Cleanup history summarizes supported completed operations. It can help recall which tool ran, when it ran, and the outcome reported at completion.

Use history to

  • Confirm that an operation reached its completion stage.
  • Compare recent cleanup amounts.
  • Identify the tool involved in a later question.
  • Provide context to support.

Understand its limits

History is not a copy of removed files, a complete macOS audit log, or proof that every originally selected item was removed.

Files can be skipped, recreated, restored, moved, or changed later. Actions performed in Finder or another app may not appear.

Investigate an unexpected result

Note the date, tool, and reported outcome. Check Trash, backups, cloud recovery, and the affected application. Avoid running another cleanup until important data is accounted for.

Removing or resetting history does not restore files.