When your Mac runs out of storage, you can make the best of your device. There is no free space to download productive software, unable to store memorable photos & videos. In the worst case, it makes your Mac freezing and lagging. But worry not, in this guide, I will show multiple effective ways to clean your Mac. So. letās get started!
Note: Before going for a clean MacOS, Please keep backup With Time Machine.
Checking Storage on Mac and How to Clean it – A Comprehensive Guide
Here are different ways to free up space on your Mac running the latest macOS, but before, learn how to check storage on your Mac.
Steps to check storage on Mac
Step 1: Click on the Apple Logo from the left top corner of Mac screen. Select System Settings⦠from the menu.
Step 2:Ā Click on yourĀ Apple ID[Your Name]Ā at the top. Go toĀ iCloudĀ on the right side.Ā
Step 3:Ā On the next screen, youāll see theĀ iCloud Storage Bar.Ā
After knowing the information regarding the storage status on Mac, you can make further decisions on what you need to delete and how much space you require. Letās look at how to clear Mac storage running the latest macOS.
Solution #1. Uninstall apps youāre not using
The applications you installed on your Mac computer will acquire specific storage. After installing multiple apps, the Mac storage will become full, and eventually, it will lead to Mac running slowly. The first and foremost tip for cleaning a Mac is to uninstall unused applications. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1:Ā Click on theĀ Finder IconĀ present in the dock. Go to theĀ ApplicationsĀ from the left pane.
Step 2:Ā On the next screen, youāll see the list of applications installed on your Mac. Go through andĀ right-click on the appĀ you no longer find useful.Ā
Step 3:Ā From the pop-up menu, selectĀ Move Trash.
Alternatively,
Step 1:Ā Click on theĀ Launchpad IconĀ present in the Mac dock. Search for the app you want to delete.
Step 2:Ā Click on theĀ App IconĀ until it shakes.
Step 3:Ā Next, selectĀ X IconĀ at the left corner of the App Icon.
Step 4:Ā TheĀ Are you sure you want to delete the application āNameā? Pop, selectĀ Delete Button.
Solution #2. Empty the TrashĀ
Remember, even after deleting the files, it may acquire storage in Trash on Mac. In this case, all you need to do is remove them from Trash as well. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Click on the Trash Icon in the Mac dock until the pop-up appears.
Step 2: From the pop-up, select Empty Trash.
Step 3: In the Are you sure you want to permanently erase items in the Trash? pop-up, select Empty Trash.
Solution #3. Clean-up downloader folder
Unlike the Trash folder, the download folder is another place to find and delete the files you no longer want. Besides storing the miscellaneous files, it also saves the files you unintentionally downloaded on your Mac. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1:Ā Click on theĀ Finder IconĀ present in the Mac dock. SelectĀ DownloadĀ from the left pane.
Step 2:Ā Next, go through all your downloads andĀ control-clickĀ to select the files you want clear. Find Large File in Downloaded Folder by Right click (Control + Click), Group By > Size.
Step 3:Ā From the pop menu, selectĀ Move To Trash.
Solution #4. Delete old Backups
Backing up the old data on your Mac is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, your Mac becomes overloaded with the previous backup that acquires gigabytes of storage on your Mac running the latest macOS. Thatās why we suggest deleting old backups by following the steps below.
Step 1:Ā Go to theĀ Apple MenuĀ located at the top left corner of Mac. SelectĀ System Settingsā¦Ā from the menu.
Step 2:Ā Click onĀ GeneralĀ from left pane. On the right side, selectĀ Storage.
Step 3:Ā Click on theĀ i IconĀ next to the iOS files.
Step 5: From the list of backups, select the backup you want to delete.
Step 6: Click on Delete⦠Button.
Step 7: Choose Done.
Thatās It!
Solution #5. Remove Users
If you have configured the Mac for multiple users, then we recommend removing the users that youāre no longer using. Ensure to check the User folder on your Macintosh HD and verify if there are any undeleted files from the previous users.
Step 1: Click on the Finder Icon present in the Mac dock.
Step 2: Choose Users from the left pane.
Step 3: Select Macintosh HD > Users, then delete the user that you no longer want.
Solution #6. Delete unwanted Emails
If you store mail messages for a longer time, there are chances that your Mail is acquiring your Mac storage space. Remember, the email doesnāt slot the storage but attachments do. Once you access them, attachments stay on your Mac unless you remove it. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Press Command + Space to access Spotlight search. Enter Mail and click on it to open.
