Answers for when something in Crumb doesn't go the way you expected, plus updating Crumb, removing it, and reaching us.
Can I get back something Crumb removed?
No. Crumb deletes for good. It doesn't move anything to the Trash first, and there's no undo. That's why Free Space starts with only the Trash and things that rebuild themselves ticked, and why every delete asks first.
Caches and other things that rebuild themselves come back on their own as your apps need them. For anything else, a Time Machine backup is the way back.
Organize is different: it only moves files, and Undo the last sort puts them back.
Crumb couldn't remove something
When an item stays, Crumb says why next to it:
- Its app is open. Quit the app, then scan or clean again.
- Protected, so Crumb left it. It's one of the places Crumb never deletes.
- macOS didn't allow removing it. The file belongs to macOS or to another user on this Mac, so Crumb leaves it alone.
The scan says it couldn't look in some places
Those folders need Full Disk Access. On Free Space, click Open settings in the note above the results, turn Crumb on under Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access, and scan again. More in the Free Space guide.
Finder still shows the old free space
After a big cleanup, macOS can take a few minutes to update the free space it shows in Finder and About This Mac. Crumb shows the new number straight away. Give macOS a few minutes and it catches up.
Crumb is open but I can't see the window
Look for the Crumb icon in your menu bar, showing your free space, and click it. Or open Crumb from your Applications folder.
The weekly clean didn't run
- Check that Clean every week on its own is on, at the bottom of Recent cleanups on Overview.
- It's part of Crumb Pro. The bottom of the sidebar should say Crumb Pro.
- Crumb has to be running. If you quit it or restarted your Mac, it waits until Crumb is open again. Open Crumb at login takes care of that.
I don't get notifications
Open System Settings → Notifications, choose Crumb, and turn on Allow notifications.
Update Crumb
Crumb checks for updates each time it opens and asks before installing one. You can also download the latest version from the home page and run the installer. It replaces the old version, and your settings, license key and history stay.
Remove Crumb from your Mac
- Right-click the Crumb icon in the menu bar and choose Quit Crumb.
- In Finder, drag Crumb from your Applications folder to the Trash.
- If you won't be coming back, also delete the hidden folder
~/.config/crumb, which holds your settings, license key and cleanup history. In Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder and type~/.configto find it. - If you added Crumb to your login items, remove it there too.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Keys | What they do |
|---|---|
| ⌘1 to ⌘6 | Go to Overview, Free Space, Organize, Visualize, Uninstall or Duplicates |
| ⌘F | Search apps, on Uninstall |
| Esc | Cancel a confirmation, or close a Safe? answer |
| Return | Activate the license key you pasted |
Contact us
Email help@cleanwithcrumb.com, or use Help & feedback at the bottom of Crumb's sidebar. It helps to include your macOS version, whether your Mac is Apple silicon or Intel, and what you were doing. A screenshot is even better.
