Worm: your SSD is full of dead build residue
Worm (Worm Cleaner) is a free, open-source disk cleaner, app uninstaller and system
monitor for Mac and Windows. It removes developer caches, browser caches and
uninstalled-app leftovers, with no telemetry.
Worm is not malware and not a computer worm. It is a legitimate
MIT-licensed cleaning utility with public source code. It does not replicate itself
and makes no network calls.
What Worm Cleaner removes
| Category | What gets cleaned |
|---|
| Developer caches | Xcode DerivedData, simulator runtimes and archives, npm, pnpm, yarn, Cargo, pip, Go, Gradle, Homebrew and CocoaPods caches |
| Containers | Docker buildx cache and dangling image layers |
| App leftovers | Orphaned bundle identifiers, preferences and Application Support databases left behind by uninstalled Mac apps; orphaned AppData on Windows |
| Browser & app caches | Chrome, Safari, Electron application caches |
| Windows system | Temp files, Windows Update (SoftwareDistribution) leftovers, crash dumps and WER reports |
Platforms, licence and privacy
| Platforms | macOS 14.0+ on Apple Silicon and Intel (MacBook Air, MacBook Pro); Windows 10 and 11 at 64-bit |
|---|
| Built with | Native Swift 6 and SwiftUI on macOS; Native AOT .NET 9 and WPF on Windows |
|---|
| Price | Free. MIT licence. No subscription, no account, no credit card |
|---|
| Telemetry | None. Works fully offline with a local deletion audit log |
|---|
| Memory use | Under 15 MB resident; idles at 0.0% CPU |
|---|
| Source code | github.com/namdevnaman/worm |
|---|
Frequently asked questions
- Is Worm Cleaner malware, or a computer worm?
- No. Worm Cleaner is a legitimate disk cleaning utility, not malware and not a self-replicating computer worm. It has public MIT-licensed source code for both platforms, it does not replicate itself, and it makes no network calls.
- Is Worm Cleaner really 100% free and open source?
- Yes. Worm Cleaner is licensed under the permissive MIT License. There are no subscriptions, no locked 'pro' tiers, no artificial scan limits, and no credit card required.
- Does Worm collect any telemetry or personal information?
- Zero. Worm has no analytics SDKs, no tracking pixels, no telemetry endpoints, and does not require an account. It makes no network calls during cleaning.
- Will Worm break my active Xcode, Docker, or Node.js projects?
- No. It targets disposable build artifacts and caches only. It never touches your source repositories, git commits, project files, or personal documents.
- How do I clear Xcode DerivedData and free disk space?
- Run Worm's scan and it lists Xcode DerivedData, simulator runtimes and archives with the exact size of each. Review the list, then clean. DerivedData is entirely rebuildable.
- Which systems does Worm Cleaner support?
- macOS 14.0 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel, and Windows 10 or 11 at 64-bit. One free download per platform.
Download the latest release