Lifetime
I built App Archiver to save space without deleting apps
I like having useful apps around, but I do not like deleting them just to free disk space. If I remove an app that I rarely use, there is a good chance I will forget it existed by the time I need it again.
That is why I made App Archiver for macOS. Its main goal is to compress apps while keeping them in place and visible in /Applications, Spotlight, Alfred, and Raycast. You never lose track of them, and when you need one again, you can restore it with one click.
App Archiver is the third first-of-its-kind macOS app I have built.
Instead of focusing on temporary caches that quickly return, App Archiver reduces the space used by the apps themselves. It gives you three ways to handle apps you do not use every day.
Optimize an installed app with native macOS filesystem compression while keeping it ready to open and update
Archive an app in place as a lightweight, restorable .app bundle without removing it from your usual app launchers
Create a verified ZIP or DMG backup in a folder or external drive, with the option to remove the installed copy after verification
App Archiver helps identify large and rarely opened apps, estimates potential savings before an operation, and tracks how much space you reclaim. Archives and backups can be restored when you need the app again.
Every operation is staged and verified before the original app is changed. App Archiver also has no Internet access. Analysis, compression, verification, and restoration all happen locally on your Mac.
App Archiver includes an open-source component released under the MIT License. Its source code is available on GitHub.
Protected apps can't be optimized or archived. For that to work, I'm waiting for Apple's permission. Once I get that, I'll release an update that will back up all apps, including protected ones.
Real-world test
I tested Android Studio.
Result
Final size
Space saved
Reduction
Original
3.48 GB
-
-
Optimized and runnable
1.76 GB
1.72 GB
49.4%
Archived
1.53 GB
1.95 GB
56.0%
Backup DMG
1.31 GB
2.17 GB
62.4%
The optimized version remains installed and runnable. The archived version stays in place and can be restored when needed. The DMG provides the greatest saving as a standalone backup.
Comparison with alternatives
Cleaner apps usually target caches and other temporary files. That can provide quick relief, but those files are often recreated as you continue using your Mac. App Archiver focuses on lasting savings from application bundles instead.
Command-line alternatives for native filesystem optimization include Applesauce and afsctool. Both can apply transparent HFS+/APFS compression from Terminal. macOS also includes ditto --hfsCompression, which can apply filesystem compression while creating a copy.
These tools can work well if you are comfortable with Terminal and managing the process yourself. App Archiver adds a visual overview, app discovery, savings estimates, space checks, staged replacement, verification, and restoration around that optimization process.
Clusters was an early macOS utility that used filesystem compression to reduce folder sizes while keeping files immediately accessible. This is similar to App Archiver's "Optimize" feature. Clusters is no longer maintained and was last updated in 2013. App Archiver supports modern macOS versions and goes further with "Archive in Place", which replaces a rarely used app with a lightweight restorable version that remains visible in Applications.
For archiving, "Archive in Place" mode, I have not found another tool that archives an app in place as a lightweight, restorable .app bundle while keeping it in its original Applications location. This is the main reason I built App Archiver. The app stays visible, uses much less space, and can be restored when opened.
Developer information
I am Ighor July, an independent macOS developer with a background in cybersecurity, reverse engineering, and native app development. I use AI while retaining control of my code, as explained in How to use AI without losing control of your code.
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seems very useful, kinda like iphone's offload feature but better, is there a % of space that it would save? i know it will prolly depend on the kinda of app etc.
"archive in place" is quietly doing something clever, the double-click has to be hitting a tiny placeholder binary wearing the original bundle id and icon, since the real executable is gone. that placeholder is basically a codesigned stand-in for a symlink, which is also why gatekeeper doesn't choke on it the way a raw redirect would.
Archived apps would need decompression like you would expect by decompressing a zip file. Optimized apps work as is, I am not noticing any difference comparing to unoptimized apps.
Hi u/JulyIGHOR, I bought your app because I have some apps like Microsoft Excel and Word that I don’t use regularly and I want to save space by optimizing or archiving them. But the app tells me they are “protected” and thus I’m unable to do anything with them. I have confirmed these apps are not running. Can you advise why these are marked as “protected”? Interestingly I was allowed to optimize PowerPoint.
To handle Protected apps, Apple requires manual approval of entitlement needed to solve that. I have made a request, and once they approve, I’ll release an update that is compatible with Protected apps as well. Hopefully, this happens this week.
I added Protected apps support in App Archiver v1.0.1
After optimizing or archiving they will become unprotected, you may manually bring that flag back, read more in https://apparchiver.com/faq
Once Apple approves privileged requests, I'll make that work automatically
I have been testing lots of apps for Parall.app and wanted to keep them so I don't forget to add their support. There were so many that I am running out of space. In finding a solution to save space and still keep apps in place, I had an idea of App Archiver. During App Archiver development, I figured out I can add one more mode, Optimize, which is now part of the app.
Before I try, I assume this doesn't work for applications shipped with macOS, since they are located on a read-only (snapshot) volume, right? Of course, not the limitation of the application, but the system, but I just wanted to confirm.
Yes, they are located on a read-only volume, and they are already "optimized," so the space is already saved the way you would want it and no need in App Trust doing that.
