TinkerTool System Changelog

What's new in TinkerTool System 5.99 S3

Dec 19, 2019
  • Added new feature to get an overview on all details about the current APFS configuration, presenting the relationships between containers, physical disks, and volumes. (macOS High Sierra only)
  • Added new feature to show the complete list of APFS snapshots on a volume. (macOS High Sierra only)
  • Added new feature to remove some or all APFS snapshots from a volume. (macOS High Sierra only)
  • The feature to create macOS install media uses updated knowledge and revised safety policies regarding size requirements for target volumes.
  • The check for slow system startup due to cleared NVRAM settings was modified in order not to cause false alarms on specific Mac Pro models.
  • The check for correct communication with the security component was modified in order not to cause false alarms when the application was launched under extreme overload conditions.
  • Clarified the meaning of the “dark wake” startup option in the user interface and in the reference manual.
  • Fixed an issue where the list of startup jobs shown for the category User Service Login Item could be inaccurate, showing entries already deactivated.

New in TinkerTool System 5.99 S2 (Jun 18, 2019)

  • Added support to create install media for future versions of macOS.
  • The distribution package now uses the latest Gatekeeper security features.
  • The standalone emergency utility was repackaged in order to maintain compatibility with future versions of Gatekeeper.
  • Fixed a problem where the size analysis of an incremental Time Machine backup could result in an error message if the effective size was zero.

New in TinkerTool System 5.99 S1 (Jun 18, 2019)

  • Added new feature to let the application copy itself to the system Applications folder if desired when the program is launched from the virtual distribution disk.
  • The application has been made robust against dubious “cleaner” software that damages the launch configuration of the operating system.
  • Better error messages for cases where users fail to register the application due to accidentally installing a wrong license file through dragging.

New in TinkerTool System 5.99 (Jan 30, 2019)

  • Added new feature to the check of absolute path lengths for deeply nested folders that not only tests existing objects, but additionally checks potential paths that would be created when copying the tested files to currently attached volumes.
  • Keyboard control of the Standalone Utility was optimized once again.
  • The swap space volume (VM) is no longer offered as possible target for specific operations to avoid confusion.
  • A layout issue of the path control that presents the top search folder in the results sheet for overlong paths has been resolved. This avoids that the panel can become wider than the screen.
  • Broken symbolic links will no longer stop a propagation operation on the ACL pane, if the feature to propagate an Access Control List is active.

New in TinkerTool System 5.98 Build 181123 (Dec 5, 2018)

  • Added a workaround for a keyboard control problem of Single User Mode that could affect the Standalone Utility. Depending on keyboard type and OS version, a single key press could sometimes be misinterpreted as multiple key events.
  • Better user guidance when creating install media for macOS Mojave.
  • Clarified the misleading label of the option to disable the dark wake feature of macOS.
  • Fixed a compatibility problem with the automatic restart feature when the application was renamed.
  • Internal technical update for changes in network infrastructure affecting the evaluation feature.
  • The application will show more targeted error messages if licensing fails due to a misconfigured network firewall.

New in TinkerTool System 5.97 Build 181002 (Oct 2, 2018)

  • Adds a workaround for a declaration issue in the latest versions of the macOS Mojave installer which could cause the installer not to be accepted as valid for the creation of install media.
  • Several changes and optimizations in user guidance when working with startup jobs, login screen settings, and license registration.

New in TinkerTool System 5.96 Build 180829 (Sep 26, 2018)

  • Added new feature to the tts standalone program to indicate whether the operating system is an official release or a beta version.
  • Server log categories only available for macOS Sierra, but not for macOS High Sierra are now automatically suppressed in the log overview depending on operating system.
  • This version respects upcoming application and operating system versions.

New in TinkerTool System 5.95 Build 180808 (Aug 9, 2018)

  • Added new feature to recreate the shared users folder if that system folder has been deleted inadvertently. This feature is also available for unregistered users.
  • Added new feature to perform a bulk integrity check on applications in a folder or on an entire volume (macOS 10.13 or later only).
  • Added new feature to present the different definitions of free storage space used by macOS per volume (macOS 10.13 or later only). This feature is also available for unregistered users.
  • Added new feature to check the integrity of the EFI firmware immediately (macOS 10.13 or later only; only on Macintosh models where this is supported by Apple).
  • Added new feature to check the integrity of the firmware of Broadcom® Ethernet devices (macOS 10.13 or later only).
  • The feature to delete the partition table on disks is now also available for macOS 10.13 or later again.
  • The feature to test fans is now also available on Macintosh models protected by an Apple T2 processor.
  • The feature to create install media now recognizes incomplete installer apps and warns about possible issues in advance.
  • The Info pane now also shows the SMC version on Macintosh models where the SMC chip has been superseded by Apple’s BridgeOS.
  • Added new internal diagnostics to create technical reports in cases where the launch of TinkerTool System is too slow or incomplete due to operating system issues.
  • Fixed an issue where an erroneous warning about an unexpected change of the fstab file could be shown under specific circumstances when multiple administrators used TinkerTool System on one computer.

New in TinkerTool System 5.94 Build 180615 (Jun 25, 2018)

  • Added new feature to perform security checks on all executable bundles, not only on applications and software disk images.
  • Added new security analysis indicator that confirms whether executable software has a trusted code signature, in addition to the existing indicator confirming that an application was not modified after the last time it was sealed.
  • The updated security analysis also corrects possible misunderstandings of check results that arise from the handling of ad-hoc signatures and contradicting signatures within executable files containing code for multiple CPU architectures. (macOS third-party code signing vulnerability caused by poor Apple documentation, found by Josh Pitts, Okta, Inc.)
  • The startup job database was updated for inconsistencies introduced by macOS 10.13.4 and later.
  • The application was unlocked to launch compatible panes on beta versions of future operating systems.

New in TinkerTool System 5.93 Build 180508 (May 10, 2018)

  • This is a maintenance update which fixes a problem where the application did not show Time Machine backup snapshots with some versions of macOS if the backup was stored on a file server.

New in TinkerTool System 5.92 Build 180417 (Apr 19, 2018)

  • Added new feature to display the startup time and uptime of the operating system on the Info pane.
  • Added new feature to create symbolic links with relative paths as alternative to using absolute paths.
  • Added new feature to modify the integrity-protected computer setting to disable all support for 32-bit software (macOS 10.13.4 or later only).
  • Added new user interface to the product activation and evaluation features in order to be compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (EU Regulation 2016/679).
  • Improved performance of the application when Time Machine operations are running in the background.
  • Corrected a problem where certain user responses in the restart options dialog after resetting a user’s Launch Services database could be ignored.

New in TinkerTool System 5.91 Build 180227 (Mar 4, 2018)

  • The application was updated to take changes in macOS 10.13.3 and future operating system versions into account.
  • The user interface to display the results of Time Machine checksum verifications has been redesigned.

New in TinkerTool System 5.9 Build 180123 (Jan 25, 2018)

  • Added new feature to check whether the nesting of folders with long names may cause technical issues in some applications, when the maximum number of bytes in absolute file paths that is guaranteed to be supported by the operating system is exceeded.
  • The application now makes the user aware if an old license with manual registration entry has been activated with the option to become valid for a non-administrative user account only. This configuration no longer makes sense, so the registration should be re-entered with the option to become either valid for an administrator or for all user accounts.
  • The application no longer offers evaluation mode without license to non-administrative users because such accounts would not be capable to test all features.
  • The application now makes clear that the diagnostic feature to test fans cannot be used with the iMac Pro at this time.
  • The option not to wake mobile computers when the display lid is opened had to be removed. Although this setting is still offered and documented by Apple, it no longer has an effect on portable Macs.
  • Fixed a problem where the toolbar button in the control window to navigate to the pane overview could not be pressed in certain situations.

