Mac utilities and security tools: disk, system, passwords

No, extraction only — a deliberate limit. For creating archives with encryption or split volumes, use Keka.

It asks for the password during extraction. If the archive uses an encryption scheme it does not support, Keka is the fallback.

It is a way to support the developer: the builds are identical and the App Store purchase is a voluntary donation. Homebrew installs the free build from the site.

If you only open other people's archives, The Unarchiver is enough. If you pack, encrypt, and split them, Keka. Many keep both: one for double-click extraction, one for creating.

Usually tens to hundreds of megabytes per app: caches, preferences, logs. Gigabytes only come from heavyweights like IDEs and video editors — but the system stays free of dead apps' debris.

Review the list: files shared between several apps from the same vendor occasionally show up. Untick licence settings and project data if you might come back to the app.

OnyX runs macOS's own maintenance routines, but clearing caches always means some data has to be rebuilt — apps start slower right afterwards. Begin with maintenance tasks rather than mass deletion.

Yes, always: builds are tied to the OS release. The old version simply refuses to launch on a newer macOS — that is a safeguard, not a bug.

Stats is free and covers basic monitoring. iStat Menus is paid but offers finer sensors, history, and well-designed alerts. Start with Stats — for many people it is the permanent answer.

The overhead is minimal, and the polling interval is configurable: raise it and keep only the modules you need if you want to be strict about it.

The licence is bought once per major version; moving to the next major version is a separate discounted upgrade. A trial is available.

Yes, including temperature and power draw, though the available sensor set differs from Intel — some readings familiar from older Macs simply do not exist there.

Apple treats around 80% capacity at 1000 cycles as normal for current MacBooks. Capacity well below that at a low cycle count is a reason to visit service — and a coconutBattery screenshot helps the conversation.

Measurement history, background monitoring, and notifications. Checking your battery once needs none of that.

Karabiner intercepts keyboard events before the system does, so it installs an extension and asks for approval in Security settings. Remapping at this level is impossible otherwise — and permissions like these deserve a conscious decision.

Yes — it is the most popular rule and takes a couple of clicks: tap for Escape, hold for a modifier. Vim users usually start exactly here.

If all you want is window tiling, yes — Rectangle is simpler and free. People buy BetterTouchTool for gestures and automation: it replaces several utilities at once.

A one-time purchase with updates for a defined period, or a subscription for perpetual updates; it is also part of Setapp. A full trial is available.

caffeinate does the same thing and needs no install — but it lives in an open terminal window. Amphetamine adds conditions, timers, triggers, and a menu bar switch, which makes it practical to use every day.

Preventing sleep creates no load by itself — whatever is running does. But the display and disks stay out of power saving, so a session on battery drains noticeably faster.

Amphetamine provides intricate triggers based on processes, displays, and Wi-Fi networks, with a denser configuration menu. KeepingYouAwake focuses on the pure essential: one click to caffeinate, featherweight memory footprint, and simplicity.

If connected to an external display and charger, macOS enters standard clamshell mode. However, keeping it active inside a closed bag or sleeve is discouraged to prevent heat buildup.

AirDrop is locked to the Apple ecosystem. LocalSend lets you effortlessly transfer heavy videos, raw photos, and zip archives from your Mac to Android phones, Windows workstations, or Linux boxes without cloud middlemen.

No, there are zero logins, accounts, or phone numbers. Devices connected to the same Wi-Fi or subnet discover each other automatically.

Yes, ForkLift can be configured as the default file manager to handle opening directories, while native Finder remains undisturbed under the hood.

Yes, the ForkLiftDisk companion module mounts remote SFTP servers and S3 buckets into the macOS virtual file system, making remote files accessible from any app.

KeyCastr stores nothing and transmits zero data over the network. Furthermore, macOS secure input mode automatically suppresses keystroke broadcast events inside password fields.

Yes, enabling "Only display command keys" in preferences limits on-screen displays exclusively to hotkeys involving modifier combinations.

No: brew outdated and brew upgrade cover exactly this for casks. Latest earns its place when some apps were downloaded by hand from vendor sites.

Updates run on your command — it never touches software unasked. That is deliberate: silent auto-updates and a suddenly broken work tool tend to travel together.

GrandPerspective is free and answers the same question — what is eating the space. DaisyDisk is paid, prettier, and smoother at deleting what it finds. The difference is finish, not outcome.

System folders and other users' data need extra permissions. Grant full disk access in Privacy settings, or scan your home folder — that is where the problem usually lives anyway.

Usually local Time Machine snapshots and system data that macOS reclaims by itself when needed. There is no need to delete it manually — the space comes back when something asks for it.

Free GrandPerspective answers the same question. People buy DaisyDisk for scan speed, clarity, and two-step safe deletion. You are buying comfort, not capability.

With the built-in agent the private key never sits on disk in the clear, and every use is confirmed biometrically. That is markedly safer than an unencrypted id_ed25519 in ~/.ssh.

1Password is paid, with a more polished interface and developer integrations. Bitwarden is free, open source, and can be self-hosted. Both solve the core problem; the choice is polish versus openness.

Vault health reports, a built-in one-time code generator, emergency access, and attachments. Core password storage and sync stay free.

Only if maintaining infrastructure is already a habit: your own server means your backups, your updates, and your responsibility for uptime. For most people the vendor cloud is the safer option.

You can sync the .kdbx file via your preferred storage: Synology Drive, Nextcloud, iCloud Drive, Syncthing, or local network shares. KeePassXC safely handles database merges when changes occur on multiple devices.

Yes, the official KeePassXC-Browser extension works with Chrome, Firefox, Brave, and Edge. It connects to the desktop app via a secure local Unix socket with no internet access needed.

The system firewall governs incoming connections. LuLu watches outgoing ones — the path an app would use to send data out. Different jobs, and they complement each other.

The first couple of days are busy while rules form for your usual apps. After that the window appears rarely — and the rare case is usually the interesting one.