Data protection
Data protection: clean up without ever losing control
A cleaning utility handles your files by definition. So the question is not only "what does it delete?" but "what happens if I change my mind?". In MacNeat, the answer is built into every module: nothing is erased directly, every operation is logged, and going back takes one click.
This page describes the safeguards shared across all of MacNeat. They do not replace a backup: they make sure a cleanup never turns into a loss.
Safe Trash: a delay before anything is permanently deleted
When you confirm a cleanup in Éclair, Clarté, Archipel, Panorama or Catalogue, items are moved to the macOS Trash, not erased. The confirmation dialog says so plainly: "Move 248 items (3.2 GB) to the Trash?". The files stay visible in the Finder and can be put back as long as the Trash has not been emptied.
On top of that, MacNeat applies a delay before permanently deleting anything it has placed in the Trash itself: you keep a margin to notice that a folder is missing and get it back.
Permanent deletion exists for cases where space is truly critical, but it is never the default. It must be ticked explicitly ("Delete permanently, without going through the Trash") and triggers a second confirmation stating that the action cannot be undone.
Deletion history and restore
Every operation is recorded in a history: date, module, number of items, size and original location. From this history you can:
- undo the last operation in one click, right after a cleanup;
- restore an older operation, as long as its items are still in the Trash;
- show an item in the Finder to check what was moved.
Some actions go further. Before merging duplicates in your Music library, MacNeat backs up the library, and if that backup fails, nothing is changed. Permissions revoked in Rempart, for their part, are not files: the app concerned will simply ask for access again the next time it launches.
Simulation mode, protected areas and exclusions
Want to see what a cleanup would do without taking any risk? Simulation mode, in MacNeat's Settings, runs the operations and logs them, but neither moves nor deletes anything. Bilan does not count simulated operations in the space freed.
Some areas of the system are protected by default and skipped by every scan. You can add your own folders under Settings > Exclusions: a projects folder, a photo library on an external drive, work archives. These folders are never scanned or modified. Default protected areas cannot be removed.
Time Machine check
Real protection against data loss is still a backup. MacNeat helps you see where you stand:
- the date of your latest Time Machine backup, so you can tell at a glance whether it is recent;
- the list of local Time Machine snapshots that reserve space on the internal disk, with their dates.
Local snapshots can be thinned from the dedicated tool in Atelier, but MacNeat never touches the backups stored on your Time Machine drive. For a complete strategy (3-2-1, iCloud, FileVault), read our article on protecting your Mac data.
What this protection does not do
Let us be clear: MacNeat does not promise to recover files already erased from your Mac. Once the Trash is emptied, the internal SSD wipes freed blocks (TRIM) and the hardware encryption of recent Macs makes recovery very unlikely, whatever the tool. The safeguards described here act before permanent deletion, not after.
For SD cards, USB flash drives, external drives and cameras, the situation is different: see external media recovery, with its own limits. And if you have already emptied the Trash, our guide to recovering deleted files on a Mac covers the realistic options.