New in TinkerTool System 5.85 Build 171227 (Dec 28, 2017)

  • Added new feature to clear icon caches of the user or the operating system.
  • Corrected a problem where a re-login or restart during a maintenance procedure could result in confusing status displays when initiating the logout.
  • Corrected a problem where status messages during application startup have not been displayed on some computers.
  • Because Apple does not fix several critical defects and design flaws in the macOS user interface for the authorization of privileged operations, TinkerTool System switches to a redesigned security architecture. As in classic versions of Mac OS X, it is now necessary to launch the application in the login session of an administrative user account (which is the default setup for Macs) if privileged operations should be used. Fast User Switching can be used to operate the application while using other user accounts.
  • Added new feature to allow administrative users to authorize privileged operations via Touch ID.
  • Added new feature to remove outdated versions of security components of previous generations of TinkerTool System.
  • Added new technology to avoid a defect of macOS where the application lost keyboard focus when a password needed to be entered for a privileged operation if multi-tier privilege separation was in use.
  • Added new technology to avoid a defect of macOS where the user interface is no longer localized correctly when a password needs to be entered for a privileged operation if multi-tier privilege separation is used.
  • Added new technology to avoid a design flaw of macOS where no appropriate application icon can be shown when a password needs to be entered for a privileged operation if multi-tier privilege separation is used.
  • Added new technology to avoid a defect of macOS where the layout of authentication panels was incorrect, leading to clipped messages in user dialogs to authorize privileged operations.
  • Added new technology to avoid a design flaw of macOS where single applications are not permitted to define more than 32 separate rights to execute privileged operations.
  • Added new technology to avoid a defect of macOS where the operating system asks for permission to add a helper application when it actually removes a helper application.
  • Features to customize the authorization policy for privileged operations via the security database of the operating system had to be removed.

New in TinkerTool System 5.81 Build 171129 (Nov 29, 2017)

  • This version responds to a very critical security flaw found in current versions of macOS High Sierra. TinkerTool System will automatically detect upon each start whether system security has been compromised on your Mac as result of this issue. If this is the case, the application will automatically direct you to a web page with instructions from Apple that can be used as a workaround.
  • The feature to automatically warn the user if the root account of the operating system has permission to log in was modified due to a known security defect of macOS High Sierra.
  • Fixed a problem where the processing of group memberships of a user could fail if the user was in more than 16 groups.
  • Fixed a problem where TinkerTool System could not create install media for older operating systems when running macOS High Sierra.
  • Fixed a problem where the application could crash in very rare cases when using multiple features of the pane Clean Up subsequently.

New in TinkerTool System 5.8 Build 171113 (Nov 13, 2017)

  • Added new feature to resolve a known operating system defect related to the presentation of special characters (like Emojis) in Safari 11 (available and necessary for macOS High Sierra only).
  • Added new feature to create local APFS snapshots that can be used as rapid restoration points for Time Machine (macOS High Sierra only).
  • Added new feature to review the list of local APFS snapshots (macOS High Sierra only).
  • Added new feature to force the system to automatically reclaim storage spaced used by local APFS snapshots (macOS High Sierra only).
  • Added new feature to manually delete local APFS snapshots (macOS High Sierra only).
  • Added new feature to automatically warn the user if the root account of the operating system has permission to log in, which is a potential security risk.
  • Added a workaround for a defect of macOS High Sierra where Time Machine can run into an error state where it returns invalid configuration data.
  • Two new detail settings introduced by macOS High Sierra for System Integrity Protection are now shown correctly on the System Info page and by the tts command-line tool.
  • Fixed a problem where the list of known subsystem identifiers for log filtering may have been shown unsorted.
  • Fixed a problem where notification center messages for available software updates and Time Machine issues could crowd each other out.
  • The feature to prepare a used disk to resolve possible defects within Disk Utility is now only offered for macOS Sierra, because Apple has fixed this bug for macOS High Sierra.

New in TinkerTool System 5.71 Build 171010 (Oct 16, 2017)

  • Fixed a problem where the startup of the application could be longer than normal when High Sierra has added dynamic spellchecking dictionaries to a user account.
  • Fixed a problem where the cleaning of operating system caches could stop unexpectedly with the message that files are protected. This could also create an incorrect warning that the XPC helper cache would be damaged.
  • The checks on High Sierra installer apps have been slightly relaxed in order to permit the creation of install media until Apple fixes a security-related package declaration problem.
  • New internal diagnostic and security features have been added.
  • Internet links to new Apple support documentation have been updated.
  • Added new “solutions” chapter to the reference manual regarding privacy control in Safari 11.

New in TinkerTool System 5.7 Build 170925 (Sep 27, 2017)

  • This versions adds full support for macOS 10.13 High Sierra. The feature to create install media has been restricted for the first version of Apple’s installer App, however. Please see the Release Notes for detailed information.
  • Added techniques to ensure that macOS process overviews don’t show the misleading status “not responding” for TinkerTool System, when the application is performing a privileged operation that takes longer than 4 seconds to complete.
  • Performance of the Diagnostic and Time Machine panes has been optimized to better support configurations with a network-based backup device.

New in TinkerTool System 5.63 Build 170823 (Aug 24, 2017)

  • Added a feature to detect if queries to the macOS log database return wrong results due to internal errors in the operating system.
  • Hundreds of internal changes to maintain full compatibility with upcoming operating systems.
  • Added an assistance mode for product registration.
  • Enhanced user guidance to resolve system problems caused by a cleared NVRAM.
  • The text reports created by the log access feature have been redesigned and their use of fonts has been simplified. This causes a significant speedup.
  • Text reports created by the log access feature are now automatically limited to half a million lines to avoid that small computers can be overloaded.

New in TinkerTool System 5.62 Build 170728 (Jul 28, 2017)

  • This is a maintenance update, fixing an issue where the table for IPv6 support could sometimes show incorrect network interface names or could cause the tab item Network on the pane System to crash.

New in TinkerTool System 5.61 Build 170726 (Jul 27, 2017)

  • Added new feature to indicate the release status of the operating system in the Info pane.
  • Many more features of the application are no longer deactivated when using pre-release versions of macOS High Sierra.
  • Improved user guidance in the feature to create macOS install media.
  • The user interface and the option set to repair the system volume from within the Emergency Standalone Utility have been modified to better reflect the behavior of modern macOS versions. An automatic repair of the volume is run if necessary during the start phase. After that, only a verification is possible.
  • Corrected a problem where under specific circumstances not all volumes were offered as possible candidates in the feature to empty the Trash.
  • Corrected a problem where the application did not automatically activate a license when double-clicking a registration ticket file in the Finder.

New in TinkerTool System 5.6 Build 170630 (Jun 30, 2017)

  • Added preliminary support for future versions of macOS.
  • Added new feature to resolve issues with Disk Utility if it is no longer capable of erasing a used disk.
  • Added new feature to run a quick test on the controllable fans of your Mac and to monitor their rotational speeds for diagnostic purposes.
  • Added new option to reset the user’s privacy policy that controls access of applications to the photo library.
  • Added new warning to automatically detect when an NVRAM reset causes performance problems during system startup.
  • Added a user notification to indicate temporary performance problems when TinkerTool System is communicating with a slow Time Machine device.
  • Enhanced user guidance when issues with the XPC cache are detected.

New in TinkerTool System 5.5 Build 170523 (May 23, 2017)

  • Added a new feature to automatically clean the system from startup job definitions when applications have been removed without correctly uninstalling them.
  • Added a new feature to reset the language preferences of a user account to system defaults when language settings have been damaged.
  • Added a new feature for the standalone command-line tool to enforce a re-run of the operating system setup dialog. This can repair the system when all administrator accounts have become unusable.
  • The application will no longer auto-hide when switching to another application while the quick help display is open.

New in TinkerTool System 5.4 Build 170424 (Apr 25, 2017)

  • Added a new network option to control the system setting whether macOS should always prompt the user for a password when reconnecting to a server, even if that password is known in the user’s keychain.
  • Added a new startup information feature that evaluates the status of all automatically starting jobs effective for the current user. This helps administrators to detect outdated or invalid entries for startup daemons and agents. The feature is unlocked in demo mode, so it is available to all users for free.
  • Added a workaround for a problem where the application canceled its launch when it detected a third-party network interface with an invalid internal name.
  • Corrected a problem where some parts of the System Information display have not been shown in the currently selected language of the user interface.

New in TinkerTool System 5.3 Build 170222 (Feb 22, 2017)

  • Added a new feature to override the preferred user interface language for running specific applications in a user account.
  • Added a workaround for a defect of macOS, detecting when the operating system mistakenly keeps auto-launching the tool after a maintenance logout/login or reboot sequence.

New in TinkerTool System 5.21 Build 170130 (Jan 31, 2017)

  • Added new feature to change the hardware security setting that permits the unconfirmed activation of option ROMs of third-party devices. This feature is only available on Macintosh systems released by Apple before May 2015.
  • Added a makeshift workaround for several defects of macOS where the system shows authorization dialogs in the wrong language or with misleading messages.
  • Added a makeshift workaround for a defect of macOS where the system no longer opens authorization dialogs for the application, resulting in a “permission denied” error for all privileged functions. The application now tries to detect this system failure, guiding the user through the necessary steps to resolve this.
  • Enhances performance of the application after working with Time Machine features in system configurations with slow network-based backup destinations.
  • Several small changes in the user interface.

