, it leaves the app as it is.

No. Quit the app completely before optimizing, archiving, or removing it. App Archiver will stop the action if the app is still running.

It opens and updates normally. An update may replace the optimized files and reduce the saved space. You can optimize the app again after updating it.

If you use Time Machine, a local snapshot may still refer to the original larger version of an app. App Archiver has reclaimed the space used by the current app, but macOS may retain the old data so Time Machine can restore it. Some storage views can therefore take time to show the saving and may even appear to grow temporarily while a new snapshot is created.

This normally resolves itself after Time Machine completes its backups and macOS removes older local snapshots. New snapshots will contain the smaller optimized or archived app, so the old larger copy no longer needs to remain on your Mac. macOS also treats snapshot storage as available when another task needs the space.

If you want the storage display to update sooner, you can optionally remove local Time Machine snapshots. This removes local restore points from your Mac. It does not change or remove completed backups already stored on your Time Machine backup disk.

sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots /

for d in $(tmutil listlocalsnapshotdates | grep "-"); do sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots $d; done

Terminal asks for your administrator password and does not show characters while you type it. After local snapshots are removed, macOS may need a short time to recalculate and display the newly available space. Time Machine will create new local snapshots as automatic backups continue.

Learn more about local Time Machine snapshots from Apple.

It remains in the same location with its app icon, so it stays visible in Applications, Spotlight, Raycast, Alfred, and other app launchers.

Double-click the archived app. App Archiver opens and restores the full app to the same location. The app must be restored before it can run or update.

Yes. You choose ZIP or DMG when creating a backup, and App Archiver can restore either format to the original location or another folder you choose.

Choose any writable folder on your Mac or an external drive. App Archiver remembers disconnected drives and reconnects their backups when the storage returns. You can keep multiple versions of the same app in Backup Storage.

App Archiver asks before replacing it. You can confirm the replacement or restore the backup to another folder.

No. The backup stays available until you choose to remove it. You can also ask App Archiver to optimize the restored app immediately.

macOS requires you to allow access to the app folders and backup locations you choose. Changing an installed app may also require App Management access. Some protected apps may ask for administrator approval. App Archiver guides you through these steps only when needed.

Yes. Add the folder under App Locations in Settings and grant access. The main Applications folder always remains included.

The Protected label means optimizing that app requires root privileges. App Archiver is waiting for Apple to grant the required permission, so Protected apps cannot be optimized yet. Once permission is granted, an App Archiver update will add support. Until then, you can create a backup while leaving the installed app unchanged.

No. macOS system apps cannot be archived.

No. The Mac app works offline, requires no account, and has no analytics or tracking. It does not send information about your apps or files anywhere.

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