Help & FAQ

Short, honest answers. Anything missing? Email [email protected].

Installing · Sign-in & account · iPhone import · Encryption & privacy · Your files · Deletes · Pricing · Beta notes

Installing

Mac

Download the DMG, open it, and drag CleanMyMedia to Applications. The app is signed and notarized, so there are no warnings. Requires an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) running a recent macOS.

Windows

Download the installer and run it. Windows SmartScreen will warn that the publisher is unknown — click More info → Run anyway. The installer is unsigned because a code-signing certificate costs more than makes sense for a young product; if CleanMyMedia earns enough users, signing is the first check we write. Nothing about the warning affects what the app does.

Linux

Download the AppImage, then make it executable and run it:

chmod +x CleanMyMedia.AppImage
./CleanMyMedia.AppImage

AppImages need the FUSE 2 library, which some distributions no longer preinstall:

• Ubuntu 24.04+ / elementary OS 8: sudo apt install libfuse2t64 (one time)
• Fedora / RHEL / CentOS: sudo dnf install fuse fuse-libs
• Any distro, no install: run with --appimage-extract-and-run (slower to start)

On Ubuntu 23.10+ the app detects Ubuntu's AppArmor restriction on unprivileged user namespaces and launches without the Chromium sandbox — otherwise it could not start at all. The app only ever displays its own bundled interface, never remote web content. If you have installed your own AppArmor profile for the app, set CMM_KEEP_SANDBOX=1 to keep the sandbox on.

Sign-in on Linux needs a keyring (e.g. GNOME Keyring) to store your session securely; standard desktop installs have one already.

iPhone

The iPhone app is in TestFlight beta — join here. It backs up the photos and videos on the phone to your cloud library.

Signing in & creating an account

There is no password — sign-in works with your email inbox instead.

Creating an account

Start your free trial by entering your email address. That's the whole signup: no password to invent, no card. We email you a sign-in link right away. (An account is only needed for cloud features — the local cleanup app works without one.)

Signing in

1. Enter your email — on the web, in the desktop app, or on iPhone.
2. Check your inbox for a message from CleanMyMedia. It contains a link (click it to sign in on the web) and a code (type it into the desktop or iPhone app).
3. The link and code expire in 15 minutes and work once — just request a fresh one whenever you need it.

Why no passwords? Nothing to forget, reuse, or leak in a breach — access to your library is controlled by access to your inbox, which for most people is already their best-protected account. On the web you stay signed in for a week; the apps stay signed in until you sign out.

No email arriving? Check spam, and make sure the address is the one you signed up with. Still stuck: [email protected].

Importing from an iPhone (Mac only)

1. Open the Mac app and choose Import from iPhone.
2. Connect your iPhone with a cable, unlock it, and tap Trust This Computer.
3. Photos and videos copy over the cable — no iCloud, no wifi transfer, originals intact.

USB import is Mac-only for now. On Windows and Linux, import from a folder (including a Google Takeout dump) or use the iPhone TestFlight app for cloud backup.

Encryption & privacy

Cloud backup is optional — the local cleanup works fully offline and uploads nothing. If you do use the cloud:

• Every account has its own database and its own encryption keys. Objects are encrypted at rest, so the storage bucket only ever sees ciphertext.
• To be precise: it is not end-to-end encrypted. The server holds the keys so it can show your library in a browser. We considered full E2EE and decided against it — for a family photo archive, "you forgot your passphrase, everything is gone forever" felt like the wrong trade. If you want zero server trust, use the free local mode and keep the cloud off.
• Your media is used for nothing except serving your own library. No AI training, no ads, no analytics on photo content.

Your files — no lock-in

• Your library ends up as plain year/month folders on your own disk. No proprietary format, no database you can't leave. Stop using the app and you keep a clean folder tree.
• Everything you back up can be downloaded back out with the app, any time.
• If CleanMyMedia ever shut down, you would lose nothing local — your originals were never held hostage.

Full-quality originals (Vault)

By default the cloud stores viewable copies of your media — your originals stay on your computer. Vault-enabled accounts can additionally store true originals off-site: mark items Make Original in the web app (or use the desktop app's Back up all originals for the whole library), then run the desktop backup to upload them.

Fair warning, stated plainly: originals count against your storage at full size, so switching a large library to originals will raise your storage usage and can increase your monthly bill. The desktop confirmation shows the real gigabytes before anything uploads. You can switch items back to viewable-only (Make Lite) at any time — that deletes the cloud-stored original and frees the space; your local files and the cloud viewable copies are never touched.

Honest disclaimer: no single tool is a backup strategy. Keep at least one independent copy of irreplaceable photos, whatever software you use — including this one.

Deletes stay deleted

• Deleting a file locally moves it to your system Trash / Recycle Bin — recoverable until you empty it.
• Permanently deleting something from the cloud is remembered by content: future backups will not silently re-upload it from another device or drive. Deleted once means it stays deleted.
• Changed your mind later? The desktop app has an explicit option to force items back into backup.
• Near-duplicates flagged during cleanup go to a reviewable trash first — nothing is ever silently deleted.

Pricing

Local cleanup is free — organize, dedupe, and fix dates on your computer with no account at all. The Anywhere plan ($2.99/mo, or $29/yr) adds cloud backup and viewing from any device, with a 14-day trial — no card needed to try, cancel anytime.

How to cancel

Sign in to the web app, open the menu (☰, top right), and choose Manage billing — that opens your secure Stripe billing page, where you can Cancel subscription, switch between monthly and yearly, or update your card. Canceling keeps your plan active until the end of the period you already paid for.

Beta notes & disclaimers

• The Windows installer is unsigned (SmartScreen warning — see above).
• The Mac app is Apple Silicon only for now.
• The iPhone app is a TestFlight beta, not yet on the App Store.
• Want your account and cloud data gone? Email [email protected] and it will be deleted promptly; self-service account deletion is coming with the App Store release.