# OnyX Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 System maintenance and optimization utility Category: System Utilities · Free · Replaces CleanMyMac X ($39/year) · [Official website](https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html) ## Install with Homebrew `brew install --cask onyx` ## Quick take In August 2026 OnyX remains free, OS-matched Mac maintenance software for people who know what they are clicking. Use 5.0.2 on Tahoe, match builds to your OS, back up first, and skip daily cache-nuke rituals. Pay for CleanMyMac-class tools only if you want polish, schedules, and commercial support. Best for: Power users comfortable with maintenance risks, Tahoe 26 owners wanting free deep utilities, Technicians removing stubborn app leftovers, Users avoiding subscription cleaners ## What is OnyX? OnyX is a long-running multifunction utility for macOS from Joël Barrière at Titanium Software. It first appeared in 2003 after OS X Jaguar and is still free donationware for maintenance, cleaning, verification, and hidden preference tweaks. This page is about Titanium Software OnyX on the Mac, not the unrelated Onyx AI product at onyx.app. As of August 2026 OnyX ships OS-matched builds. For macOS Tahoe 26 the current release is OnyX 5.0.2 (31 July 2026, about 7.8 MB) for Intel and Apple silicon Macs running Tahoe only. A separate OnyX 5.1.0 beta targets macOS Golden Gate 27 on Apple silicon. Older majors for Sequoia, Sonoma, and earlier still sit in the archive, but Titanium no longer actively develops those branches. Download the build that matches your macOS major version. There are no paid tiers. You can verify system structure, clear caches, uninstall apps more thoroughly than dragging to Trash, tweak Finder, Dock, and Safari defaults, and rebuild indexes. That same depth is the risk: aggressive cleaning can delete useful caches, and naive scans can misread Gatekeeper definition data. Take a Time Machine backup first. Treat OnyX as an occasional technician tool, not a daily boost ritual that modern macOS already handles for most people. Compared with subscription cleaners, OnyX trades hand-holding for transparency: every pane is a deliberate action you trigger. That design fits technicians and developers more than first-time Mac owners. If your only goal is to free a few gigabytes once, Storage settings and emptying Trash may be enough. If you need to rebuild Spotlight, purge stubborn app leftovers, or flip a Finder default Apple hid, OnyX 5.0.2 is still the free reference tool on Tahoe. ## Features - **Tahoe 26 Matched Build (5.0.2).** OnyX 5.0.2 is built for macOS Tahoe 26 on Intel and Apple Silicon (released 31 July 2026). Sequoia or older builds on Tahoe are unsupported. A Golden Gate 27 beta exists separately for Apple Silicon testers. The 7.8 MB download size keeps it light to archive on USB recovery kits. Golden Gate 27 beta 5.1.0 is only for testers on that OS; production fleets on Tahoe should stay on 5.0.2 until Titanium marks a stable Golden Gate build. - **System Maintenance & Verification.** Verify the structure of the startup disk and system files, then rebuild databases and indexes such as Spotlight when search misbehaves. Used sparingly after upgrades or odd behavior, this is a diagnostic step, not a daily chore. On Tahoe 26 with OnyX 5.0.2, run verification after OS upgrades when permissions or Spotlight feel wrong, not on a fixed calendar. Rebuild indexes only when search misses files you know exist. Verification can slow the machine while it walks the volume; schedule it when you can leave the Mac alone. - **Deep Cleaning Operations.** Clear system, user, application, and font caches plus logs and temporary items. Pick targets instead of wiping everything. Reclaiming gigabytes is possible; so is deleting caches macOS will just rebuild slowly. Prefer user and application caches first; leave system caches unless you are chasing a known corruption. Font caches and browser leftovers free space but may force apps to regenerate assets on next launch. Log cleanup helps disk pressure after verbose debug sessions. Measure free space before and after so you know whether the pass was worth it. - **Parameter Customization.** Expose hidden defaults in Finder, Dock, Safari, and other Apple apps that System Settings never shows: animation timing, screenshot format, and similar tweaks. Change only what you understand; these are preference flags, not a theme pack. Common power-user toggles include screenshot formats, Dock animation speed, and Finder visibility flags. Write down what you change so a future macOS upgrade does not leave you guessing. If a tweak breaks an app, reverse it in OnyX or wipe the related preference domain rather than reinstalling macOS. - **Application Uninstallation.** Find leftover preferences and support files after you remove an app from Applications. It is still a cleanup aid, not a full package manager with reverse dependency tracking. Creative apps scatter support files under Library containers; OnyX helps list those leftovers after you remove the .app bundle. Still review the list before delete: shared frameworks and license files can belong to other tools. For simple apps, AppCleaner may be enough; OnyX is for when you want a broader residual scan. - **Utilities Access.** Jump to Storage Management, Screen Sharing, Wireless Diagnostics, UNIX man pages, and visibility toggles for files, folders, and disks from one place. Handy when you do not want to hunt through System Settings for rarely used tools. Wireless Diagnostics and Screen Sharing are easy to forget in System Settings; OnyX surfaces them for field techs. Man-page access is a convenience for UNIX-adjacent tasks without opening Terminal first. Visibility toggles help when a disk or folder was hidden by a previous maintenance pass. - **Secure File Deletion.