New in TinkerTool System 5.2 Build 161212 (Dec 12, 2016)

  • Added support for the Touch Bar and Touch ID.
  • Added new feature to temporarily disable throttling of low-priority operations in the system kernel. Disk and network access is no longer artificially slowed down for background processes.
  • Added new feature to create standalone installation media for macOS and OS X versions 10.9 or later.
  • Added new feature to reassign a Time Machine backup set to a different computer.
  • Added new feature to reassign the history of a volume in a Time Machine backup set after this volume has been replaced by a new one with same contents.
  • Added new feature to let the system compute the change rates between subsequent Time Machine snapshots.
  • Added new feature to let the system verify the integrity of a selected volume backup in Time Machine.
  • Added new feature to let the system determine the actual incremental storage size of a Time Machine snapshot.
  • Added new feature to retrieve the internal logs for each Time Machine backup run.
  • Added new feature to enforce immediate synchronization of the list of available packages for macOS software updates.
  • Added new feature to remove outdated notification entries from macOS Software Update.
  • Added new feature to re-issue a license receipt for Apps purchased from the Mac App Store. This can avoid a new download of an App which is indicated to be damaged.
  • Added new feature to reset the local Commerce Kit subsystem, resolving specific problems with the Mac App Store.
  • Added new feature to suggest names of known macOS logging subsystem identifiers when working with the new macOS log database.
  • Added new feature to disable automatic power-on for MacBook Pro (Late 2016) computers.
  • The labels for the Xprotect overview tables have been modified to avoid misunderstandings.
  • The user interface for Time Machine diagnostics has been simplified and works more reliably when slow network servers or multiple destination disks are in use.
  • To avoid unexpected issues, integrating panes from TinkerTool in a language different from the primary language of TinkerTool System is no longer supported.

New in TinkerTool System 5.1 Build 161018 (Oct 18, 2016)

  • Re-added Internet links to the official macOS support pages, because Apple has begun to publish updated documentation on Sierra.
  • Added a workaround for a design issue of macOS, relevant when users are switching back and forth between enabling and disabling System Integrity Protection while using the smart cache deactivation features of the application.
  • Added conventional cache cleaning as last-resort alternative for the user’s personal high-speed caches and the core operating system caches, which is otherwise prevented or limited by System Integrity Protection.
  • Added several new features for the user interface to search for orphaned file system objects, because some users did not understand the actual meaning of this feature.
  • The handling of custom permissions, access control lists and extended attributes when deactivating and restoring caches was enhanced.
  • The display of very long paths for file system objects was optimized.
  • The outdated drawer display for the context help feature has been replaced by a modern panel.
  • The function to add a banner message to the login screen has been removed because it has become a visible standard feature of macOS.

New in TinkerTool System 5.0 Build 160920 (Sep 20, 2016)

  • Added full support for macOS Sierra. Because there are significant differences between macOS and OS X, version 5 is designed as separate application and does not support previous operating systems. Current users of TinkerTool System 4 can upgrade for free and don’t need to re-register.
  • TinkerTool System 5 contains all new features also added to TinkerTool System 4.9.
  • Added new feature to retrieve high memory usage reports.
  • Added several new features to support the new logging and tracing subsystem of macOS. Logs can be reviewed, be converted and saved to text files, and be transferred to other computers.
  • The user interface to disable support for IPv6 on selected network interfaces has been redesigned completely.
  • The feature to control trim support for third-party solid state disks had to be removed, because System Integrity Protection no longer permits this for third-party applications. The feature to review the current trim settings is still present and has moved to the Diagnostics pane.
  • The option to delete files securely had to be removed, because this feature is no longer available in macOS and modern Macs no longer have the necessary hardware.
  • The setting to support pre-Lion behavior of screen management was removed, because it is no longer working with macOS.
  • The setting to disable the Bonjour sleep proxy client was removed, because it is blocked by System Integrity Protection.
  • The feature to remove adware was removed because this work is now taken over by Gatekeeper and Apples invisible Malware Removal Tool.
  • The setting to disable the sudden motion sensor of mobile computers was removed, because up-to-date computers no longer have the required hardware.
  • The settings to modify the Safe Sleep feature was removed, because they can no longer be supported as expected with macOS.
  • The setting to control the sleep behavior of the display lid of mobile computers has moved to the System pane.

New in TinkerTool System 4.81 Build 160831 (Aug 31, 2016)

  • Added new feature for OS X El Capitan to change the computer setting for optimizing system performance for server operations with OS X Server.
  • Analyzing log files is now automatically decoupled from application startup if a high number of logs is detected. Excessive log files on a computer no longer slow down the launch of the program.
  • The use of different workarounds for bugs in OS X Yosemite and OS X El Capitan could create subtle compatibility problems with version 4.8 if operating system, main application, privileged auxiliary program, and the Standalone Utility have been updated in a specific order. Launching version 4.81 analyzes this situation and replaces the helper programs if necessary to resolve such problems.

New in TinkerTool System 4.8 Build 160823 (Aug 23, 2016)

  • Added support for upcoming versions of Safari.
  • Added additional features and documentation to detect cases where System Integrity Protection is causing internal failures of OS X El Capitan.
  • Updated all quarantine features to ensure full compatibility with the latest versions of OS X.
  • Resolved minor issues with the compatibility of Safari 9.1.1 and later.
  • Better user interface presentation when displaying permission settings of file system objects which lost their owners.
  • Enhanced reliability when the tool is used under bad conditions, in particular when the operating system is exceeding the maximum number of open communication file handles.
  • The application now shows concrete instructions how to resolve specific technical problems when defects of OS X cause the privileged component not to launch correctly.
  • Resolved a user interface issue where the topmost entry of the pop-menu to control IPv6 support was not refreshed correctly directly after program launch.
  • The option to control ACL support for the SMB server had to be removed, because it is no longer working as expected with the latest versions of OS X.

New in TinkerTool System 4.7 Build 160720 (Jul 21, 2016)

  • Added new privacy feature to remove entries for recently shared documents.
  • Added new feature to assess the security of signed disk images (for OS X 10.11.5 or later).
  • Added new category for reports on high memory usage of processes on the Info pane.
  • Reports and log files are now separated more clearly between the local Mac and synchronized iOS devices.
  • Enhanced user guidance when rebuilding the Launch Services database.
  • Enhanced user guidance when removing the Safe Sleep file on specific portable Macs.
  • Most links to external information sources in the user interface and online help are now using encrypted HTTPS communication.
  • Fixed a problem where specific files of synchronized iOS devices were shown with an incorrect date for the feature to clean outdated log files.
  • Fixed a problem where the evaluation of memory size could be wrong under specific circumstances.
  • Prepared application for upcoming operating systems.
  • Added support for TinkerTool 6 Preview edition.

New in TinkerTool System 4.6 Build 160518 (Jun 1, 2016)

  • Added new registration features for licensing with immediate gratification and volume licensing.
  • Added new feature to detect a common corruption of the System Integrity Protection of OS X El Capitan which is the reason for a series of system malfunctions.
  • Added new feature to show the current hardware setting for System Integrity Protection as part of the Info pane.
  • For the German user interface of the ACL pane, details in the wording have been modified to match the changed translations used by Apple in the latest versions of OS X.

New in TinkerTool System 4.52 Build 160404 (Apr 4, 2016)

  • Added preference setting to enable automatic notification for software updates of the application.
  • Added item on the Info pane to display the color of the enclosure for Macintosh systems available in different colors.
  • Added table to show the full blacklist of kernel extensions currently blocked by Apple.
  • The feature to remove ad-injection software of the Genieo type was updated to detect the latest versions.
  • The behavior of the security component was optimized for cases where the operating system was temporarily overloaded exceeding the maximum number of open files.
  • Fixed a problem with specific versions of OS X where display of the modification time of the Xprotect anti-malware database stopped updating.
  • Fixed a problem with the user interface of the Special Permissions tab item of the ACL pane where the Apply button could have the same function as the Revert button.

New in TinkerTool System 4.51 Build 160229 (Mar 1, 2016)

  • A maintenance update which doesn’t change core functionality.
  • Web communication during software update and evaluation checks is now fully compliant with Apple’s new App Transport Security guidelines.
  • Fixed a problem where the security component of the application could stop responding due to an overload of the task dispatch management of OS X El Capitan. The application will now give OS X more time to clean up its internal communication channels before sending new requests.

