Icon of program: MacJanitor

MacJanitor

By Brian HillFreeUser Rating
Download now

Key Details of MacJanitor

  • Manually run the maintenance scripts that are normally run automatically at night and on weekends with this Mac OS X utility.
  • Last updated on 11/9/2008
  • There have been 3 updates
  • Virus scan status:

    Clean (it's extremely likely that this software program is clean)

Editors' Review

Download.com staff
Mac OS X's Unix subsystem comes with a maintenance regimen that is scheduled to start in the middle of the night or when your computer is fast asleep. But what if you always turn your computer off, preventing a scheduled tune-up? Meet MacJanitor, an app that makes it handy to run these tasks anytime you like.

The interface is simple and clearly laid out. You can view and run daily, weekly, and monthly cleanups by clicking a button and then checking the results in the console window. The program usually runs quickly, but can take significantly longer if your system is in disarray.

Although MacJanitor is a one-trick pony, it performs its sole task with ease. A more extensive feature set would be a welcome addition, though. We highly recommend this program for laptop owners or energy-conscious users who shut down their computers frequently.

Explore More

Full Specifications

GENERAL
Release
September 22, 2003
Latest update
November 9, 2008
Version
1.2.1
OPERATING SYSTEMS
Platform
Mac
Operating System
Mac OS X
Additional Requirements
None
POPULARITY
Total Downloads
67,370
Downloads Last Week
0
Report Software

Related Software

User Reviews

3.4/5

12 User Votes

Developer's Description

By Brian Hill
Manually run the maintenance scripts that are normally run automatically at night and on weekends with this Mac OS X utility.
MacJanitor is designed to be used on a periodic basis by Mac OS X 1.0 users who don't leave their computers on 24 hours a day. MacJanitor is provided as freeware as a service to laptop and energy-conscious home users. The Unix subsystems on Mac OS X were originally written for machines that were typically never shut off. Mac OS X inherits this assumption in version 1.0, and has many system-maintenance tasks scheduled to run between 3 and 5 a.m. In addition, scripts are designed to run weekly on weekends and once a month in the middle of the night.

If these maintenance tasks are never run (such as on a laptop that is always shut off at night), many log files and system databases will grow extremely large or fail to get backed up. MacJanitor provides a way to run these system tasks at the click of a button. Laptop users could click the Daily button every morning (or every few days), and office workers could click the Weekly button on Mondays.