How to Use OnyX for Mac (OnyX Review & Guide)

Is your Mac or Macbook computer slower than it used to be? If so, you should learn how to use Onyx for Mac. OnyX is a completely free utility software that will help you clean up your Mac in minutes.

Although OnyX is a pretty beginner-friendly app, it has a lot of hidden features that you should know about and use. To create this guide, we researched and used this free Mac cleaner and revealed all of its capabilities.

In this article, we will explore what OnyX is and how it can help you clean your Mac. Then, we will go over each of OnyX’s features and show you how efficient it is. From deleting files and folders to running scripts and making adjustments to the time machine, nothing will be left out.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how good OnyX is and how it compares to other Mac cleaners like CleanMyMac.

Keep in mind, that while Onyx can work if you put effort into it, CleanMyMac does these efforts automatically and within minutes (I personally use CleanMyMac nowadays over Onyx

Related: CleanMyMac vs OnyX: Which is Better (the truth)

Related: 9 Best CleanMyMac Alternatives (Free and Paid)

Grab your Apple device and get ready to learn how to use each one of the features that OnyX offers!

What is OnyX for Mac?

OnyX is a free Mac cleaner developed by Titanium Software and Joel Barriere, a very well-known developer from France. Since OnyX is a free to use operating system utility, you can download it from the Titanium Software website.

OnyX has a long history in the market. Since its release in 2015, the app has become popular among Mac and Macbook users for many reasons. But what tasks can OnyX help you with and why should you download it? In a few words, OnyX can help you get rid of unneeded files, configure apps, and speed up your Mac.

See our post: Is CleanMyMac X Worth it? (The Truth)

Let us take a look at why OnyX is a smart solution for optimizing your Mac.

What does Onyx for Mac do?

Many MacOS users wonder, does OnyX for Mac really work? Although OnyX has many advanced features, most of them relate to specific tasks. That said, this utility can help you with:

• OnyX can clear your computer’s cache
• It can help you save disk space by deleting files, folders or applications that you no longer need
• It can restore your databases and indexes
• It can help you configure system applications like Dock, Finder and Safari

It turns out that OnyX is very helpful for numerous daily tasks. Even though the learning curve of OnyX is not very steep, it is important to learn how to use all of its features.

Related: MacKeeper vs CleanMyMac: Best for Speed Optimization

Let us explore all the OnyX tabs and toolboxes and analyze the process you need to follow to optimize your Mac device.

How to use OnyX for Mac

Since OnyX is a completely free software, it does not come with such extensive documentation when learning how to use Onyx to clean your Mac.

Fortunately, the user interface is simple and modern. During our testing, we had no problems downloading the software. All you have to do is find out the right version of OnyX for your device.

There is an extended list of supported Mac operating systems. This means you will not have any problems using OnyX on earlier versions of macOS (Mac OS X Jaguar or later) and older Macs.

Related: Is the MacBook Air Good for Programming? (The Truth)

Once you have downloaded the software, all you need to do is install it. Drag the OnyX icon into the application file and you are good to go. If you have done everything correctly, you are probably in the 5 main sections of OnyX for Mac: Maintenance, Utilities, File, Parameters, and About.

It’s time to explore each area individually and help you discover all the advanced features of OnyX for Mac.

1. OnyX for Mac: Maintenance

This section is by far the most important in OnyX for Mac. In fact, most users download OnyX to scan and optimize their Mac device. And that’s what the Maintenance tab is all about.

See our post: How often should I shut my MacBook down?

Once you click on the tab, you will see your scanning options. The user interface tabs are as follows:

• Maintenance: Here, you can choose to verify the structure of your system’s files and/or have OnyX run maintenance scripts.
• Rebuilding: Rebuilding allows you to manipulate numerous files such as LaunchServices, dyld’s shared cache, mailboxes, XPC cache, etc.
• Cleaning: As the name suggests, this tab is all about cleaning up your Mac. You can choose which applications, system files, log messages, and Internet files OnyX should delete.
• Misc. Options: This tab lets you specify any unneeded files you want to get rid of: Maintenance Scripts, Font Cache, Junk, Recycle Bin, and Recently Used Items.

You can either choose to use the default settings or select only the files you want to delete. Either way, OnyX will automatically speed up your Mac on the Maintenance tab. All you need to do is click on Run Tasks.

Related: CleanMyMac: Is it safe? 

2. OnyX for Mac: Utilities

Fortunately, the above optimization features are just one of the tasks OnyX can help you with. In utilities you can do things like:

• Check your file system structure on your Mac’s hard drive
• Run automatic scripts (daily, weekly, or monthly)
• Create, manipulate, or delete Time Machine snapshots
• Review system utility manuals
• Explore process monitoring (accounting). This is useful for debugging
• Gain access to system applications that are hard to find (e.g., screen sharing, network, utility, wireless diagnostics).