New in TinkerTool System 4.50 Build 160120 (Jan 21, 2016)

  • Added new feature to disable support for IPv6 on active network interfaces (OS X 10.10.4 or later).
  • Added a workaround to control the removal of language support packages from system software which has contradicting attributes for System Integrity Protection.
  • Added a workaround for a layout problem in OS X El Capitan which could lead to unreadable text in the user dialog to clean host-related preference settings.
  • The option to disable compression of virtual memory is now blocked for users of OS X El Capitan because it could cause issues with the system kernel.
  • Enhanced user interface of the Spotlight tab of the System pane.
  • Corrected a problem where the menu item to remove custom startup objects could not be selected in the tts Standalone Utility.
  • Corrected a problem where no picture of the Macintosh model was shown on the Info pane for specific systems released by Apple in 2015.
  • The storage size of the application was optimized.

New in TinkerTool System 4.40 Build 151030 (Nov 2, 2015)

  • Added new feature to remove selected files securely (requested by El Capitan users with hard disks).
  • Added new feature to the Standalone Utility to rebuild the Cross-Process Communication (XPC) caches of the operating system.
  • Added new internal health check that warns when third-party “cache cleaners” have damaged the system’s XPC caches.
  • Enhanced support for El Capitan users that run a customized configuration of System Integrity Protection.
  • Many small optimizations in the user interface.
  • Fixed a minor problem with the presentation of System Management information on some Macintosh model series where the program did not correctly differentiate between unavailable and unimplemented fields.

New in TinkerTool System 4.31 Build 150925 (Oct 2, 2015)

  • The reference manual has been updated for OS X El Capitan.
  • Corrected a problem where the menu item to go back to the preceding control pane did not work as expected.

New in TinkerTool System 4.2 Build 150702 (Jul 28, 2015)

  • This update is required to maintain compatibility with OS X 10.10.4 or later.
  • Prepared support for future versions of OS X.
  • Added feature to enable or disable the use of Trim commands for AHCI-attached solid state drives of third-party vendors (10.10.4 or later required).
  • Reinstated feature to disable the Bonjour Sleep Proxy notifications on OS X 10.10.4, hereby avoiding wakeup from sleep mode every two hours.
  • Fixed a rare communication timing problem which could result in the application waiting endlessly on the completion of long-running privileged operations.

New in TinkerTool System 4.11 Build 150417 (May 18, 2015)

  • The application is now aware of new applications added by OS X 10.10.3.
  • The adware removal feature has been updated to follow Apple’s latest recommendations for OS X 10.10.3.
  • The behavior of the user interface for file object entry fields has been optimized.
  • The memory consumption of features which search objects in large file system hierarchies has been optimized.
  • The Diagnostic pane of the application now launches faster if slow Time Machine devices are connected to the system.
  • The user interface of the Time Machine diagnostic feature now shows a reminder if networked Time Machine backups are still left online when quitting the pane.
  • The application now recommends an immediate rebuild of the XPC helper cache after system-internal caches have been deactivated.
  • Added a workaround for an issue in OS X which could suppress the display of empty user groups in permission dialogs.
  • Corrected a problem where specific log or report files could not be displayed if they contained invalid characters.

New in TinkerTool System 4.1 Build 150206 (Feb 11, 2015)

  • The quick help feature now additionally contains web links to official Apple support documents for all panes and tab items where this makes sense.
  • By user request, several frequently used functions can now be started or opened via the context menu of the Dock icon.
  • The User pane has been split. Functions related to user privacy are now on a separate pane.
  • Added new feature to detect and remove ad-injection software of the Downlite (VSearch) type.
  • Added new feature to detect and remove ad-injection software of the Conduit (Trovi, MyBrand, Search Protect) type.
  • Added new feature to detect and remove ad-injection software of the Genieo (InstallMac) type.
  • Added new feature to check if the Finder is capable of copying symbolic links that have Extended Attributes.
  • Added new feature to compare a selected Time Machine backup with the current data set. This is useful to detect defects in Time Machine.
  • Added new feature to control the policy whether OS X screen sharing should protect the privacy of the active user.
  • Added new feature to disable automatic logins even if FileVault 2 is enabled.
  • Added new feature to enable Apple’s basic screen saver for the login screen and to modify the message it displays.
  • Added new feature to hide selected local user accounts in the user list of the login screen.
  • Added new feature to control whether the SMB file server should support Access Control List permissions.
  • Added new feature to reset the privacy decisions that control which applications have permission to access personal user data in specific domains.
  • Several aspects of the user interface to modify legacy HFS attributes for file system items have been enhanced.
  • Corrected a problem where the application could show an inaccurate error message regarding the “PrivilegedHelperTools” folder when launching for the first time on a fresh installation of OS X Yosemite.
  • Added a workaround for a problem with OS X Yosemite which could result in identifying the MacBook Pro 13-inch (Mid 2012) model series as 15-inch model and vice versa.
  • Corrected a problem where the application could show an inaccurate date of production for specific Macintosh model series.

New in TinkerTool System 4.02 Build 141209 (Dec 11, 2014)

  • This version adds the complete reference manual.
  • When repairing the file system of the startup disk, the standalone version of the application now shows more detailed status messages.
  • The launch time of the Info pane has been optimized for computers with a high number of third-party log files.
  • Added workarounds for several bugs in the system management framework of OS X Yosemite which could cause the security component of the application not to be installed successfully.
  • Added workaround for a problem where a security feature of the application rejected the execution of specific parts of periodic OS X jobs when these jobs made unsafe assumptions about the search path environment.
  • Enhanced compatibility of the feature to remove language support files with applications that use incorrectly sealed symbolic links to simulate multiple language packages.
  • Corrected a problem where the visualization of the home folder path was missing on the Info tab of the User pane.
  • Corrected several typographical errors in the user interface.

New in TinkerTool System 4.01 Build 141024 (Dec 11, 2014)

  • A maintenance update which fixes minor issues in conjunction with the first official version of OS X Yosemite:
  • Corrected a problem with very fast computers where the startup of the application could take a very long time and the message panel “The application is checking its privileges” stayed on screen.
  • Corrected a problem with a cancelled startup of the Caches pane if a non-native application or an application with a defective icon was running while TinkerTool System 4 was launching.
  • Corrected a problem where the search for software products during the deletion of language support packages was intermittently cancelled and the progress sheet stayed on screen.
  • Corrected a problem where a deleted system folder for preference panes could cause the feature to install the control pane for the Archive utility to fail. This feature can now repair the folder and update outdated installations from previous versions of OS X.
  • The performance of the application was optimized when the user leaves the pane for code thinning although analysis jobs for processor architectures were still running in the background.
  • The height and layout of the Info pane was optimized to enhance support for Macintosh systems with 11-inch screens.

New in TinkerTool System 4.01 Build 141024 (Nov 3, 2014)

  • Corrected a problem with very fast computers where the startup of the application could take a very long time and the message panel “The application is checking its privileges” stayed on screen.
  • Corrected a problem with a cancelled startup of the Caches pane if a non-native application or an application with a defective icon was running while TinkerTool System 4 was launching.
  • Corrected a problem where the search for software products during the deletion of language support packages was intermittently cancelled and the progress sheet stayed on screen.
  • Corrected a problem where a deleted system folder for preference panes could cause the feature to install the control pane for the Archive utility to fail. This feature can now repair the folder and update outdated installations from previous versions of OS X.
  • The performance of the application was optimized when the user leaves the pane for code thinning although analysis jobs for processor architectures were still running in the background.
  • The height and layout of the Info pane was optimized to enhance support for Macintosh systems with 11-inch screens.

