PowerMyMac Potentially Unwanted Program - How to remove

PowerMyMac is a potentially unwanted program. It promises to clean and optimize your Mac and like most optimizers, requires you to purchase its license. Though it’s not malicious, it may appear on computers unexpectedly. PowerMyMac is detected by some antivirus programs as iMyMac PUP (potentially unwanted program) as you can see on this VirusTotal page, as well as this one.

On PowerMyMac is short:

Problems with optimizers	They target potentially useful files for deletion, the too-frequent scans slow down your Mac, they show distracting and annoying pop-ups.
Problems with PowerMyMac	Detected by multiple antivirus programs, redundant and limited functionality.
Alternatives to PowerMyMac	Manual file removal, tools provided by Apple and included in Mac OS, optimizers plus malware scanners like Combo Cleaner, malware scanners like Malwarebytes.
Removing PowerMyMac	Manually uninstall PowerMyMac, cancel the subscription before it renews automatically.

Is PowerMyMac useful?

PowerMyMac is just another optimizer. Certainly, it’s not as bad as Mac Optimizer Pro, TweakBit Mac Repair, or Smart Mac Booster. But still, some cybersecurity vendors consider it not safe to use. Usually, this is because the program makes it on people’s computers in some unfair way, like by being bundled with other programs. However, I don’t know that PowerMyMac is doing that.

Whether you agree with antivirus vendors that PowerMyMac is not advisable to use it up to you – the category of PUPs is in a gray area, but most people are better off not using such programs.

Like most Mac optimizers, PowerMyMac’s functions are mostly redundant to the tools that MacOS provides you for free:

• There’s an uninstaller, which Macs generally don’t need. Rarely, shady applications will leave behind unwanted files that may reinstall removed apps or display pop-ups, but you can delete those files manually.
• PowerMyMac also has a resource monitor that is somewhat different than Mac OS’ Activity Monitor and ultimately gives you less information and less power.
• Of course, PowerMyMac helps you find file duplicates and unnecessary files. Programs like PowerMyMac try to convince you that having unnecessary files on your computer slows it down, which is just not true.
• PowerMyMac wants to delete logs, cookies, cache – files that are used by your apps to run faster. Unless you’re very dangerously low on space (in which case, you shouldn’t be installing random software like PowerMyMac), you won’t benefit from deleting those files.

By the way, there’s a mention on iMyMac (the home site of PowerMyMac) about PowerMyMac removing traces of deleted files from the registry. …what? There is no registry in Macs. It’s a Windows thing.

Alternatives to Mac optimizers

The thing about optimizers is that they prey on our itch to keep things tidy, clean, and to remain in control. But having zero clutter on your Mac is just futile. You can use PowerMyMac to clean your Mac today, but new logs, cookies, etc. will keep being created because they are useful for your apps. And that’s good for PowerMyMac – without those files to delete, what would it do?

In their effort to appear useful, optimizers will always try to detect something on your computer. So do not be shy about telling your optimizer to leave the files be. It can be addicting to see the green or blue indicators telling you that your Mac is clean. Don’t fall for that. Files just sitting on your Mac do not slow it down. What does slow it down is the unnecessary PowerMyMac scans.

Other than that, you can clean your Mac yourself.

Use the Finder to delete unnecessary files left behind by applications that you removed, if you need to.

Also, Apple has developed tools to let you manage your storage space yourself

Browsers let you manage your cookies and delete them if you want to – for all sites or for individual ones.

You can use Activity Monitor to watch your programs. However, remember that if your apps are using resources, that’s fine. Operating systems sometimes allocate programs more memory than they need – and this ultimately makes your apps work faster. Unless your Mac starts freezing, things are fine.

Should you remove PowerMyMac

If you like PowerMyMac, there’s nothing wrong with continuing to use it. It’s relatively cheap and isn’t nearly as bad as many other Mac optimizers. Still, it’s just so unnecessary. Junk files aren’t hurting your Mac and deleting cookies is hardly the panacea for your online privacy.

If you want to delete PowerMyMac, it’s as easy as dragging it to the Trash folder and canceling your subscription.

If you do wish to use an optimizer, it’s advisable to use one that has a malware scanning engine on top of the optimizer features – for example, Combo Cleaner. Or just use an anti-malware program like Malwarebytes. And always make sure that you have a money-back guarantee in case you don’t like the program.

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