Ad: Manage updates with the Download App

Utilities & Operating Systems for Mac

From driver downloads to registry cleaners, CNET Download.com features all the latest utilities and drivers. Whether you're looking for FTP clients, compression utilities, or software to back up your hard drive, CNET Download.com has you covered. See all 3,283 in this category.

Most Popular

New Release

Editors' Picks

for the week of: May 12, 2013

TitleDownloads
  1. 1.
    Disk Drill

    System Utilities

    5,873
  2. 2.
    RAR Expander

    File Compression

    5,128
  3. 3.
    CNET TechTracker

    Operating Systems & Updates

    2,959
  4. 4.
    Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard

    Operating Systems & Updates

    2,921
  6. 5.
    The Unarchiver

    File Compression

    1,982
  7. 6.
    Apple Mac OS X Lion

    Operating Systems & Updates

    1,946
  8. 7.
    StuffIt Expander

    File Compression

    1,771
  10. 8.
    NTFS-3G

    System Utilities

    1,751
  11. 9.
    OnyX (Snow Leopard)

    Maintenance & Optimization

    1,745
  12. 10.
    Disk Inventory X

    File Management

    1,724

See all most popular software

for the week of: May 12, 2013

Title Release date
  1. 1. Mackup May 18

    Backup Software

  2. 2. iClipboard May 18

    System Utilities

  3. 3. Dropbox May 18

    Data Transfer & Sync Software

  4. 4. Recover Mac for Photos May 18

    File Management

  5. 5. AppDelete Lite May 18

    Uninstallers

  6. 6. SyncMate May 17

    Data Transfer & Sync Software

  7. 7. KeyRemap4MacBook May 17

    System Utilities

  8. 8. SugarSync File Manager May 17

    Backup Software

  9. 9. ExcelExtension May 16

    Applets & Add-Ins

  10. 10. Apple MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware May 16

    Operating Systems & Updates

See all new releases

for the week of: May 12, 2013

Title
  1. 1.
    SuperDuper

    Backup, clone, and restore your information.

  2. 2.
    FontAgent Pro

    Organize your fonts and maintain their integrity.

  3. 3.
    Butler

    Bring up files and information using keyboard and keyword shortcuts.

  4. 4.
    Apple Mac OS X Lion

    Mac operating system for Intel-based Macs.

  5. 5.
    Carbon Copy Cloner

    Clone, synchronize, backup files.

  6. 6.
    Data Rescue

    Do-it-Yourself Data Recovery Software.

  7. 7.
    Caffeine

    Menu bar item to temporarily disable sleep & screen savers.

  8. 8.
    CleanMyDrive

    Clean up your external drives from needless service junk.

  9. 9.
    Drive Genius

    Speed Up, Clean Up and Optimize Your Mac.

  10. 10.
    Yasu

    Run system shell scripts to perform maintenance routines and clear cache files.

See all editor's picks

Find Software

Platform

Platform

Price

Category

Advanced search
Utilities & Operating Systems
Applets & Add-Ins
Automation Software
Backup Software
Battery Utilities
Calculators
Data Transfer & Sync Software
Diagnostic Software
File Compression
File Management
Maintenance & Optimization
Operating Systems & Updates
Other
Portable Applications
Printer Software
System Utilities
Uninstallers
Browse Utilities & Operating Systems
Most Popular
New Releases
Editor's Picks
User Favorites
Top Freeware

An introduction to Utilities & Operating Systems

Have you ever added a TV tuner card to your computer, only to have the DVD drive stop working? Maybe you've tried to install software and gotten an error message such as "The file foofah.dll is missing or damaged." The only time most people will need to deal with a driver is when something goes awry. Essentially, a driver is a piece of software that communicates the special needs of a hardware device or software application to an operating system. Windows comes with most of the drivers you need, but sometimes plugging in a new device--such as a digital camera or printer--will trigger a search for drivers. If the maker of your device doesn't offer drivers on its Web site, try searching our library for the name of the device or corrupted DLL.

This category is also the home of popular programs such as the top-rated SmartFTP Client, which made our list of the best free utilities. Installing and uninstalling software, deleting files, and other daily tasks can take a toll on your computer's performance. To test how well your PC is running, try a benchmarking program such as SANDRA Lite. Cleaning out the dead wood with a system optimizer such as Ace Utilities or System Mechanic will straighten out some Registry problems, improve system speed, and free up disk space. Don't forget to back up your data regularly with something like Second Copy so you can replace any files you regret erasing, such as the driver for your nVidia ForceWare Graphics card.

File-compression tools include the classic WinZip and the newcomer WinRAR, which are both excellent shareware products that provide lots of free functionality. Among the wide variety of software within Tools & Utilities, you'll find bookmark managers such as Bookmark Buddy, download managers such as Download Accelerator Plus, file-sharing tools such as LimeWire or Morpheus, and search tools such as Google Desktop.