CleanMyMac Revamps Space Lens for Enhanced Storage Management

13Jun

MacPaw has officially reintroduced and revamped the Space Lens module in the latest CleanMyMac 5 update—bringing back the beloved visual disk analyzer with smarter features and a refined look. For Mac users juggling full drives and invisible clutter, the return of this visual tool offers an intuitive way to reclaim space and understand what’s really taking up room.

TL;DR: Space Lens Highlights

Items	Description
Back in CleanMyMac 5	Fully reworked version of the popular module
Visual Disk Mapping	Bubble-based interface shows file size relationships
Integrated with My Clutter	Find and remove large and outdated files easily
Safer Deletion	Prevents accidental deletion of essential system files
Supports External Drives	Scan external volumes and USBs for hidden space hogs
Highly Requested	Return based on user feedback and Reddit buzz

What’s New

According to MacPaw’s announcement, Space Lens was rebuilt from the ground up after being temporarily removed in earlier versions of CleanMyMac. The company said it wanted to “reinvent the feature with a better look and improved logic” and is “delighted to reintroduce it in CleanMyMac 5.”

Key updates include:

A redesigned bubble map interface for clearer disk usage visualization.
Improved scanning speed and accuracy.
Enhanced safety mechanisms to avoid critical file deletion.
Seamless integration with the newly unified “My Clutter” module.
Support for system, user, and external volumes.

MacPaw emphasized that Space Lens helps users “analyze wha’s taking up space on a Mac at a glance” and remove unnecessary clutter quickly and safely.

What This Means

For users who’ve missed Space Lens since its disappearance, the return of this tool addresses a major gap. While CleanMyMac has always offered robust cleaning options, this module now brings a visually driven approach to identifying storage bloat.

It also reflects MacPaw’s responsiveness to user feedback—especially on Reddit, where multiple users expressed frustration over its removal. As noted in user comments, “The one good tool was Space Lens and now it’s gone.” Clearly, MacPaw listened—and acted.

What It Looks Like

The updated Space Lens visualizes your storage in the form of colored, proportionally sized bubbles—each representing a folder or file based on its size. Users can zoom into these areas, navigate deeper into subfolders, and preview or delete items with a click.

The tool also groups files into categories like Old & Unused or Large & Rarely Opened, helping users make smarter cleanup decisions.

You can scan your home folder, full disk, or any mounted external volume. After scanning, just click on any bubble to see detailed contents and remove what you no longer need.

How Does it Work (Testing Tool)

To see how well the updated Space Lens performs, we put it through its paces on a MacBook Air (M4, macOS Sequoia), loaded with a realistic mix of old downloads, creative projects, and cached system junk. The Mac had around 20GB of free space remaining—a perfect test case for cleanup.

After launching Space Lens from the CleanMyMac sidebar, we scanned the entire user folder. The scan was surprisingly fast, taking just under 10 seconds. Within moments, we were greeted by an interactive bubble chart that mapped out our disk usage by folder size—Documents, Downloads, Applications, and even obscure subfolders buried inside Library directories.

💡 Highlight: Unlike Finder’s “Get Info” or even macOS’s Storage Management, Space Lens exposed hidden space hogs—like multi-gigabyte video render cache files from Final Cut Pro and large mail attachments tucked away in ~/Library/Mail.

Using the bubble interface, we could zoom in on any folder, drill down to the file level, and choose what to delete or review. One click opened the file in Finder, another sent it to the trash. Importantly, system-critical files were visually flagged as protected, avoiding accidental deletion.

We also tested Space Lens with an external SSD connected via USB-C. It scanned the external drive just as smoothly—revealing archived installers and long-forgotten media backups.

Also: How to Use SpaceLens in CleanMyMac

Why We Care

Macs are fast, but they’re not immune to clutter. Tools like CleanMyMac’s Space Lens help even non-technical users understand and manage their storage in a visual, engaging way. Its return is not only a win for usability, but also a nod to user-driven product development.

MacPaw’s decision to rebuild and reintroduce this tool reinforces the idea that Mac utility software can be powerful without being complicated. For those doing regular digital cleanups—or trying to avoid buying more iCloud storage—this is a feature worth having back.

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