New in TinkerTool System 4.0 Build 141016 (Oct 20, 2014)

  • A pilot release to give early adopters of OS X Yosemite the chance to use TinkerTool System already. Because Apple did not disclose all necessary documentation on Yosemite at this early time, this version only contains context help, but not the complete 180-page reference manual.
  • Version 4 focuses back on the operating system itself. All features related to third-party software or external applications have been removed. The only exception are functions for programs which had been part of OS X in the past, such as Adobe® Flash® Player or Xcode.
  • The application can now exhaust modern hardware to its limits, making full use of multi-core processors and flash/SSD storage. Depending on computer model, some features may run up to 20 times faster compared with previous versions of the software.
  • All used technologies have been modernized to comply with the latest guidelines for OS X Yosemite.
  • The user interface has a completely new layout, but maintains the known overall design.
  • The security architecture complies with Apple’s latest standards for system utilities and uses multi-tier privilege separation.
  • Support for full keyboard control has been enhanced. The application can be used without a pointing device.
  • Accessibility features have been redesigned, enhancing support for handicapped users.
  • The Info pane has been rewritten completely and uses a new user interface.
  • Added new feature to search for features by keyword.
  • Added new preference setting to disable any animations when switching between panes.
  • Added new feature to clear the DNS client cache as option during the cleaning of the directory services cache.
  • Added new feature to recreate the XPC helper cache.
  • Added new feature to diagnose Time Machine operation by comparing two selected backups.
  • Added new feature to show the system’s blacklist for automatically disabling App Nap in specific applications.
  • Added new feature to show the system’s blacklist for automatically disabling high-resolution (“Retina display”) functions in specific applications.
  • Added new feature to show the system’s blacklist for automatically preventing the launch of incompatible applications.
  • Added new feature to show the system’s blacklist for automatically deactivating incompatible drivers and other kernel extensions.
  • Added new feature to assess the security impact of applications, regarding App Store curation, Gatekeeper, and Application Sandbox settings of individual programs.
  • Added new feature to select if Access Control Entries should have implicit or explicit inheritance when propagating permissions in folder hierarchies.
  • Added new feature to permit the system to use unsigned kernel extensions
  • Added new startup setting to disable the compressed memory feature of the operating system
  • The settings to define the style of the login screen have been reinstated.
  • The feature to remove support for processor architectures from applications now additionally supports the pre-configured setting “keep 64 Bit Intel code only”.
  • The functions to run the periodic maintenance scripts and for code thinning in applications have been moved to a pane for legacy features.
  • The feature to remove unused preference files was removed, because the current manner in which such files are handled today no longer allow to safely determine the usage state of the files.
  • The pane System Issues has been removed temporarily, giving Apple a chance to resolve open problems in Yosemite. It will be reinstated in future free updates of TinkerTool System 4.
  • The option to ignore applications from Adobe® when removing language packages is now always enforced. Applications from Adobe® and Microsoft® won’t be touched.
  • The user interface to reset permission settings on the system volume has been removed, because features of the operating system should not be duplicated in the application.
  • The user interface to control visibility of the user’s Library folder has been removed, because it has been superseded by the Finder.
  • The user interface to define custom MTU setting has been removed, because it has been superseded by System Preferences.
  • The user interface for the following system settings has been removed, because OS X 10.10 is no longer supporting the related options: launch applications via the creator code of documents, disable Bonjour Sleep Proxy notifications, disable access to the “App” part of the App Store, permission filtering for new file system objects created by graphical applications.

New in TinkerTool System 3.4 Build 140716 (Jul 25, 2014)

  • By request of many users, panes of TinkerTool 5 can now be integrated into the application (TinkerTool 5.3 or later is required). As a result, support for 32-bit computers had to be removed. Users of such systems should keep version 3.31.
  • Corrected a problem where information about the system enclosure was not displayed correctly as part of the system management overview.

New in TinkerTool System 3.31 Build 131105 (Nov 8, 2013)

  • This update resolves several issues with the user interface when preparing applications for code thinning under OS X Mavericks.
  • The application now uses more detailed error messages for combinations of operating system and tool versions where integration of panes from TinkerTool is not possible.

New in TinkerTool System 3.31 Build 131105 (Nov 8, 2013)

  • This update resolves several issues with the user interface when preparing applications for code thinning under OS X Mavericks.
  • The application now uses more detailed error messages for combinations of operating system and tool versions where integration of panes from TinkerTool is not possible.

New in TinkerTool System 3.3 Build 130918 (Oct 23, 2013)

  • This version adds support for OS X Mavericks.
  • The Internet privacy feature adds support for Safari 7 and Firefox ESR 24.

New in TinkerTool System 3.2 Build 130711 (Jul 12, 2013)

  • Added new feature to remove files and folders which no longer have a known owner.
  • Added new feature to remove all or selected Extended Attributes from files or a hierarchy of folders.
  • Added new feature to control the standby feature and standby delay time of mobile computers which support this.
  • Added feature to optionally restart the Finder after the Launch Services databases has been rebuilt.
  • Added feature to authenticate as administrative user when opening protected log files.
  • Added feature to clean up the login item list of the current user when using the application uninstall assistant.
  • Added feature to directly remove Access Control Lists from a hierarchy of folders.
  • When deactivating, cleaning and reactivating personal caches, the cache areas of sandbox-protected applications will now also be processed. This applies both to the full application and to the standalone emergency tool.
  • When using the select button in path entry fields, the currently selected object is now preferred as default over the previously selected folder.
  • Enhanced handling of different character encodings when reviewing the contents of log files.
  • Enhanced presentation of detail info when reviewing entries of the Xprotect malware detection feature.
  • Enhanced performance when selecting users and groups in environments with thousands of accounts.
  • The feature to clean Mac App Store log files has been removed because it is no longer used by default in up-to-date operating systems.
  • The feature to clean resource forks has been removed because it has been superseded by the feature to remove Extended Attributes.
  • Added preparations for future operating systems.
  • The reference manual has been revised completely. Both the online help and the printable version also have new designs and layouts.

New in TinkerTool System 3.1 Build 121121 (Nov 22, 2012)

  • Added support to the Internet privacy cleaning features for Firefox for Organizations (ESR) version 17.
  • Enhanced Internet privacy feature when cleaning cookies of Safari and DEVONagent.
  • Enhanced model detection for new Macintosh systems introduced in October 2012.
  • Enhanced user interface when trying to run the application in 32-bit mode on a 64-bit operating system.
  • Corrected a problem which could prevent the System pane from launching when detecting a disk volume with an invalid name.

New in TinkerTool System 3.0 Build 121017 (Oct 22, 2012)

  • Added new feature to remove outdated lock files when verifying the integrity of preferences files.
  • Added new feature to remove HTML5 databases and HTML5 local storage of Safari as part of the Internet privacy functions.
  • Added new feature to display the current status of the operating system's anti malware protection system.
  • Added new feature to the standalone emergency tool to reset all preference settings of the login window or login screen.
  • Added startup setting for OS X Mountain Lion, enforcing the power control for displays to behave more like Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
  • Added startup setting for OS X Mountain Lion to disable the “dark wake” features of the operating system.
  • Added settings for Lion and Mountain Lion to enable legacy authentication modes when connecting to old AFP file servers.
  • Added setting for Lion and Mountain Lion to disable the Bonjour Sleep Proxy feature independent of the Wake-On-LAN settings.
  • Added setting for Mountain Lion to enable or disable the Time Machine feature to create local snapshots.
  • Added setting for Mountain Lion to restrict the App Store application to its OS X Software Update component only.
  • Added workaround for a technical defect of OS X Mountain Lion to avoid that the preferences subsystem of the operating system ignores commands when the application works with a high number of preference settings within a short time interval.
  • The application is now starting significantly faster for users with a high number of Safari cookies. Access to cookies in the Users pane is postponed until they are actually needed.
  • The feature to uninstall applications now supports preference lock files.
  • The feature to verify the integrity of preference files now supports programs using an application sandbox.
  • Enhanced support for cleaning Microsoft® font caches on systems running Office:mac version 14.2.3 or later.
  • Clarified technical description of HiDPI mode for systems actually equipped with a Retina display.
  • Due to critical issues with Apple's login screen software on Mountain Lion, the settings to control features of the login screen are no longer supported until further notice when running OS X 10.8 or later.
  • Corrected a problem where displaying the user interface of an integrated copy of TinkerTool did not allow a mix of languages.
  • Corrected a problem where the emergency standalone tool offered to run a file system check with OS X 10.8 more than once, although Mountain Lion is not capable of handling this.

New in TinkerTool System 2.95 Build 120720 (Jul 25, 2012)

  • Added full compatibility with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.
  • Added feature for one-click registration.
  • Added Internet privacy support for Opera 12.
  • Added Internet privacy support for iCab 5.
  • Added Internet privacy support for Safari 6.
  • Added feature to enable or disable the web interface of the printing subsystem.
  • Added many new log file categories to the Info pane.
  • Added compatibility with system installations where users have intentionally destroyed the Apple spellchecker.
  • Added support for removing sandbox containers when uninstalling applications.
  • Simplified the user interface to call the operating system's maintenance scripts.
  • Enhanced the user interface for systems with SSD installations and Retina displays.
  • Corrected a problem where the login screen setting to control display of the “other users” button was displayed incorrectly after launching the application.
  • Important: Due to changes imposed by Apple's “Gatekeeper” feature, the security component of the application works slightly different. If you are using two or more of our following system utilities, you should update them all in parallel in order to avoid mutual conflicts: NFS Manager, Sync Checker, TinkerTool System Release 2. For detailed information, please see the chapter Release Notes in the reference manual.

