Tricks And Tips to Free Up Space on Mac

Sometimes it seems that no matter how big the HDD or SDD installed on the device, there is never enough free space when it is needed. Indeed, many users view cleaning their Mac systems from unused applications, duplicates, forgotten large files, old backups, and more as an annoying chore. However, having sufficient free space is not just convenient, it is recommended to keep at least 15% free space to ensure the normal operations of the macOS. To help you save time and make the whole process a lot simpler, we have compiled a list of convenient tips and tricks on the topic.

Get rid of unused applications

To see which applications take up the most space on the drive quickly, open a Finder window. Then, select 'Applications' from the sidebar. Now, move to the toolbar and click on the 'Show items in a list' icon. Click 'Size' to sort your installed apps. Drag and drop the icon of any app that you haven't used in a while to the Trash. 

Remove old iTunes, iPhone and iPad backups

Creating backups of your iPhone or iPad devices creates massive files on Mac. Users then often forget about these files and are surprised when they have almost no free space available on their drives suddenly. To remove old and unnecessary backups, follow the steps:

1. Open Finder.
2. Select the 'Go' menu.
3. Choose 'Go to folder...'
4. Type or paste the  ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup location.
5. Browse the different backup folders and delete the ones you no longer need.

Clean the Downloads folder

While for some it may be an obvious starting point, many users forget to clean their Downloads folder and let it get cluttered with old files that take up enormous space. To tidy up your Downloads folder, open Finder and select it. Now, sort the items inside by file size and remove the ones at the top. Remember to also look inside the various folder as they may hide more unnecessary items ready for removal. 

Clear out temporary files

Temporary files, as their name suggests, are files facilitating a specifying operation of a particular application or Web browser. Usually, they are extremely small but under certain conditions, they could start to pile up on the drive and take up an abnormal amount of space. Temporary files are stored in the system's Cache folder so users can access it and start removing the files they do not need manually.

1. Open Finder.
2. Select the 'Go' menu.
3. Open 'Go to Folder.'
4. Type or paste ~/Library/Caches in the new window.
5. Navigate through the various folders inside and delete the temporary files you deem unnecessary.