When your mac disk space is full your computer will start slowing down. You will also have trouble finding room for new pictures and documents. When this happens it is time to do a little spring cleaning on your Mac.
This helpful guide will teach you how to clear disk space on Mac computers. Keep reading to learn how to free up some space.
Check Your Space
First, it is always a good idea to check and see what is taking up Mac disk space. A mac check disk space is the first task to complete. Click on the Apple menu in the top-lefthand corner and select “About this mac” from the dropdown.
This overview will tell you what operating system you are running. If you are running macOS 10.12 Sierra or higher, you can click on the Storage tab to get an idea of where all your space is being used.
If you see that most of your space is being used on music spend some time cleaning up your iTunes library.
Click the manage button and it will show you a breakdown of your space in greater detail. You can also search by category and see what are the largest files tyes per category.
For example, you may find several gigabytes of video that you’ve already moved to an external hard drive that you no longer need on your computer. Clear disk space mac and remove these files that you no longer need to free up some space.
While you are here it is also a good idea to check the health of your mac computer. Use this link to see how healthy your mac is or if it will require additional effort. https://setapp.com/how-to/how-to-check-your-mac-hard-drive-health
Remove all files from the trash. If you placed an item in the trash it still needs to be deleted. If it is simply sitting in your trash can it is still taking up space on your computer.
If you don’t have macOS Sierra you can use a program like Disk Inventory to help you drill down where your space is being used.
Move Your Documents to the Cloud
From the same manage window mentioned above, you can click on recommendations. The recommendations program will give you a few ideas that will help you find extra space.
Another way to free up disk space mac is to start taking full advantage of cloud storage. You can store your photos and documents in the cloud and use them on your computer when you need them.
That way they are not sitting on your computer taking up space. iCl; oud is a great cloud storage solution but if you don’t want to use iCloud you can also use a service like Dropbox.
These programs give away a small amount of storage for free but if you need more storage than what is given you will have to purchase it.
If you have lots of large files that you want to keep but you don’t regularly use, cloud storage can be the perfect solution. After you put the files in the cloud delete the copy you have on your mac to free up space on your disc.
Delete All Files With Duplicates
As you begin to dig deeper into your drive, you may notice you have multiple copies of the same document. Maybe you accidentally downloaded the file a few times. Deleting these duplicates can also help free up major space on your Mac.
Use a third-party app like Gemini 2 to help you find duplicates on your computer quickly. It is an expensive program for a full incense but they also have a free trial. The free trial is all you really need to perform a quick search and delete the duplicate files.
The paid version of the program will run automatically and clean up and duplicates as they happen so you can save time.
Remove Temporary Files From Your Mac Disk Space
Did you know that your computer keeps a collection of temporary files? This collection of files is located on your hard drive and it makes it quicker to access them in the future.
Every once in a while it is a good idea to go through these files and delete anything that is not needed. However, this will only be a temporary fix because as soon as they are deleted your computer will start again filing up those files.
There are programs that you can run that will do this for you or you can save yourself some money and do it yourself.
Use an External Hardrive
If you have implemented all of these techniques but you still need more space, then perhaps it is time to buy an external hard drive. An external hard drive can be used to store collections of files, documents, music, movies, and pictures.
They are easy to use and can be taken on the go and used with your laptop, too. Offload some of your files onto an external hard drive and then delete the copy from your computer. This way you will always have access to all the files that you need.
You can even organize your eternal hard drives by usage. Many people find it helpful to have a dedicated external hard drive for music, movies, or photos. That way everything is in one place when you need it.
External hard drives have come down a lot in price too. Now is definitely the time to pick one up and put it to use.
Keep Your Mac Running Fast
Cleaning up your Mac disk space will help keep your computer in tip-top condition and keep it running faster. It is also just nice to be able to know where everything is on your computer so you are not spending a long time looking for a particular file or folder.
Use this handy guide to help you make some extra room on your computer today. If you enjoyed reading this article, check out our latest technology articles today.
