Does your Mac keep running out of storage space? Are you often annoyed seeing the ‘Your disk is almost full’ error message? Worry no more. We present to you a complete guide on ways to get rid of storage on Mac.
Storage space on Mac is a critical component that determines the entire system’s performance. Lack of sufficient storage space will directly affect the functioning of your Mac, making it absolutely essential for all users to maintain some free storage space. With recent developments in video quality, HDR and 4K videos take up lump-sum storage space on Mac.
Apple, the developers of your Mac, understand the critical need for good storage space and have devised various ways to get rid of storage on Mac. Users can opt to clean up the system files and delete junk files and large videos that unnecessarily take up a lot of storage space.
You will be able to get rid of storage on Mac by following the instructions given in this article below. Let’s get started!
How To Get Rid Of Storage On Mac?
How do you know it is time for you to get rid of storage on Mac? All you have to do is check the available storage space on your Mac. You can follow the instructions given below to find out how much storage space is available on your Mac and know if it is time for you to get rid of storage on Mac. You will be able to see a complete breakdown of the files that your Mac occupies into Music, Photos, Systems, Apps, and other large files.
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How To Check Storage On Mac?
Before you get rid of storage on Mac, make sure that you check the available storage. You can follow the instructions given below to know the available storage space on your Mac.
Step 1 – Tap on the Apple icon on your screen.
Step 2 – Select About this Mac.
Step 3 – Tap on More Info.
Step 4 – Click on Storage Settings.
You will be able to get a detailed report of your storage space, categorized as
- Documents: Files, documents, and downloads.
- Apps: Apps, Plugins, and extensions.
- System Data: Caches, temporary files, etc.
- macOS
You will be able to see what occupies a lot of space and get rid of storage on Mac accordingly.
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How To Get Rid Of Storage On Mac?
We present to you the best ways in which you can manage your storage space on your Mac.
Fix 1: Empty The Trash
Do you regularly clean up the files in the Trash on your Mac? The best and one of the easiest ways to get rid of storage on Mac is to empty the Trash.
Trash on Mac is similar to the Recycle bin on Windows. All deleted files on Mac will be automatically sent to the Trash. Users will be able to restore these deleted files from the Trash if they change their mind or suddenly need to access them. All Macs can have multiple Trash cans, so you will have to delete files in all the Trash cans to get rid of storage on Mac.
To delete the Trash on Mac, Ctrl+Click or right-click on the Trash icon on your Mac > Select Empty Trash.
This will automatically delete all the files in your Trash cans. Remember to check the contents on it if you have important files on it before you empty it.
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Fix 2: Delete Trash From The Library
Mac, iPhoto, iMovie, and Mail have their own separate trash cans. Users can manually delete the Trash from their Library to get rid of storage on Mac. You should note that all users can also delete the media files from their specific applications. If you delete a photo on iPhoto, it will be automatically moved to your iPhoto Trash. You will have to manually delete it from the iPhoto Library’s Trash to remove it from the hard drive.
Fix 3: Clean Out Temporary Files
Mac hoards users’ temporary files, which takes up a chunk of the users’ disk space. Mac OS tries to automatically remove all temporary files periodically. But often, these temporary files end up stored on your Mac’s disc. Cleaning up storage space will not increase the performance but will help you to get rid of storage on Mac. You can follow the instructions given below to delete all the temporary files on your system.
Step 1 – Open Finder on your Mac.
Step 2 – Press the Shift+Command G keys to open the Go in Menu Finder.
Step 3 – Type in -Library/Caches/ > Enter
Step 4 – Right click on the Folder that you wish to trash.
Step 5 – Tap on move to Trash or drag to drop it into the Trash.
Step 6 – Right click on the Trash and tap on Empty Trash to delete it from your Trash on Mac.
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Fix 4: Delete Browser Cache
To make up more space on your Mac, you can delete your browser cache. Deleting the browser cache will clear the cache, browser history, cookies, and saved passwords. You can choose the browser that you often use and delete its cache to get rid of storage on Mac.