New in TinkerTool System 2.91 Build 120424 (May 10, 2012)

  • This is a maintenance update which ensures full compatibility with Mac OS X 10.7.4.

New in TinkerTool System 2.9 Build 120229 (May 10, 2012)

  • Added new feature to review and delete individual cookies stored by Safari or other Mac OS X applications. Users can configure an optional search pattern list which allows to remove cookies of certain sites or with certain contents semi-automatically.
  • The Internet privacy feature now supports the ESR version of Firefox 10 (“Firefox for Enterprise”). Support for other versions of Firefox has been removed.
  • Added Internet privacy support for Camino 2.1.
  • Enhanced Internet privacy support for Opera 11 and DEVONagent 3.1.x.
  • Removed Internet privacy support for outdated web browsers like Shiira, Flock, Opera 10 and Camino 2.0x.
  • Enhanced support detecting screen savers based on Quartz Compositions.
  • Enhanced support for deleting recent items in Dock menus.
  • Added new time option to search for outdated preferences files which have not been in use for more than 2 years.
  • Changed the user interface and enhanced protection mechanisms when cleaning outdated preferences files.
  • Changed the user interface for the repair of the system volume in the standalone emergency tool to reflect known limitations of Mac OS X Lion.
  • Corrected a problem where the program kept updating the security component after the user had made manual changes to the /Library folder.

New in TinkerTool System 2.9 Build 120229 (Feb 29, 2012)

  • Added new feature to review and delete individual cookies stored by Safari or other Mac OS X applications. Users can configure an optional search pattern list which allows to remove cookies of certain sites or with certain contents semi-automatically.
  • The Internet privacy feature now supports the ESR version of Firefox 10 (“Firefox for Enterprise”). Support for other versions of Firefox has been removed.
  • Added Internet privacy support for Camino 2.1.
  • Enhanced Internet privacy support for Opera 11 and DEVONagent 3.1.x.
  • Removed Internet privacy support for outdated web browsers like Shiira, Flock, Opera 10 and Camino 2.0x.
  • Enhanced support detecting screen savers based on Quartz Compositions.
  • Enhanced support for deleting recent items in Dock menus.
  • Added new time option to search for outdated preferences files which have not been in use for more than 2 years.
  • Changed the user interface and enhanced protection mechanisms when cleaning outdated preferences files.
  • Changed the user interface for the repair of the system volume in the standalone emergency tool to reflect known limitations of Mac OS X Lion.
  • Corrected a problem where the program kept updating the security component after the user had made manual changes to the /Library folder.

New in TinkerTool System 2.85 Build 110906 (Sep 8, 2011)

  • Added support for Firefox 6.
  • Added support for Google Chrome 13.
  • Added support for the pane integration of TinkerTool 4.7.
  • The feature to suppress the startup chime has been updated for users of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. It will no longer be offered for users of Lion.
  • The feature to empty the Trash has been enhanced and supports more cases where the Finder fails.
  • Corrected a problem where cookies of Safari could not be cleared after an upgrade to Safari 5.1.

New in TinkerTool System 2.8 Build 110718 (Jul 24, 2011)

  • This version adds support for the operating system Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
  • Support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard has been removed. Mac OS X 10.6 is now the minimum requirement to use the application.
  • All components of the application now support full 64 bit operation.
  • Added new one-click feature to control the visibility of the user's private Library folder.
  • Added support for Firefox version 5.
  • Added a new to-do window that is displayed when the standalone emergency utility of TinkerTool System is no longer up-to-date and should be replaced by a new version.
  • Added support for the HiDPI screen settings of Mac OS X Lion.
  • The tables to exclude disk volumes from automatic mounting and from the execution of programs now support dragging. The tables additionally try to keep track of previously seen volume names for volumes that are currently offline.
  • The option to control display of the button “Other” of the login screen was enhanced to support three different states.
  • The description of the meaning of SUID and SGID permission settings for folders has been clarified.
  • Panels to select user or group accounts can now be closed by selecting an entry via double-click.
  • Search fields in the application can now be activated by a cmd+alt+F keyboard shortcut.
  • Corrected a problem where the application suggested the deletion of symbolic links when cleaning broken aliases in cases where specific versions of the Mac OS X Finder had created incorrect alias markers when copying folders.
  • Corrected a problem where the permission of files could not be modified to set the user or group account “nobody” as the owner.

New in TinkerTool System 2.7 Build 110316 (Mar 17, 2011)

  • Added new feature to clean the diagnostic logs of the App Store application.
  • Added new feature to clean folder hierarchies from broken aliases.
  • Added new privacy feature to remove the Recent Folders entries from the Finder.
  • Added support to clean privacy-related items from the web browser of DEVONagent 3.
  • The display of system management data for Intel-based Macs was updated to comply with the latest version of the DMTF industry standard.
  • Small optimizations in the user interface.
  • Added support for integrating the new program TinkerTool Classic Generation 2 for users of Leopard.
  • Corrected a problem where crash logs of other applications could not be cleaned when the crashed application had specific name patterns or crashed several times per second.
  • Corrected a problem where the date of production was not displayed correctly for particular portable Macs built in 2010 and 2011.

New in TinkerTool System 2.6 Build 101214 (Dec 15, 2010)

  • Added support for Microsoft Office:mac 2011.
  • Added support for cleaning privacy-related data of Camino 2, Chrome 6, Chrome 7, Chrome 8, Flock 3, and Opera 11.
  • Added support for inspecting optical disks on legacy drives which don't support DVD media.
  • Added a workaround for a compatibility problem of Mac OS X 10.6.5 which could cause optical disk inspection to fail with an “unknown sense code” error.
  • Launching the application and loading its panes has become faster.
  • Several small optimizations in the user interface.
  • Corrected a user interface problem related to the code architecture thinning of applications where it could be difficult to deselect certain architectures of an architecture family in certain cases.
  • Corrected a problem where preparing applications for code-thinning might have shown an estimated zero storage gain on PPC computers.
  • Corrected a problem where the wrong type of deletion mode could be selected in certain cases when removing preference settings for decommissioned network computers.

New in TinkerTool System 2.5 Build 101014 (Oct 15, 2010)

  • Added new feature to detect and delete temporary user preference files which have never been in use. It is part of the feature to check the integrity of preference files.
  • Added new feature to clean the system from crash report files.
  • Added new feature to launch applications in a specific language, different from the standard language selected in System Preferences.
  • Added new control to access the network configuration setting to enable or disable IPv6 Privacy Extensions.
  • Added support to clean privacy-related items of the future version 4 of Firefox.
  • Added keyboard navigation for the pane icon overview in the main control window. Full keyboard access must be enabled to use this feature.
  • To enhance support for small screen sizes, icons for panes optionally taken over from TinkerTool will now appear in the User section, not in a separate category.
  • Added support to integrate the iTunes 10 pane of TinkerTool.
  • Added support to remove “LSSharedFileList” preference files when uninstalling applications.
  • Enhanced support to display manufacturing data of Apple computers refurbished in Europe and the latest MacBook Pro models.
  • Corrected a problem where startup of the International pane could fail when an application has been blacklisted for language-removal, but this application had been removed.
  • Corrected a problem where login items could not be dragged into a different order when the Login Items pane of TinkerTool had been integrated into TinkerTool System.
  • Corrected a problem where removing Recent Items entries from applications did not work as expected for specific applications when using Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

New in TinkerTool System 2.4 Build 100827 (Aug 30, 2010)

  • Verifying and repairing the startup disk before startup.
  • Verifying and repairing the system's folder for the storage of temporary objects.
  • Verifying and repairing specific permission settings of the code integrity checker of Mac OS X.
  • Verifying and resetting permission settings of operating system files, independent of the graphical user interface.
  • Performing an automatic quick check and repair procedure to ensure a sufficiently good state of the base operating system.
  • Deactivating corrupted preference files for a user account.
  • Deleting user-related Input Managers.
  • Deactivating and reactivating cache contents of a user account.
  • Deactivating and reactivating all preference settings of a user account.
  • Deactivating corrupted system preference files.
  • Deleting system-wide Input Managers.
  • Deactivating and reactivating the contents of system-wide caches.
  • Resetting network-managed preferences (MCX).
  • Removing third-party startup objects.
  • Cleaning the swap space.
  • Disabling automatic login.
  • Uninstalling the emergency tool, independent of the graphical user interface.
  • Added a new pane to install, update, or remove the emergency tool.
  • Added a new feature to inspect technical details of optical disks, like manufacturer, compliance with recording standards, or session layout.
  • The dialog sheet to propagate permissions will now remember the last set of permission categories selected by the user.
  • Small changes in the user interface.

