Full Disk Access: why SpaceUp Mac asks and how to grant it

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The direct-download build of SpaceUp Mac asks for Full Disk Access because macOS hides some junk folders from apps until you allow it. The permission is used for one thing: measuring and cleaning the folders shown inside the app. You can revoke it anytime in System Settings, and the app keeps working with whatever access remains.

Why the app asks

macOS protects parts of your disk behind a permission called Full Disk Access. Without it, a cleaner can’t see everything where junk piles up, so scan results read smaller than reality and some items can’t be cleaned at all.

SpaceUp Mac doesn’t force the question. First launch works without it, and the app simply shows a card on the Home screen when access would help. Only you can grant the permission, in System Settings. The app can’t flip that switch itself, it never runs elevated, and it never asks for an admin password.

If you’d rather skip cleaner apps entirely, that’s a fair choice. Our guide to freeing up disk space by hand covers the manual route, no permission needed.

How to grant it

  1. In SpaceUp Mac, click Open Settings on the Full Disk Access card. It jumps straight to the right pane. You can also get there yourself: System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Full Disk Access.
  2. Turn on the toggle next to SpaceUp Mac. If it’s not in the list yet, click the plus button and pick it from Applications, or click Reveal App in SpaceUp Mac and drag the app into the list.
  3. Switch back to SpaceUp Mac. It notices the change the moment it’s active again, no restart needed. If macOS asks to quit and reopen the app, let it. Either way the card disappears on its own.

How to revoke it

Same place, same toggle. Open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, then Full Disk Access, and turn SpaceUp Mac off. You can do this anytime, including right after a clean. The app won’t break or nag you into turning it back on.

What works without it

Everything still runs. Scans cover whatever macOS lets the app see, so some folders may show smaller sizes or not appear at all, and that’s the only difference. The review screen, the safety model, and the rest of the app behave exactly the same.

What the access is used for, and what it isn’t

  • The app reads names, sizes, and dates to measure the folders it shows you, places like ~/Library/Caches and ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData. It never reads the contents of your documents.
  • Everything runs on your Mac. No analytics, no trackers, no accounts. The only network request the app makes is the license check.
  • Access is never used to delete anything silently. Nothing is removed without your approval on a review screen, and each item is labeled: your own files go to the Trash so you can undo, rebuildable junk like caches is cleared directly, and the few permanent actions say so before you approve. More on that in why we send files to the Trash first.

The Mac App Store version works differently

The upcoming Mac App Store build is sandboxed, so it doesn’t use Full Disk Access at all. Instead it shows a standard macOS folder picker: you grant your Home folder once, and the sandbox handles the rest. Same app, same review-first cleaning, different permission mechanics.

New to the app? Start with getting started for the first scan walkthrough.

Stuck on something? Email [email protected] and you will get a fast, human answer.