Clear Chrome Cache
If you use Chrome to browse on your Mac, you can follow the instructions below to delete Chrome cache to get rid of storage on Mac.
Step 1 – Open Chrome on your Mac.
Step 2 – Tap on the three-dots icon at the top-right corner of the page.
Step 3 – Select More tools.
Step 4 – Tap to Clear browsing data.
Step 5 – Select a time range to the delta.
Step 6 – Tap to clear Cached images and files.
Clear Safari’s Cache
Do you use Safari as the main browser to surf the internet? Follow the instructions given below to clear Safari’s cache to get rid of storage on Mac.
Step 1 – Open Safari.
Step 2 – Tap on Preferences.
Step 3 – Select Advanced.
Step 4 – Tap on the checkbox next to the Show Developer menu.
Step 5 – Click on Develop in the top Menu.
Step 6 – Tap to Empty Caches.
You can follow similar procedures to delete the browser cache on any other browser that you use to get rid of storage on Mac.
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Fix 5: Delete Large Media Files
Have you stored HQ movies and a large number of photos on your Mac? This will automatically take up a lot of your storage space. If you have any such movies, photos, or music files stored on your device, consider deleting them to get rid of storage on Mac.
First, locate all the large files on Mac that are not essential. Select all such large files and right-click on them to delete them. Remember that once you delete large files, they will be automatically moved to your device’s Trash. To delete it from your Trash, follow the instructions given in Fix 1 to completely remove it and get rid of storage on Mac.
Fix 6: Delete Unused Games And Apps
Have you installed a lot of games or third-party apps on your Mac? Most games and apps take up a lot of storage space on your device. To get rid of storage on Mac, you will have to delete all unused games and apps that take up space unnecessarily. All you have to do to delete unused games and apps is to right-click on them to remove them. Remember that it will be moved to the Trash can. You will have to next empty your Trash on your Mac by following the instructions given in Fix 1.
Fix 7: Delete Old iPhone Backups
Have you backed up your old iPhone data on your Mac? This will take up enormous space on your device. To get rid of storage on Mac, you can check your drive to delete all outdated backups.
Step 1 – Open Finder on Mac.
Step 2 – Select Go in the Finder’s Menu.
Step 3 – Tap Go to Folder.
Step 4 – Enter -/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup and press the Return key.
Step 5 – Move the contents of the folder to Trash.
Make sure to empty the Trash on your Mac to ensure that you get rid of storage on Mac.
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Fix 8: Compress Your Files
Do you not want to delete your files permanently from Mac? Do not worry. You can choose to compress or archive the files as an alternative. Mac has an in-built setting to compress your files and get rid of storage on Mac.
Step 1 – Open Finder.
Step 2 – Go to your Documents.
Step 3 – Press on Command + the folder.
Step 4 – Select Compress.
Remember that the original file will not be deleted. Now that we have compressed the file, you can now delete it to get rid of storage on Mac.
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Wrap Up
Sufficient storage space is an absolute necessity for the performance of your Mac. Apple understands its importance and has thus various in-built options for users to get rid of storage on Mac. We hope by following the instructions given in this article. You are now able to clear up the storage space on your Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1 How Do I Free Up Space On My Mac Without Deleting Anything?
If you want to free up space on your Mac without deleting anything, you can compress the files by following the below steps.
Open finder > Go to your Documents > Press Command + the folder > Choose Compress.
Q2 Why Is The Storage On My Mac Full?
The storage on the Mac usually gets full because of outdated files, cache, large files, and apps that you no longer use.
Q3 Why Is My Storage Still Full After Deleting Mac?
If your Mac still shows storage full after deleting files, then this could be due to the error in macOS, i.e., macOS can’t repair the disk. The storage will not be available for use until the deleted files are completely deleted from the Mac. Some processes can stop the files to be deleted from the disk.
