Troubleshooting
Fixes for the first launch warning, Docker, "not scanned" items and failed cleans.
“DevSweep can’t be opened” or “Apple could not verify”
DevSweep isn’t notarized. Open it once, click Done, then System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. On macOS 15 and later, right-click → Open no longer skips this step.
Or remove the download quarantine flag in Terminal:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/DevSweep.appDocker shows “Not running”
DevSweep asks Docker for its numbers, so Docker Desktop has to be running. Start it, wait until it’s ready, and press Scan again.
Some items are “not scanned”
macOS protects a few folders. Grant Full Disk Access, or ignore it; the totals are just slightly low.
An item couldn’t be cleaned
Click the couldn’t be cleaned count in the status bar for the reason. The common ones:
- The app is open. Quit it and clean again.
- Permission denied. The file belongs to another user or to the system, for example an app installed by an admin package. Drag it to the Trash in Finder, which asks for your password.
- A simulator is booted. DevSweep shuts a simulator down before erasing it; if Xcode is using it, close the Simulator app first.
The space didn’t come back
Files go to the Trash. Empty it from Finder (or the Open Trash button after a clean) to free the space.
A project’s node_modules isn’t selected
It was used in the last 30 days, so it’s Check first. Tick it yourself, or lower the number of days in Settings.