New in TinkerTool System 2.3 (Jun 8, 2010)

  • Added new feature for Snow Leopard to update the database of the UNIX command “locate” at any time.
  • Added new Diagnostics pane.
  • Added new feature to evaluate the memory usage statistics of Mac OS X for assessing if the RAM size of the computer is appropriate for its workload.
  • Added new feature to check if the Finder is affected by defects which can lead to data corruption when copying files.
  • Added Safari 5, Opera 10, and Google Chrome 5 to the list of supported browsers when cleaning privacy-related user data.
  • Added new “deep clean” feature to remove hidden entries for Recent Items which could allow experts to recover visible entries for Recent Items that had already been deleted.
  • Added new feature to the Uninstall Assistant to detect dependent files when removing Preference Panes and Widgets.
  • Added 11 new items to the list of system logs which can be reviewed.
  • Added a workaround to protect the application against a known defect related to the communication between Mac OS X and third-party file systems activated via MacFUSE which could cause TinkerTool System to quit itself when launching.
  • Corrected a problem which could cause TinkerTool System not to remove certain types of WebKit (Safari 4 version) caches when uninstalling applications.
  • Corrected a problem which could cause TinkerTool System not to handle additional options for the automounting of disk volumes correctly when the options had been configured by a different application and the volume names contained spaces.
  • Many small enhancements in the user interface.

New in TinkerTool System 2.2 (Feb 23, 2010)

  • Added new feature to open documents “by creator code”. This is helpful for Snow Leopard users who are using legacy documents or applications which don't support modern UTI mechanisms yet. TinkerTool System R2 can work as an application launcher which respects application-bound documents.
  • Added new feature for Mac OS X Snow Leopard to enable or disable the system's automatic maintenance for the locate database.
  • Added new feature to display all metadata Spotlight has collected about a file.
  • Added the Internet browser of DEVONagent 2 to the set of web browsers where privacy-related files can be cleaned.
  • Added new ”one click repair" feature for Mac OS X Snow Leopard to resolve a particular system issue which causes slow startups.
  • Added new feature for Mac OS X Snow Leopard to trigger network automounts for cases where the Finder fails to do this.
  • Added new startup option for x86 processors to keep all processor cores powered up even if they are idle.
  • Added support for TinkerTool 4. Version 4.0 has now become the minimum version to integrate TinkerTool panes into TinkerTool System.
  • Enhanced support for handicapped users when displaying or interacting with file system path entry fields.
  • The feature to propagate POSIX or ACL permissions through folder hierarchies now uses a more consistent behavior when handling symbolic links.
  • Clarified behavior of the slider to set the timeout for putting hard drives to sleep. The actual supported maximum time is 179 minutes, not 3 hours.
  • Added a workaround for a conflict with System Preferences which could cause the control to mute the startup chime not to become active under certain conditions.

New in TinkerTool System 2.11 (Jan 14, 2010)

  • Added feature to show the dates of last access in the candidate list when removing old preferences files.
  • Added workaround for a problem in the SMBIOS emulation of VMware® Fusion®. This enhances compatibility when using the program on Mac OS X Server sessions running inside a virtual machine.
  • Several small changes and optimizations in the user interface.
  • Enhanced animation of panes integrated from TinkerTool 3.92: A possible flicker effect seen under certain circumstances when switching between TinkerTool panes is now being avoided.
  • The application now tolerates certain incorrect permission settings in the system which are caused by a defect of the security architecture of System Preferences 7.0 (Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard). The dialog that the security subsystem needs repair is now being suppressed if possible.
  • Corrected a problem where the date of manufacture of specific Apple computers was displayed incorrectly when launching the program after January 1, 2010.
  • Corrected a problem with muting the startup sound where the audio volume of the operating system could be set to a hearable volume during startup although the user had manually deactivated all audio in the Sound pane of System Preferences.
  • Corrected a problem in the Clean Up pane where deselecting items in the list of objects prepared for deletion could cause the application not to respond.
  • Corrected a packaging problem where performing a thinning operation on the application itself could cause the Startup pane no longer to load.

New in TinkerTool System 2.1 (Aug 28, 2009)

  • This version adds support for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
  • By request of many users, this version adds a printable PDF version of the reference manual. The manual is available as a separate, free download in English or German (approx. 150 pages each).
  • Added new system information categories, displaying the 32 or 64 bit capabilities of the processor, and 64 bit operation mode of the Mac OS X kernel.
  • Added new startup preference to enforce booting the kernel in 32 or 64 bit mode if possible.
  • Added new system information field that displays the unique identification code (UUID) of the computer.
  • Added a new preference to display memory sizes within TinkerTool System either in classic style, as Kibi units, or using standard units.
  • Added a user option to let the application automatically reopen the last used pane when starting, similar to TinkerTool System 1.
  • Added new feature to let the user define an optional blacklist of software bundles which should be ignored when removing language packages.
  • Added new login setting to hide or show mobile user accounts.
  • Added new login setting to enable or disable external user accounts.
  • Added new login settings to enable the screen saver for the login screen (Snow Leopard only).
  • Added operating system filter for the setting to define a customized Software Update Server.
  • The user interface to reset permissions on the system volume has been redesigned. Status messages will now be shown in the user's preferred language.
  • The feature to remove Macintosh-specific data from removable disks has been significantly accelerated. The typical case of cleaning DOS-formatted memory sticks containing more than 100,000 files will now be handled much faster.
  • The application now automatically corrects problems with the system's login preferences in case they have been damaged by a low-quality “multifunction utility”.
  • Enhanced status messages for systems where the weekly maintenance script needed a long time to run.
  • Enhanced error messages for cases where Apple's certificate revocation server is down.
  • Corrected a problem where the security environment of the application could not auto-repair itself under very special circumstances.
  • Corrected a problem where removing words from the user's spell checker dictionaries did not work as expected.
  • Corrected a problem where clicking on a subsection header in the table of ACL permissions could cause the application to quit unexpectantly.
  • Corrected typographical errors in the documentation and user interface.
  • Many other small additions and enhancements.

New in TinkerTool System 2.0 (Jun 30, 2009)