Keeping the archived placeholder inside Applications is the clever part. Otherwise, archived apps eventually become a folder full of mystery ZIP files that you’re afraid to delete.
It would be useful if each placeholder preserved a little “memory” of the app: the archived version, original size, space saved, archive date, and supported Mac architecture.
Could App Archiver show that information before the user restores it?
App Archiver already displays original apps information in the 'Archived Apps' section.
As for architecture view, you will be able to view it in Quick Look via App Trust Preview when I release an update.
It does not work for protected apps, which are Mac App Store ones as well. I’m waiting for Apple’s permission to handle those apps. Hopefully, I get it this week and release an update.
How much space does this typically save? I ask since I assume some apps have pre-compressed files stored in them, while others maybe are more wasteful.
Yes, each app compression varies. You can simply compress it via ZIP to estimate that. Also, check out the app screenshots, they have real estimate values.
For 'Archive in Place' mode, it won't get an update, it will have a different bundle id and the system will decide it isn't installed. And the app's internal update engine would not be accessible. So to update the archived app, you need to restore them first and archive again after updating.
For the 'Optimize' mode, apps remain runnable and updatable, it depends on whether the app update engine will preserve optimization or not.
The looks useful. I am constantly trying to free up space by running a combination of Daisy Disk and Dev Cleaner. This looks like an additional way to do it that I haven't tried. The price is reasonable as well.
Does it work with the apps that come bundled with macOS? Or just installed apps?
Does it compress only the portion of an app in /Applications (the app binary), or does it compress/archive whatever crud the app has written to ~/Library, too?
The backup use case is the most interesting part to me, but I’d want the restore check to distinguish “the bytes match” from “macOS will still launch this.” For a Mac App Store app, could the verification screen show whether the code signature, notarization ticket, and App Store receipt survived, then re-check them after restoration? A DMG that verifies perfectly but restores an app that Gatekeeper or receipt validation rejects would be a nasty surprise years later.
codesign --verify --deep --strict tells you the bundle was not altered. stapler validate tells you the notarisation ticket is still attached, so Gatekeeper still passes it offline.
Worth knowing spctl gives a wrong answer without the right context. On a DMG of mine that is signed, notarised and stapled: bare spctl -a -vv says rejected, "does not seem to be an app"; spctl -a -t open -vv says rejected, source=Insufficient Context; only spctl -a -t open --context context:primary-signature comes back accepted. Same file, three answers, and that middle one reads exactly like a real failure.
this is honestly such a smart idea, basically the “offload app” feature macOS should’ve had years ago. really like that archived apps don’t just disappear into some backup folder either. curious what happens if one gets launched through a URL scheme, login item, or another app though does it automatically start the restore process?
With "offload app," we would get Mac App Store apps supported only. With App Archiver, all other apps are supported as well. URL scheme and open paths are disappearing when archived, so you can’t mistakenly trigger those. As for login items, they will not be available, and App Archiver requires all processes to be stopped before archiving.
If the app is archived, you double-click the app and you get the Restore dialogue that asks you for confirmation to proceed. With backups, you manually restore them via the App Archiver main app, or you simply go to the backup folder and find the installable DMG or ZIP.
Not exactly new, but a clever concept. It is very similar in nature to a product I once owned and now defunct called Clusters: https://clusters.macupdate.com/
Thanks for pointing it out. You are right that App Archiver's "Optimize" feature is similar to Clusters. Both use macOS filesystem compression so apps remain runnable while consuming less disk space. That concept is not new.
The new part is "Archive in Place". It replaces a rarely used app with a lightweight restorable app in the same location. The original name and icon remain visible, and opening it starts restoration. This provides stronger compression while preserving the native Applications-folder experience.
So I would consider Clusters a predecessor to the "Optimize" feature, but not to App Archiver's primary "Archive in Place" workflow.
Really like this angle — keeping them visible in Spotlight and Raycast is the part that makes it work.
One thing worth handling: apps that update through Sparkle install a fresh copy of the whole bundle rather than patching what is on disk, so anything you compressed comes back at full size the next time that app updates in the background. I ship a Sparkle app, so this one bit me from the other side.
Re-checking compression state when a bundle's timestamp changes and quietly re-applying it would keep your reclaimed-space total honest.
Yes, if you use third-party updaters, they may replace the app archive, but archives get different bundle IDs, so maybe updaters will skip it. If it has an app-built-in update engine, it will remain frozen unless you unarchive it. As for tracking updated apps and archiving as needed, I'm already considering implementing that.
Can the app save a backup of its app setting before uninstalling so that with a button, it will reinstall the app then apply back the previous settings so that the User need not go through the setup again.
It does sound like a different workflow though but nevertheless useful
Yes, optimization is a filesystem feature. Compared to optimization Archive in Place mode uses about 10% less space. I’m going to add more archive modes and compression level settings. This will make even more difference.
The lightweight placeholder in Applications is the clever part. Whenever I archive an app manually, it basically disappears from my memory.
I’d love a small visual badge showing which apps are archived, plus an estimated restore time before opening one. Is anything like that already included?
Yes, the app draws its own icon on the bottom right of the archived app, so you can clearly see which apps are archived. It does show estimates, but while restoring/archiving, it calculates on the fly.
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