How Do I Free Disk Space On My Mac

  1. How Do I Free Disk Space On My Macbook Air
  2. How Do I Free Disk Space On My Macbook
  3. Free Up Space Macbook
  4. How Do I Free Up Disk Space On My Mac El Capitan
  5. Mac Os Free Space

The Get Info window for your startup disk will open. In the General pane, the Capacity, Available (free space), and space Used on your startup disk will be displayed, as seen in the following screen shot: Simple ways to free space. You can employ any of the following tips to increase the free space available on your Mac OS X startup disk.

  1. An overfilled startup disk will also cause your MacBook to run slower since it won’t be able to use RAM as effectively. This means keeping your disk clean is extremely important for daily operations. To check what’s taking up space on your mac, you can choose “Manage” on the startup disk warning notification.
  2. Open the Apple menu (the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen). Click 'About this Mac'. Click 'Storage'. This overview will show what categories are taking up the most space, as well as how much space is available on your Mac.

Freeing space on your Mac OS X startup disk

This extract from a chapter of our book Troubleshooting Mac® OS X describes several ways to free-up space on your Mac OS X startup disk, also known as your Mac OS X boot volume.

While you could replace your current hard drive with a larger model, or install a second internal hard drive if your Mac will support such, the following tips will help you to free some space without changing your hardware. Additional tips are provided for saving more space if you have a second internal hard drive or an available partition.

Determining available space on your startup disk

To check how much free space is available on your startup disk:

  1. In Finder®, select your startup disk's icon. For most users, this is Macintosh HD.
  2. Press the Command-I keyboard combination.
  3. The Get Info window for your startup disk will open. In the General pane, the Capacity, Available (free space), and space Used on your startup disk will be displayed, as seen in the following screen shot:

Simple ways to free space

You can employ any of the following tips to increase the free space available on your Mac OS X startup disk without altering your hardware.

Empty the Trash

As obvious as it may sound, some folks regularly Trash files but neglect to periodically empty the Trash. In Finder, select Finder > Empty Trash or, under Mac OS X 10.3 or later, you can also select Finder > Secure Empty Trash.

Do not use the Trash as a temporary storage area: only put an object in the Trash if you are sure it is no longer needed.

Some applications, such as iPhoto® and Mail, have their own Trash, spearate from the Trash seen in the Dock. Emptying the application’s Trash may delete its contents immediately or move its contents to your personal Trash, which you can then empty as noted above.

Archive old files

Archive — move, copy and delete, or backup and remove — files you do not use regularly to CD or another backup medium.

If you have not done so already, this is an excellent time to consider implementing a comprehensive backup and recovery solution.

Mac OS X 10.3 Panther® and later include a built-in function for creating compressed archives of files or folders. These archives are generally far smaller than the original files they contain, provided the original is not already in a compressed format. To use this function, see the following AppleCare® Knowledge Base document corresponding to the version of Mac OS X you are using:

Clean up system logs and temporary files

Follow the advice in our 'Running Mac OS X Maintenance Scripts' FAQ to regularly execute the Mac OS X maintenance routines that clean up System logs and temporary files created as part of the UNIX® underpinnings of Mac OS X.

Remove unused localization files

If you selected the Easy Install option when installing Mac OS X, localization files for over a dozen languages are installed. These files enable the Mac OS X interface to appear in a variety of languages. You can save roughly 200MB of disk space by removing unneeded localization files using the freeware utility Monolingual.

Warning:

Be sure to thoroughly read the instructions before using Monolingual. Only use a version that is compatible with the version of Mac OS X you have installed.

Never remove English localization files. Many applications require English and will not open if English is removed.

Delete the Previous Systems folder from a prior Archive and Install

If you have performed an Archive and Install of Mac OS X, a Previous Systems folder was created containing your prior Mac OS X System folder. Once you are satisfied that your Mac is functioning properly after an Archive and Install, you can delete the Previous Systems folder as follows:

  • Mac OS X 10.3 Panther® or later:
  1. Using your Admin account, drag the Previous Systems folder to the Trash.
  2. Type your Admin password when requested to authenticate this operation.
  3. Empty the Trash.
  • Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar: See the AppleCare Knowledge Base document 'Mac OS X 10.2: How to Delete a Previous Systems Folder.'