Step 2: Click on Mail from the Mac Menubar. Choose Settingsā¦from the menu.
Step 3: Navigate to the General Tab and, click on the dropdown next to Remove Unedited Downloads, and configure it to After Message is Deleted.
To clear junk mail,
Step 1: Press Command + Space to access Spotlight search. Enter Mail and click on it to open.
Step 2: Click on Mail from the Mac Menubar. Choose Settingsā¦from the menu.
Step 3: Go to the Account Tab. From there, select the Mailbox Behavior dropdown.
Step 3: Next to the Erase Junk Message, configure the time to clear the junk automatically.
If you want to delete Mail that is already sent to Trash, access Mail App > right-click on Inbox from left pane > Erase Deleted Items.
Solution #7. Delete old .dmg files
.dmg files also acquire lots of valuable storage on Mac. Therefore, clearing old .dmg files is one of the effective ways to clean the Mac. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Click on the Finder Icon from your Mac Dock.
Step 2: Search for .dmg in the search bar at the left top corner.
Step 3:Ā After this, delete all files that includeĀ .dmg extensions. Remember to drag them to aĀ Trash. Or Select Multiple Files by (Command + Click) > Right click (Control + Click) > Move to Trash.
Solution #8. Delete unused language files
Step 1: Access the Finder App on your Mac.
Step 2:Ā SelectĀ ApplicationsĀ from the left pane >Ā Control-clickĀ on the desired app.
Step 3: From the contextual menu, select Show Package Contents.
Step 4: Access the Content Folder > Resource Folder.
Step 5: Vanish out all subfolders with .lproj format except for those that are needed.
Step 6: Empty Trash.
Solution #9. Clean your desktop
If your Mac desktop is filled with folders, screenshots, email reports, documents, and more, itās time for you to start cleaning up to free up storage space on your Mac. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Access Finder on your Mac.
Step 2: Go to Desktop from the left pane. Select the Sort Icon from menu.
Step 3: Select Size from the menu to see the largest files and delete them if you donāt want them.
Solution #10. Delete System Junk
Note that system junk is one of the prominent reasons why your Mac is running slow. Thus, deleting junk files is the best solution. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Access the Finder on your Mac.
Step 2: Select Go from Mac menu bar. Click on Go To Folderā¦
Step 3: Enter ~/Library/Logs. Press Return to access folder.
Step 4: Choose Log Files you want to delete and move it to Trash.
Step 5: After this, navigate back to Go To Folder⦠and type /Library/Logs to access unnecessary system application logs.
Step 6: Enter /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports to find system report. You can delete these as well.
Step 7: Clear your Trash, and after this, restart your Mac.
Solution #11. Remove Login ItemsĀ
Login items are applications that run when you switch the Mac. As of now, every app on your Mac focuses on becoming as prominent as feasible and get configured into login items. In this scenario, most users donāt know which app they are as all of them appear in the Mac dock. On the other hand, such apps acquire extra space, and thus, we suggest removing the apps from log-in items.
Step 1: Go to the Apple Menu located at the top left corner of Mac. Select System Settings⦠from menu.
Step 2:Ā ChooseĀ GeneralĀ in the left pane. Click onĀ Login ItemsĀ on the right side.
Step 3:Ā Next, select theĀ AppĀ you want to remove and click onĀ – MinusĀ IconĀ to remove from login items.Ā
Solution #12. Compress files you infrequently use
If there is short storage, zipping or compressing files allows you to save a little space even without deleting them. To compress the files on your Mac computer, Control-click the file or files you are willing to compress. After this, choose Compress on the prompted menu.
Solution #13. Clean out cachesĀ Ā
As we all know that Mac is a great tool to enhance productivity. It has a lot of things under the hood, likewise, a cache files that are stored to improve your efficiency. However, the only drawback of cache is that it creates a lot of clutter over time and acquires lots of Mac storage. Thus, we suggest removing cache from Mac. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Click on the Finder Icon from Mac Dock.
Step 2: Select Go from the Mac menu bar. Next, choose Go To Folders⦠from the contextual menu.
Step 3: Enter ~/Library/Caches and then clean the content of the folders that you find there.