** Overwrite free space or deleted file regions so recovery tools have less to work with. Use it for sensitive material you truly need gone; ordinary Trash is enough for routine clutter. On SSDs with encryption, ordinary erase already limits recovery more than older spinning-disk myths suggested, but overwrite tools still appear in compliance checklists for some shops. Do not secure-erase free space on a failing drive; image and replace the hardware instead. ## How to Install OnyX on Mac Install OnyX from Titanium Software and match the build to your macOS major version. Each major OS gets its own OnyX release; the wrong DMG will not behave correctly. 1. **Download the Correct Version.** Open titanium-software.fr and download the OnyX build for your macOS. For Tahoe 26 use OnyX 5.0.2 (July 2026). Older pages may still list Sequoia and Sonoma builds; do not mix them. 2. **Install the Application.** Open the.dmg, drag OnyX into Applications, and confirm the Gatekeeper prompt if macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet. 3. **Grant Full Disk Access & Administrator Privileges.** On first launch enter an administrator password. Then open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access, unlock, add OnyX, and enable it. Without Full Disk Access many cleaning and verification jobs simply fail. 4. **Optional: Install via Homebrew Cask.** If you already use Homebrew: `brew install --cask onyx`. You still grant Full Disk Access after install. ## Pros - Free donationware with no subscriptions or locked modules - Wide maintenance, cleaning, and parameter toolkit in one app - Hidden macOS parameters and utility launchers System Settings omits - Dedicated build per major macOS version (Tahoe 5.0.2 in July 2026) - Active updates from Joël Barrière / Titanium Software - Straightforward layout once you know which pane you need - Can reclaim disk space and fix broken indexes when used carefully - No adware or upsells in the official build - Intel and Apple Silicon support on current Tahoe builds - Long track record of OS-matched releases since the early OS X era - Suitable for technician USB kits thanks to a small download footprint (~7.8 MB for 5.0.2) ## Cons - Easy to misuse if you do not understand macOS internals - Option density intimidates absolute beginners - UI is functional rather than polished like paid cleaners - No built-in scheduled maintenance (use Maintenance or reminders) - Startup disk verification can slow the machine while it runs - Wrong-version builds are unsupported across macOS majors - Aggressive cleaning can hurt a healthy modern Mac - No commercial SLA; support depends on developer availability and community posts - Donationware funding model means no guaranteed roadmap for every Apple beta ## FAQ ### Is OnyX free in 2026? Yes. It is donationware with no paid tiers, subscriptions, or locked modules. Optional donations go to Titanium Software. Download only from titanium-software.fr. ### Which version works on macOS Tahoe 26? OnyX 5.0.2 for macOS Tahoe 26, released 31 July 2026 (about 7.8 MB), for Intel and Apple silicon. Do not install older OS-specific builds on Tahoe. ### Does OnyX support Apple Silicon? Yes. The Tahoe 5.0.2 build supports Intel and Apple silicon Macs running macOS Tahoe 26. ### Is Titanium OnyX the same as Onyx AI? No. Titanium Software OnyX is a Mac maintenance utility. Onyx AI is an unrelated open-source enterprise AI platform. ### Is OnyX safe to use? It is a legitimate long-running utility from Joël Barrière, but any tool that deletes caches or rebuilds databases can cause problems if misused. Back up with Time Machine first, match the build to your OS, and avoid daily mass cleaning on healthy Macs. ### Why are there different OnyX downloads? Each major macOS version has its own build. Wrong-version builds are unsupported. ### Should I run OnyX daily? No. Use it occasionally for specific cleanup or troubleshooting. Modern macOS already manages most routine maintenance. Daily cache nukes mostly create thrash as apps rebuild what you deleted. ### Where do I download OnyX? Only from the official Titanium Software site (titanium-software.fr). Avoid random mirrors. ### Is OnyX still maintained? Yes. Tahoe 5.0.2 shipped in July 2026, with a Golden Gate 27 beta listed for Apple Silicon. ### Can OnyX replace antivirus software? No. It is a maintenance utility, not a full security suite. Rely on macOS protections (Gatekeeper, XProtect) and reputable security tools when your threat model requires them. ## Sources - [OnyX official page](https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html) - [OnyX Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnyX) - [MacUpdate OnyX](https://onyx.macupdate.com/) - [OnyX release notes](https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx_release.html) - [OnyX review 2026](https://www.drbuho.com/review/onyx-mac-review) - [Titanium Maintenance](https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/maintenance.html) ## Related - [Maccy](https://bundl.run/apps/maccy) - [Stats](https://bundl.run/apps/stats) - [SuperWhisper](https://bundl.run/apps/superwhisper) - [MacWhisper](https://bundl.run/apps/macwhisper) - [HyperWhisper](https://bundl.run/apps/hyperwhisper) - [Aqua Voice](https://bundl.run/apps/aqua-voice) - [OnyX vs CleanMyMac](https://bundl.run/compare/cleanmymac-vs-onyx) - [Free alternative to CleanMyMac X](https://www.titanium-software.fr/en) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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