  • The application was rewritten completely and has a redesigned user interface.
  • The program follows Apple's latest security guidelines for system tools that need to use privileged operations.
  • Added a new feature to integrate panes of TinkerTool into TinkerTool System. Users of the system tool no longer need to launch both applications separately.
  • Added context help buttons for all features. The user can open a mini manual page describing when and when not to use a certain feature. If a feature represents an official troubleshooting procedure recommended by Apple, the help text also provides Internet links leading to further documentation available from Apple.
  • Added a new security feature where users can enable a preference to limit Mac OS X's authorization to one single operation of TinkerTool System only, and not reusing it for other applications in the same login session.
  • Added a unique new feature to avoid the removal of caches during a cache troubleshooting procedure. Administrators can now deactivate caches in a test phase and then decide if cache contents should really be removed permanently, or if the previous cache configuration should be restored. This way, the negative side-effects of cache cleaners can be avoided if possible.
  • Added a new pane to automatically solve typical problems of Leopard systems by “one click” operations.
  • Added a new feature to upgrade the local user and group account database with a workaround recommended by Apple when accounts have been taken over from Tiger to Leopard. This fixes several compatibility problems with the Leopard Finder when handling permission settings.
  • Added a new feature to automatically remove a lock attribute from external disk drives.
  • Added a new feature to automatically fix problems with hard drives disappearing in the Finder.
  • Added a new feature to automatically repair the Input Palettes list in the International pane of System Preferences.
  • Added a new feature to block any kind of program execution on selectable disk volumes. This is useful when connecting external disks of foreign operating systems.
  • Added a new feature to control extended options for AFP authentication panels.
  • Added a new feature to manage the system-wide permission filter for applications running on the graphical user interface. Mac OS X uses the filter to control what permissions will be set for newly created objects. The system-wide filter was designed by Apple as a workaround for the problem that the user-based permission filter is defective in current versions of Mac OS X Leopard. This feature requires Mac OS X 10.5.3 or later.
  • Added a new feature to control if Mac OS X should keep a print job history.
  • Added a new feature to redirect the Automatic Software Update function of Mac OS X to a user-defined server.
  • Added a new control pane which collects all system settings which apply to mobile computers only.
  • Added a new feature to control the Safe Sleep feature of mobile Apple systems.
  • Added a new feature to clean a user account from Flash® cookies (LSOs) and Flash® settings.
  • Added a new feature to guide the user to the controls for handling Flash® security settings.
  • Added a new feature to clean the font cache of Microsoft® Office applications.
  • Added a new feature to display and remove quarantine information from files.
  • Added a new feature to clean a network user account from outdated computer-specific user preferences which refer to decommissioned computers.
  • Added a new feature to remove third-party preference panes from the Other section of the System Preferences application.
  • Added a new feature to activate hidden preference panes for the Mac OS X Archive Utility and Disk Image handling.
  • Added a new feature to display and modify the user's list of learned words of the Mac OS X spell checking subsystem.
  • Added a new feature to sort an Access Control List canonically.
  • Added a new feature to let the user modify the order of Access Control Entries in an Access Control List.
  • Added a new feature to get limited access to the SUID, SGID and sticky permission attributes of file system objects.
  • Added a new feature to mark selected disk drives as not supporting Spotlight. This can be helpful in situations where Spotlight privacy settings do not stick.
  • Added a new feature to remove the Spotlight search index for visited web pages from a user account.
  • The feature to run the system's periodic maintenance scripts will now display the last times when either Mac OS X or somebody else has executed each script.
  • The feature to shutdown Spotlight has been reinstated for users of Mac OS X Leopard.
  • Error descriptions for problem situations that occur while running a privileged operation now contain much more details.
  • Features to clean the system from certain files now allow that individual items can be excluded from the delete operation, using a preflight list.
  • The modification of HFS attributes and visibility markers is now also possible for system files not owned by the current user.
  • The features to clean the system from outdated preferences files now support additional options to move files to an archive folder.
  • The feature to verify the integrity of login items now detects duplicate items.
  • The feature to clean privacy-related user data from Safari has been reinstated for Safari 3 and later.
  • By user request, the feature for code thinning can now process multiple applications or whole folders during a single run. The application will perform a detailed analysis and a precomputation of possibly gained storage space before any code thinning takes place.
  • By user request, the feature for code thinning can now keep backup copies of thinned applications in an archive folder.
  • By user request, the feature to mark thinned applications by Spotlight comments can be switched off.
  • The user interface for displaying and changing POSIX and ACL permissions has been redesigned completely.
  • When removing all Access Control Entries from an Access Control List, the list can now be removed completely instead of keeping an empty list.
  • Certain operations on permissions can now be propagated onto a whole hierarchy of files and folders.
  • When propagating ACL permissions, the application will now create implicit (inherited) ACLs instead of using explicit ACLs if technically possible.
  • The contents of the system information panel can now be printed or be exported as HTML text file.
  • Outdated features only applicable to Panther and Tiger installations have been removed.
  • The reference manual has been rewritten and redesigned.
  • Many other small additions and enhancements.

New in TinkerTool System 1.91 (Jun 30, 2009)

  • TinkerTool System has been modified to coexist with the new TinkerTool System 2.
  • The display of volumes supporting Spotlight has been optimized to correctly handle the presence of MacFUSE file systems.
  • By user request, the selection to suppress the report when running the periodic maintenance scripts of Mac OS X will now be remembered when relaunching the application.

New in TinkerTool System 1.9 (May 13, 2009)

  • Revised features to be compatible with the latest releases of Mac OS X Leopard.
  • Updated Info pane to support the latest Apple hardware models.
  • Added a workaround for a problem with the latest versions of Apple Core Audio which could cause the main sound output to be muted at startup after the feature to suppress the startup chime had been activated.
  • Added a workaround for the removal of language packages where the option not to touch Adobe applications did not take effect for Adobe Updater version 5 because it does not comply with software design guidelines.
  • Added a workaround for a problem in the user interface of Mac OS X Tiger where the option "Additionally remove translated PostScript Printer Descriptions" was not displayed correctly after it had been selected. (Panther and Leopard systems have not been affected.)
  • Corrected a problem where not all AppleDouble files could be removed at deep folder hierarchy levels if the option to include orphaned forks was inactive.
  • Corrected a problem in the user interface where some notification messages might not have been displayed correctly after the feature to rebuild the Launch Services database had been used.
  • Corrected a problem where the application launched slowler than usual depending on which Internet browser versions have been available in the system.
  • Corrected a problem where no vertical scrollbar was displayed on computers with more than six disk volumes when selecting a drive which should be excluded from automatic mounting.
  • Corrected a problem when displaying the Spotlight support status for disk volumes showed incomplete results under very specific circumstances.
  • Corrected a problem where restoring deactivated Services entries did not take effect for all entries if multiple entries of the same application had been deactivated in different sessions.

New in TinkerTool System 1.87 (Jun 16, 2008)

  • The feature to remove language packages has been accelerated.
  • Added a feature regarding a bug in Mac OS X Leopard which can cause the startup language setting to be corrupted under certain circumstances when the system has been restored from a Time Machine backup. TinkerTool System can now repair the language setting in case it has been damaged.
  • Added a workaround for a packaging problem in the Java SE 6 update for 64-bit Intel systems which could lead to an endless file scan when removing language packages from the Java Virtual Machine framework.
  • Added a workaround for the problem that certain third-party background applications could manipulate the shutdown sequence of Mac OS X Leopard in a way which could cause the feature to mute the startup chime not to become effective.
  • Support for cleaning the Internet browser caches of Safari 3 and Shiira 2 (or later) has been removed. Those browsers have their own powerful cache cleaning features already integrated. Previous versions of Safari and Shiira are still supported for cleaning.
  • Support for cleaning the caches of several obsolete Internet browser versions has been removed. This affects Chimera, OmniWeb prior to version 5, Opera prior to version 9, iCab prior to version 4. Support for Desktop Web Browser has been removed entirely because up-to-date versions no longer use any file-based caches. Support for non-Firefox versions of Mozilla-based browsers has been updated to now support Netscape� Navigator 9.
  • The mechanism to detect ambiguities in machine production dates has been optimized. Computers built in 2008 are now always displayed with their correct dates of production.
  • Corrected a problem where the column "size" of the statistics table of the feature to remove language packages could only be sorted alphabetically instead of numerically.
  • Corrected a problem of interim build 080325 where users of Mac OS X Tiger (10.4.x) could not use the feature to remove language packages.
  • Corrected a problem where Mac OS X Leopard opened TCP/IP port 12345 for diagnostic purposes when the feature to mute the startup chime has been used with build 080205. (The port was only opened. No part of TInkerTool System could receive or send data on this port.)
  • Small changes and optimizations in the user interface.

New in TinkerTool System 1.85 (Feb 7, 2008)

  • The function to remove language packages now additionally supports up-to-date applications which are using language markers in compliance with the new standards ISO 631-2 and RFC 3066bis.
  • It is now possible to remove English language support for applications that have not been designed with English as their primary language (not for Mac OS X 10.3 Panther).
  • Many new log files of Mac OS X Leopard can now be monitored via the Info pane of the application.
  • Corrected a problem where Portuguese for Portugal could not be selected to become the startup language for Mac OS X 10.5.
  • The feature to mute the startup chime now additionally supports damaged Leopard installations which don't perform correct shutdown sequences.
  • The feature to clean the online cache for the directory services client has been reenabled for Leopard installations.
  • It is now possible to delete files and the original permission settings of operating system components when the user explicitly states to take that risk.
  • The scan process when searching files for cleanup tasks has been accelerated considerably. It is now feasible to scan entire system drives with several 100,000 files.
  • Many small changes in the user interface.

New in TinkerTool System 1.8 (Nov 9, 2007)

  • This version adds support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
  • Support for Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar has been removed. Mac OS X 10.3.8 or later is now required to run the application.
  • The thinning feature now additionally allows to create binaries which only contain code support for specific processor types, instead of code support for specific processor families. For example, an application which contains code support for all PowerPC processors and secondly for PowerPC G5 processors in particular, can now be thinned to contain G5 code only.
  • TinkerTool System detects Leopard applications which are protected by digital seals. Operations which could break a seal (making the affected application unusable) are avoided automatically.