Is the disk space of your Mac (Book) full? You can do something about that. In this article, we list 7 tips to free up storage.
Free up Mac disk space
Do you have a MacBook and are you at your limit when it comes to storage? There are a number of things you can do, even if you prefer not to delete apps or data.
1. Delete large files
First of all, you can delete large files that are not used to free up memory on your mac. However, if you have downloaded a lot, you can lose track of the files you have. You can scroll through all the folders in the Finder to see what you do and don’t need, but having tons of files in the download folder is a hopeless task.
It is therefore more convenient to go to a folder and organize files by size. To do this, click on the gear at the top of the window in Finder. Click ‘Sort by’ and choose ‘Size. View which large files you have and check whether you are still using them. If not, it’s best to move them to the trash.
2. Restart Mac or programs
Programs that you have open secretly store some temporary data in the background. How about Safari or Chrome or programs like Photoshop? The longer you run them, the more files they create and the more disk space they take up.
Restarting your Mac (Book) every now and then will delete the temporary files, which saves a bit of space. Also really close apps when you are no longer using them. Sometimes apps remain on in the background, and sometimes they also create temporary data. To do this, press cmd + tab. You will then see which applications are still open. Hold cmd and press the Q to exit an app. Also regularly restart your MacBook to erase temporary files.
3. Delete ‘Other storage’
A huge amount of data is stored on the Mac, but it is not always clear what kind of files are involved. In addition to apps, photos and movies, your Mac also categorizes a large amount of data under the ‘Other’ category.
These are often documents, plug-ins, system data and cache memory stored by installed apps. The files are not harmful, but they take up a significant amount of disk space. By removing this you will quickly free up a lot of memory.
To see how much other storage your Mac is using, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, then click “About This Mac.” In the tab “Storage” you can see which categories your data is divided into, and how much disk space each category uses.
- Click on ‘Go’ in Finder at the top of the menu bar;
- Click on ‘Go to folder …’
- Type ~ / Library / Caches in the text field and press ‘Go’;
- You will now see the folders with saved data of all installed apps.
Here you can delete folders from apps that you no longer use or have already been deleted. It is of course wise to only delete these folders. Deleting folders from apps you still use can cause problems.
4. Optimized storage
Your MacBook can also give you a hand with freeing up disk space. Using Optimized Storage, your Mac gives you tips and recommendations on how to use files and programs as little as possible on your MacBook’s memory.
- You activate this function by clicking on the Apple icon at the top left and then on ‘About this Mac’.
- Under the ‘Storage’ tab, choose ‘Manage’.
- Your Mac calculates how much space is being used and gives you recommendations on how to optimize the storage space.
Choose one of the ways to limit the amount of data from apps and files as much as possible by means of automated functions. For example, you can automatically empty your trash or automatically delete films and programs that you have watched.
Knowing more? Read: How to optimize the storage space of your Mac or MacBook
5. Store files in the cloud
If you run out of space on the hard drive, you can also store files elsewhere. With services such as iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox you can save your documents and files. You often get a few GB for free to try out the service and you have to pay a certain amount every month if you want more space.
The price for this differs, but is often not too bad. For the iCloud, for example, you can increase your storage tenfold with 1 euro per month. A handy thing about such a cloud service is that you can access it from any device: you are therefore not tied to a device and can also access your cloud files from your iPhone, for example.
Also read: iCloud storage full: free up, buy or downgrade space in 3 steps
6. Micro SD card or external hard drive
If you prefer not to have your files stored in the cloud, you can choose to store them locally on an external hard drive or a micro SD card. This is especially useful for (large) files that you do not want to throw away, but do not have to be standard on your Mac.
Think of films, photos of old holidays or other documents. When you buy a hard drive, you may have to format it for a MacBook for the first time. Then you can always plug it in.
When purchasing, pay attention to the space it offers and the writing speed of the memory card, so that you can quickly transfer files to the new disk or card.
7. Empty the trash
Maybe obvious, but don’t forget to empty the trash. If you have clicked on a file and pressed delete, the file is not completely gone. It is then moved to the trash, but still retrievable. For example, if you’ve trashed the cache of deleted apps, they will still take up disk space in the trash.
To permanently delete this, right-click on the trash can in the Dock. Select ‘Empty trash can’. Your files have now been permanently deleted.
Knowing more?
Do you want to read more useful MacBook tips? On iPhone we regularly give practical tips about macOS. For example, we explain how you can best clean a MacBook, or how you can operate a MacBook from your iPhone. We also explain how you can type emoji and symbols everywhere.