Disk Aid 1.9

Disk Aid is intended to optimize your system, mainly by recovering storage space. The tool has a pleasant tabbed interface, in which each tab corresponds to one of its modules.

Fortunately, it can handle a variety of causes that are making your disks run out of space.

The first module is Dashboard, and, as its name suggests, this is where you should go to have quick glance of your system stats, including CPU, memory and battery usage. Next, there is Disk Cleaner, which can scan your disks and identify all sorts of unwanted data, such as application caches, logs, browser data and broken downloads. Likewise, it can find those files that are using most disk space, which helps you make decisions on which of them you really wish to keep.

Duplicates can deplete storage space unnecessarily, which is why a module like Duplicate Finder always comes in handy. In this regard, it is good that it does not rely solely on a file’s properties. Instead, it uses SHA-1 hash values to detect duplicate files by their actual contents. Luckily, you do not need to scan the entire drive as picking specific folders is supported. Likewise, you may decide to exclude given folders as well. It is a shame that it does not seem to work with iCloud folders. Once the duplicates are found, the tool lets you choose which ones to delete manually or automatically (if you trust the smart auto-selection feature).

The fourth module is called Disk View and it shows the contents of the disk in a tree map. Again, this is another way to pinpoint bulky files and folders. The Privacy Guard module is intended for removing potential threats, like ill-intentioned browser extensions. Finally, the App Uninstaller offers to remove those application you are no longer using. It has the advantage of removing not only the application’s file but any other related data, such as cashes and preferences. Regrettably, the tool may fail to completely remove certain applications, mainly due to Mac App Store’s rules.

All in all, Disk Aid may be the right tool for recovering disk space on your Mac. In this respect, I was very satisfied with the tool. I only wish that there was a way to backup deleted items to prevent accidental losses. However, in the meantime, there is always the option of using Time Machine instead. The product is available for purchase from the Mac App Store.