It becomes clear that the Utilities section is for advanced Mac users and certain tasks such as handling Time Machine and troubleshooting.

Related: CleanMyMac vs MalwareBytes: Which Anti-Malware is better?

3. OnyX for Mac: File Options

Just like the Maintenance tab, the File section is also very useful for casual Macbook users. In this section of OnyX for Mac you will find:

• Visibility: This tab allows you to show or hide your files.
• Finding: Here you can quickly find the file or folder you are looking for.
• Checksum: This tab allows you to find the checksum files of any downloaded file and verify that it is safe for your computer.
• Erasing: Here you can permanently delete files or folders (the deleted files cannot be recovered).
• AppleDouble: In this section, OnyX helps you delete all AppleDouble files and unnecessary metadata created by applications.
• Trash: Here you can quickly empty your Recycle Bin.

Related: Is a MacBook Air Good for Video Editing (The Truth)

4. OnyX for Mac: Parameters

During our testing, the Parameters section proved to be a very useful OnyX feature. In this section, you can quickly manipulate general parameters. For example, if you don’t want your Mac to show graphic effects when opening a window, all you have to do is unclick the box.

Apart from the general parameters, you can also change your system app preferences. Apps like the Finder, the Dock, and Safari, normally can’t be easily manipulated. Well, OnyX for Mac will help you do that in minutes.

Related: MacKeeper vs CleanMyMac: Best for Speed Optimization

5. OnyX for Mac: Info

This is the last section of OnyX for Mac. When you press Info, OnyX automatically scans your Mac and shows you useful information. The app tells you about your Mac’s hardware, memory, volume, software, profile, and protection.

Therefore, if you want to find out what CPU, RAM or GPU your Mac is equipped with, this is the easiest way to do it. The Profile tab also lets you save your current build, and the Protection tab helps you remove malware.

Now that we have learned about all the essential and advanced features of OnyX, let us answer some important questions about the software to find out if you should use it.

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Is Onyx good for Mac?

To answer this question, we have to think of the features OnyX provides. As a freeware, OnyX doesn’t have a breathtaking, modern interface and an endless documentation. Still, that’s pretty much all this app lacks.

To be precise, OnyX is a very useful app if you want to speed up and optimize your Mac. With OnyX, you can quickly clean your PC from unnecessary or unneeded files. You can easily remove apps, folders and files you don’t need and rebuild databases and indexes.

Apart from that, OnyX can help you hide files, change the parameters of system apps like Safari and the Dock, and much more. All said, OnyX is definitely and reliable and useful utility app for your Mac device.

Is CleanMyMac better than OnyX?

Unlike OnyX, CleanMyMac is not a free app. That said, CleanMyMac has more detailed documentation and a modern user interface. So, CleanMyMac guides you through each task. In terms of features, both apps help you thoroughly clean and speed up your Mac.

However, CleanMyMac is better than OnyX when it comes to identifying and removing large amounts of data junk. Finally, as far as antivirus features are concerned, CleanMyMac is by far the best app. It can help you get rid of viruses, malware and adware.

In a few words, CleanMyMac justifies why it is a paid app. However, if you need a free software to clean and speed up your Mac, there is nothing better than OnyX.

What to Do When OnyX for Mac Freezes

As with any other application, OnyX for Mac may freeze. If you encounter such a problem, all you have to do is the following:

1. Force quit the app: To do so, simply press Command-Option-Esc
2. Restart OnyX
3. If the problem persists, try restarting your Mac or reinstalling OnyX for Mac

Is OnyX available for Windows?

Unfortunately, OnyX is only available for macOS devices. Fortunately, there are plenty of reliable alternatives for Windows users. Some of the most popular PC cleaner tools for Windows are:

• Restoro
• CCleaner (free to use)
• Storage Sense (built-in application in Windows 10)
• Avast Cleanup
• Advanced SystemCare (free to use)

Is OnyX for Mac Free?

Yes, OnyX for Mac is a completely free-to-use app. If you add that OnyX offers numerous advanced features for system cleanup and speedup, it becomes evident why this is one of the most popular cleaners out there.

For Mac users, all you have to do is download the app from the OnyX website, install it and you are good to go.

