Install Help & Support

Your Mac saw the app came from the internet and blocked it. CleanMode isn't actually damaged — macOS just hasn't been told to trust apps from outside the App Store.

Fix

1. Drag CleanMode.app into your Applications folder if you haven't already.
2. Open Terminal (press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, press Return).
3. Copy and paste this line, then press Return:

   xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/CleanMode.app

4. Open CleanMode again. It will launch normally.

If you kept CleanMode in your Downloads folder, replace /Applications/CleanMode.app with the actual path (for example ~/Downloads/CleanMode.app).

macOS wants you to confirm you trust an app from outside the App Store. This is a one-time click.

Fix

1. In Finder, find CleanMode in your Applications folder.
2. Right-click (or hold Control and click) the app, then choose Open.
3. In the dialog that appears, click Open again.

If "Open" is missing or greyed out, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to the CleanMode notice.

Older macOS versions show this wording for the same reason as above.

Fix

1. In Finder, find CleanMode in your Applications folder.
2. Right-click the app and choose Open.
3. Click Open in the confirmation dialog.

The download may have been interrupted or corrupted (for example, transferred through a chat app that stripped the file).

Fix

1. Delete the .dmg file.
2. Download CleanMode again directly from cleanmode.app using Safari or Chrome.
3. Double-click the new .dmg.

To block keys and trackpad input, macOS needs your permission. This is for your safety — macOS doesn't let any app listen to your inputs without your OK.

Fix

1. Open System Settings (the gear icon).
2. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
3. Click Accessibility.
4. Find CleanMode in the list and turn the switch on.
5. If prompted, enter your Mac password.
6. Quit and reopen CleanMode.

If CleanMode still doesn't block some inputs, also enable it under Input Monitoring in the same Privacy & Security panel.

CleanMode keeps your Mac awake while it's locked, so it won't sleep on its own mid-cleaning. If you deliberately close the lid (or pick Sleep from the Apple menu), CleanMode notices and exits cleanly before the Mac suspends.

What to expect

1. Open the lid (or wake the Mac).
2. Sign back in if you have a login password set.
3. You'll be on the CleanMode home screen, ready to start a fresh session.

SmartScreen warns about apps it doesn't recognize. Since CleanMode is distributed from our site instead of the Microsoft Store, it hasn't built up a SmartScreen reputation yet.

Fix

1. In the blue warning dialog, click the small More info link.
2. A new button appears. Click Run anyway.
3. CleanMode will install. You only need to do this once.

Some antivirus tools flag newly released unsigned apps automatically until enough users have run them safely. CleanMode does not collect or transmit your data — see our privacy policy.

Fix

1. Open your antivirus or Windows Security.
2. Find the quarantined file labeled CleanMode.
3. Choose Allow or Restore.
4. Run the installer again.

If you'd rather not whitelist it, email us at [email protected] and we'll refund your purchase.

What's happening: on most modern laptops, the F1–F12 keys default to special actions — volume, brightness, mic mute, and so on — instead of standard function keys.

Why CleanMode can't block them: those special actions are handled by your keyboard's firmware before Windows ever sees the keypress. CleanMode runs at the OS level, so any key the firmware handles itself never reaches us.

The fix — Fn Lock: turning on Fn Lock flips the F-row to send standard F1–F12 codes. Those reach the OS like any normal key, and CleanMode blocks them along with everything else.

How to enable Fn Lock

1. Look for a small lock icon on your Esc key (or somewhere on the F-row).
2. Press Fn + Esc. On most laptops this toggles Fn Lock; the lock indicator lights up when it's on.
3. Open CleanMode and press Enter Clean Mode. F-row keys are now blocked.

Brand-specific notes

• ThinkPad / Lenovo: Fn + Esc.
• Dell: Fn + Esc on most models. If that doesn't work, reboot into BIOS and set Function Key Behavior to Function key.
• HP: Fn + Esc, or in BIOS set Action Keys Mode to Disabled.
• ASUS: Fn + Esc on most models.
• Other: some keyboards use Fn + Caps Lock or a dedicated Fn Lock key. Your laptop's manual is the source of truth.

You can toggle Fn Lock any time — even while CleanMode is running. Fn + Esc is handled by the keyboard firmware, not as a normal keystroke, so CleanMode doesn't block it.

Two Windows shortcuts deliberately stay active during clean mode:

• Win + L — locks the workstation
• Ctrl + Alt + Del — opens the security screen

These are kernel-level shortcuts that no app can intercept; Windows reserves them so you always have a way out of any running app. CleanMode follows that — it doesn't try to override security primitives the OS guarantees.

In practice this isn't a problem for cleaning, because both combinations require deliberate finger placement on multiple specific keys at once — exactly what you can't do while wiping a keyboard with a cloth. They won't fire accidentally.

If you do press Win + L mid-cleaning, CleanMode detects the workstation lock and exits automatically, so you're never stuck. Sign back into Windows and you'll land at the home screen.

Linux needs you to mark the file as executable the first time.

Fix (graphical)

1. Right-click CleanMode.AppImage in your file manager.
2. Choose Properties.
3. Open the Permissions tab.
4. Check Allow executing file as program (or "Is executable").
5. Close the window and double-click the AppImage.

Fix (terminal)

chmod +x CleanMode.AppImage
./CleanMode.AppImage

AppImage needs a library called FUSE 2 to run. Recent Linux versions ship FUSE 3 by default, so FUSE 2 has to be installed once.

Fix on Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install libfuse2

Fix on Fedora

sudo dnf install fuse

Fix on Arch / Manjaro

sudo pacman -S fuse2

CleanMode needs a few system libraries that your distribution can install automatically.

Fix

sudo apt install -f ./CleanMode_*.deb

Run this from the folder where you downloaded the .deb. It installs CleanMode along with any libraries it needs.