How To Clean Log Files on Mac
Log files are useful extremely, as they are a sort of repository for everything that happens on the Mac system. More specifically, they are of particular use when it comes to identifying the specific circumstances that lead to a particular system crash or application error. While convenient, the information stored inside log files is accessed by the user rarely, as most often than not it consists of mostly technical terms and designations, or it requires a specialized software tool to make it readable.
In general, log files take up a minuscule amount of hard disk space, but that may no longer be the case after a prolonger period. Furthermore, old and outdated logs could cause software conflicts under rare circumstances.
Manually Deleting Log Files on Mac
- Open Finder, select the Go menu, and pick 'Go to Folder.'
- Type ~/Library/Logs and hit Enter.
- Select all files in this destination and move them to the Trash.
- Restart the Mac.
Helpful tips: Make sure that you are deleting the log files themselves and not the entire folders they are contained in. Also, if you are trying to free up space on your drive, do not forget to empty the Trash after you've finished removing the log files.
Certain logfiles also can be found in the /var/log folder, but not everything stored there is safe for removal so you may want to leave things as they are in this location.