Uninstall unused applications

If your Macintosh HD > Applications folder is cluttered with applications you are no longer using or trial software that shipped with your Mac that you do not intend to use, then uninstall them.

Delete old iTunes Library file backups

Recent versions of iTunes® create a backup of your current iTunes Library file whenever the iTunes application is updated. After you are satisfied that an iTunes update is performing nominally, trash old iTunes Library files with your Home > Music > Previous iTunes Library folder, then empty the Trash.

Remove old iOS device backups

Apple iOS® devices (iPad®, iPhone®, iPod touch®) automatically back up specific files and settings to your Mac whenever they are connected to your computer. The backups are saved in your Home > Library > Application Support > MobileSync > Backup folder. While you should retain your most recent backups from these devices, older backups can be deleted in the Devices pane of iTunes preferences. For details, see the following AppleCare Knowledge Base documents:

Trashed iDVD or GarageBand? Don't forget the loops and themes…

Mac

If you plan to uninstall iDVD® or GarageBand® by moving these applications' icons from the Macintosh HD > Applications folder to the Trash, be sure to also trash the corresponding iDVD or GarageBand folders within the Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support folder. These folders contain iDVD themes and GarageBand loops and instruments, respectively, that consume several gigabytes of disk space.

Uninstall Mac OS 9

If your PowerPC™-based Mac can only start up into Mac OS X and you have no need for Classic mode, you can uninstall Mac OS 9 to save additional space.

More ways to save space if you have a spare partition or second hard drive

If you have an available partition or a second hard drive, you can also save space on your Mac OS X startup disk with the following additional tips.

Move your iTunes Music folder to another disk or partition

To change the location of your iTunes Music folder, carefully follow the instructions in the AppleCare® Knowledge Base document 'iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Music folder.' Additional information can be found in iTunes Help.

Laptop users may want to consider having two iTunes libraries: a small library of current favorites on their computer, while their complete library resides on an external hard drive. Utilities like iTunes Library Manager enable you to easily have multiple iTunes libraries you can use with your account.

You can investigate other solutions for managing multiple iTunes libraries by searching MacUpdate and VersionTracker.

Move your iPhoto Library folder to another disk or partition

To move the iPhoto Library folder to a new location, employ the instructions in the AppleCare Knowledge Base document from this list corresponding to the version of iPhoto you are using. Additional information can be found in iPhoto Help.

Laptop users may want to consider having two iPhoto libraries: a small library of current, favorite photographs on their computer, while their complete library, or archives of older photos are saved on an external hard drive. Utilities such as iPhoto Buddy and iPhoto Library Manager enable you to have multiple iPhoto libraries that you can use with your account.

You can investigate other solutions for managing multiple iPhoto libraries by searching MacUpdate and VersionTracker.

What about moving my Home or Users folder?

The UNIX underpinnings of Mac OS X make it possible to move either your Home folder or the entire Users folder to a different disk or partition. While this seemed to work well for some users in the early days of Mac OS X, it has become problematic with respect to Mac OS X Updates.

For example, we know of at least one Mac OS X Security Update that expected the Users folder on the Mac OS X startup disk. Those who had relocated Users to another partition had problems installing this update. Consequently, we do not recommend moving either your Home or Users folders to a different disk or partition.

Finding lost disk space

If you find your Mac OS X startup disk has become full unexpectedly:

  1. Check Console for clues. In particular, examine the various Console logs for large blocks of identical, repeating messages. Such blocks of repeating messages often indicate a runway process is logging excessively due to either a flaw in the process itself, its logging parameters, or a problem with your Mac. Excessive logging can result in log files growing without bounds.
  2. The utilities OmniDiskSweeper and WhatSize are great for finding large, invisible files. Be sure you understand the purpose of a large file before deleting it. In particular, Virtual Memory (VM) Swap files, located in the /private/var/vm directory, should not be deleted while your Mac is running. VM Swap files are created and released dynamically by Mac OS X.

Don’t know how to check disk space on Mac? Read this guide about how to see disk space on Mac, and get a simple method to free up disk space on your Mac easily and quickly.