Step 4: Empty the Trash.
Solution #14. Delete Browser Cache
The more you surf online, the larger cache will be stored. However, each browser has its own method of clearing the cache. In this article, we have covered the steps for Safari and Chrome.
For Safari users
Step 1:Ā PressĀ Command + SpaceĀ to access Spotlight search. EnterĀ SafariĀ and click on it to open.
Step 2:Ā Click onĀ SafariĀ from Mac menu bar. SelectĀ Settingsā¦Ā from contextual menus.
Step 3:Ā Now, go toĀ Advanced TabĀ and then check the box next toĀ Show Features for Web Developers.Ā
Step 4:Ā Next, click onĀ DevelopĀ from the Mac Menubar. In the menu, selectĀ Empty Cache.Ā
For Chrome users
Step 1:Ā PressĀ Command + SpaceĀ to access Spotlight search. EnterĀ ChromeĀ and click on it to open.
Step 2:Ā Click onĀ More Icon (Three Vertical Dots)Ā at the top right corner. SelectĀ Settingsā¦Ā or pressĀ Command + ,.
Step 3:Ā Go toĀ Privacy And Security > Clear Browsing Data > Cached Images and Files.Ā
Solution #15. Find and delete duplicate files
Duplicates are unacceptable. We repeatedly keep downloading photos and photos, make multiple copies of the same documents and files, and them everywhere on our Macs. However, having duplicate files requires lots of space and clutter your backup. To find duplicate folders, you can use Smart Folders; follow the steps below.
You already know what folders are. In Finder, press Command + Shift + N to create a new folder, and then you can store files inside it.
On the other hand, a smart folder allows you to have whose content type is based on the parameters you selectāfor instance, a folder with PDFs whose name consumes the word. For a better understanding, you can follow the steps below.
Step 1:Ā Click on theĀ Finder IconĀ to access it. SelectĀ FilesĀ from Mac menu bar.
Step 2:Ā From the contextual menu, selectĀ New Smart Folder.
Step 3:Ā Next, click on theĀ + IconĀ at the top right corner.Ā
Step 4:Ā Use the dropdown menus to configure the parameters. For instance, If you want to search for PDFs whose file name begins with XYZ. So, in the Kind dropdown, select PDF. Doing so will list all PDFs stored in Mac.Ā
Step 5:Ā Click on theĀ Plus IconĀ again, located at the top right corner.
Step 6:Ā Choose aĀ NameĀ from the contextual menu. From the following contextual menu, selectĀ Contains. Within the adjacent text box, jot down theĀ PDF nameĀ to see all duplicate PDFs.Ā
Step 7:Ā From the result, you can drag-drop files in theĀ Trash.Ā
Remove duplicate Photos from macOS Photos App
Appleās Photos app is an outstanding editing tool; although you have option to reverse edit, but some users press Command + D to duplicate photos and then edit the copy. This eventually leads to acquiring extra storage space. So here is how to find and delete them.
Note: Remember that duplicate photos are saved with the same name with a version number. To delete them, follow the steps below.
Step 1:Ā PressĀ Command + SpaceĀ to access Spotlight search. EnterĀ PhotosĀ and click on it to open.
Step 2:Ā Go toĀ theĀ All Photos Tab. Enter the photo name in the search bar.Ā
Step 3:Ā Control-Click on the duplicate image, and from the contextual menu, selectĀ DeleteĀ option.
Solution #16. Delete unused media
Ensure to clear media you no longer want. For instance, earlier, you might have downloaded a podcast, and now you no longer need it. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1:Ā PressĀ Command + SpaceĀ to access Spotlight Search. EnterĀ PodcastsĀ and click on it to open.
Step 2:Ā SelectĀ DownloadedĀ from the left pane.
Step 3:Ā Choose theĀ PodcastĀ and click onĀ More(…)Ā next to it.
Step 4:Ā From the contextual menu, selectĀ Remove Download.Ā
Solution #17. Use External Storage
You can use an external storage solution, such as a hard drive or USB drive, to store all your Mac-heavy data that you canāt delete. For that, you read our article on theĀ Best SSD for MacĀ &Ā Best USB-C flash drive for Mac.
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Final Verdict!
That’s It! This is how you can clear your Mac. Further, if you find any solution not mentioned in this article, please let me know by dropping in the comment box below.
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