Getting started

Full Disk Access

Why Roomy asks for it, what it allows, and how to turn it on or off.

Full Disk Access is a macOS permission that lets an app read protected parts of your Mac. Roomy works without it, but with it the scan is more complete. It's entirely your choice, and you can turn it off again at any time.

What Full Disk Access adds

Without Full Disk Access, macOS stops Roomy from reading some folders, so their junk can't be measured or cleaned. With it, Roomy can also find:

Caches of sandboxed apps, which live inside each app's container in ~/Library/Containers. Many Mac App Store apps store their caches there.
Safari's cache and other caches macOS protects.
Copies of Mail attachments that Mail saved when you opened them. The original attachments stay in your mail.

If Roomy couldn't read a location, the Overview shows Some locations couldn't be read, and affected items may be marked Review rather than Safe.

What it doesn't change

Roomy still only removes what you choose, and still only selects Safe, rebuildable items for you.
Protected places stay protected. Even with Full Disk Access, Roomy never removes anything from macOS system folders, iCloud Drive, Keychains, Mail, Messages or Photos.
Everything still happens on your Mac. Full Disk Access doesn't change what Roomy sends over the internet: only license checks, never file names or scan results. See our Privacy Policy.

Turn on Full Disk Access

In Roomy, click Open Settings… in the Some locations couldn't be read box on the Overview, or choose Roomy → Settings…, click General, and click Open Settings… next to Full Disk Access. You can also open Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access yourself.
Find Roomy in the list and turn its switch on. If it isn't listed, click the + button below the list, choose Roomy in your Applications folder and click Open.
Enter your Mac login password or use Touch ID when macOS asks.
If macOS offers to quit and reopen Roomy, click Quit & Reopen. Otherwise, quit Roomy (⌘ Q) and open it again.

Roomy notices the new permission and scans again. In Settings → General, Full Disk Access now shows Granted.

Turn off Full Disk Access

Open Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.
Turn off the switch next to Roomy. To remove it from the list completely, select it and click the − button.
Quit and reopen Roomy.

Roomy keeps working. It simply skips the locations it can no longer read.

If that didn't work

The switch is on but Roomy still says locations can't be read: quit Roomy completely and reopen it. macOS applies the permission only to a fresh launch.
You have more than one copy of Roomy: macOS gives the permission to one specific copy. Delete any extra copies (for example one in Downloads), then select Roomy in the list, click −, and add the copy in Applications with +.
After an update it stopped working: turn the switch off and on again, or remove and re-add Roomy as above.
Still no luck: restart your Mac and try again.