Mac Tips & Issue Fixes

Mac Problems & Fixes

MacClean – Your Best Mac Cleaner Software

Download MacClean prior to save your time before reading this guide on how to check and free up disk space on Mac.

All of your apps and files on your Mac are stored on your hard drive. You can easily check the free space on your hard disk to make sure you have enough space on your computer’s hard disk. That’s because Mac OS X needs some free space to function effectively. Just follow the instructions below to determine how much space is available.

If you want to check a Macs disk space and disk usage, this is one of the simplest ways to do so: From anywhere in Mac OS, choose the Apple menu item and select “About This Mac” At the general ‘About This Mac window’, click on the “Storage” tab (or if you’re running an earlier Mac OS X version, click on “More Info” button).

How to Check Disk Space on Mac

  • Practice FOREX - FREE or REAL at: Forex Scams: PART 2: https://www.youtube.com.
  • Here's how to free up disk space on your Mac. By Whitson Gordon. June 19, 2019 facebook. Check out our list of the best external hard drives and those that work especially well with.
  • How to check the disk space on a Mac? In order to get to the root of the problem and find the solution, you have to identify what takes up all the space on your startup disk. To get a complete idea of how your space is being applied, perform the following actions: Click the Apple icon; Choose About This Mac.

Can’t Miss: How to Clean Startup Disk on Mac >

Part 1. How to Check Disk Space on Your Mac

Step 1. On a desktop, click the Apple icon and select “About This Mac”.

Step 2. At the About This Mac window, click on the “More Info” button.

Step 3. Choose the “Storage” tab to check the disk storage overview and capacity.

Or you can

Check Disk Space On Mac

Step 1. On your Mac desktop, find your hard drive icon.

Free Up Space On Mac

Step 2. Right click it and choose “Get Info” option.

Step 3. You will see “Capacity” of drive, “Available” and “Used” space.

If you find your disk space is running out of space, you might need to clean up your Mac in order to free up disk space on your Mac. Now follow the rest part to free up disk space on Mac with an effective Mac cleaning software MacClean.

You May Like: How to Speed Up Your Mac in 3 Ways >

MacClean is one powerful cleaning tool made to free up and speed up your Mac. It works well for all Mac computers, including MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, etc. This professional software can help you remove all kinds of junk files and cookies from your Mac to get more available disk space. It can also find out malicious cookies to eliminate hidden dangers.

Part 2. How to Free Up Disk Space on Mac with MacClean

How Do I Free Disk Space On My Macbook Air

Step 1. Free download and install MacClean on your Mac computer. Take a few seconds to finish the installation process.

Step 2. Clean junk files on your Mac. You can click any junk item on the left side of this software to clean them, such as System Junk (User Junk, OSX Junk, App Leftover) and Internet Junk (Browsing History, Caches, Download History and Cookies).

How to Free Up Disk Space on Mac with MacClean – Step 2

Step 3. Delete some useless old/large files or duplicate files on your Mac. By using Cleanup and Optimization Tools of MacClean, you can easily pick out duplicates and old/large files.

How to Free Up Disk Space on Mac with MacClean – Step 3

Also Read: How to Clear All Cache on Mac >

The Bottom Line

How do i free disk space on my macbook

If your Mac is running out of space after checking the disk space on your Mac, just try MacClean to free up more disk space on your Mac. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comment section. Meanwhile, please share this guide with your friends if it is helpful for you.

How To Free Disk Space On Mac

Product-related questions? Contact Our Support Team to Get Quick Solution >

Let macOS manage space between multiple volumes

Clean Up Disk Space In Mac

With Apple File System (APFS), the file system introduced in macOS 10.13, you can easily add and delete volumes on your storage devices. APFS-formatted volumes automatically grow and shrink—you never have to repartition a storage device again.

Keep your external storage devices secure

When you get a new flash drive or other storage device, format it as APFS and encrypt it with a password to protect its contents.

How Do I Free Disk Space On My Macbook

How To Check Disk Space For Mac

Free Up Space Macbook

Give your disk a checkup

If you’re having problems with a disk, Disk Utility can check the disk and repair problems it detects.

How Do I Free Up Disk Space On My Mac El Capitan

How To Free Memory On Mac

Mac Os Free Space

To browse the Disk Utility User Guide, click Table of Contents at the top of the page.