Alternatives to Onyx

If you have used OnyX before and are not satisfied with its features, you’ll be happy to hear that there are plenty of alternatives on the market. When it comes to premium alternatives to OnyX, there is no better app than CleanMyMac.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a free alternative to OnyX for Mac, the best ones are:

• CCleaner: This is the perfect alternative to OnyX. CCleaner offers numerous cleaning and speeding up features and is definitely a must-have app for you.
• App Cleaner: A great choice for those who want to uninstall or change apps quickly.
• Disk Drill: The best data recovery and storage analysis app for Mac.

How to uninstall Onyx from Mac

Uninstalling OnyX for Mac from your computer is as simple as it gets. In fact, uninstalling it is no different from uninstalling any other application. All you need to do is follow some very simple steps:

1. Go to Finder and open the application’s folder
2. Check if there is an uninstall app
3. If there is an uninstall app, all you have to do is double-click on it.
4. If not, you can drag the app from the application folder to the Trash.

This will allow you to uninstall the Onyx for Mac Download.

Can you uninstall applications using onyX on Mac?

To answer this question quickly: No, OnyX for Mac can not help you uninstall apps. Fortunately, the app can be combined with App Cleaner, a free software specifically designed to uninstall unneeded apps from your PC.

So all you have to do is use App Cleaner to delete an app. Then, you can use OnyX to delete all unnecessary files related to the already uninstalled app.

How to use OnyX cleaner to speed up your MacBook or iMac

OnyX cleaner helps you speed up your MacBook or iMac in many ways. First, go to the Maintenance tab and click Run Scans. This will automatically get rid of numerous files and speed up your PC.

If you want to make your device even faster, you can also go to Cleanup and delete system files, log messages, and internet files. Finally, you can also use OnyX to delete Time Machine snapshots. By combining all the above tasks, your Mac will free up disc space.

How to use Onyx to remove Junk files

Onyx for Mac is a powerful junk file remover that allows you to delete unwanted files from your computer. This tool is designed to help users clean up their computer and free up disk space. The program supports Mac operating systems.

All you need to do is download the app and run some scans. Then the app will automatically remove all the junk files for you.

How to use Onyx cleaner to free up storage

Onyx cleaner is a great product for cleaning your Mac. It is safe, reliable and very easy to use. If you click on the maintenance tab, you will get many advanced features. For example, this software compresses files and folders into one file, which helps you save disk space.

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The best thing about this software is that it works automatically, so you do not have to do anything manually. That means OnyX is an excellent solution if you want to get rid of unnecessary files and folders.

Can OnyX free up ram?

Unfortunately, OnyX does not have a feature to free up RAM. However, that does not mean the app can not help you speed up your Mac. In fact, by cleaning up your PC, OnyX will improve your overall experience.

Of course, if you need an app to quickly clear RAM, CleanMyMac is the best choice. The app is very reliable and allows you to clean RAM with just one click.

How to run OnyX on Mac?

Before you can run OnyX for Mac, you need to download it. Go to the app’s website, find your OS version and click download. Once the app is downloaded, double click on the file and drag it into the application folder. You are good to go! All you have to do is find the app (use the Finder) and click on it.

What is the Official OnyX download website?

The official website for OnyX for Mac is titanium-software.fr. By visiting the website, you can explore all versions of OnyX. The app is available for numerous macOS versions, including the latest macOS Big Sur 11.

Onyx is known to be compatible with not only Big Sur, but also Yosemite, El Captain, Catalina, Mojave, Lion, Sierra, high Sierra and other versions of the past.

About the company that runs OnyX for Mac

OnyX for Mac is developed by Titanium Software, a very well-known team of developers from France. The programming language used to create OnyX for Mac was Xcode. For more than 4 years, OnyX and Titanium Software have received excellent reviews from Mac users.

Is CleanMyMac X an Apple authorized app?

Yes, CleanMyMac X was recently approved by Apple as a perfectly safe program. Even though Apple does not recommend Mac users to use third-party apps, you can rest assured that CleanMyMac X is a completely safe and reliable app. Many experts have not dove into the Onyx Apk for Mac

Is Onyx a useful tool for maintaining a Mac?

Absolutely. During our test, OnyX proved to be a very useful freeware when it comes to maintaining your Mac. It has so many features that you can discover. From maintenance and system optimization to speeding up and manipulating system applications, there’s nothing OnyX can not do.

Bottom Line

You can  use Onyx for Mac my manually utilizing mantenience, rebuilding, cleaning and other options. Some additional benefits to using onyx can be gained by using it a certain way.

For example, those looking to learn how to use Onyx properly will want to utilize the software for Mac to clean its cache, save disk space, delete old files, folders, and needed apps. You can restore entire databases and index and configure unique customizations like ‘Finder’ or ‘Safari’ on your Mac.