Mac Tips & Tricks: Storage cleanup - get your space back without losing a thing.
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Storage cleanup - get your space back without losing a thing.
Sooner or later every Mac shows that dreaded 'Your disk is almost full' message, usually just as you are trying to install an update or save something important. The good news is that macOS has a surprisingly good set of built-in tools for finding what is eating your space, and most of them take only a few minutes. In this edition we show you where to look, what is safe to remove, and how to let your Mac tidy up after itself so the problem does not come back.
1. See where your space has gone.
Before deleting anything, it helps to know what is actually taking up room. macOS gives you a clear colour-coded breakdown, and it is the best place to start every clean-up.
→ Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, then General, then Storage.
→ Wait a moment for the bar to finish calculating, then look at which categories are largest.
→ Click the small info button beside any category to see the biggest items in it.
→ Don't worry if 'System Data' looks large - it holds caches and logs that macOS manages for you.
2. Hunt down the biggest files.
A handful of large files, such as old videos, disk images and forgotten downloads, usually account for most of the clutter. Finding them is quicker than you might expect.
→ In Storage settings, click the info button beside Documents and choose Large Files.
→ In Finder, press Cmd+F, set the filter to File Size, and choose 'is greater than' 500 MB.
→ Open your Downloads folder, switch to List view with Cmd+2, and click the Size column to sort.
→ Press the spacebar on any file to preview it with Quick Look before you decide.
3. Let your Mac tidy up automatically.
The Recommendations at the top of the Storage screen are worth a look. Turn on the ones that suit you and your Mac will quietly keep things in check without any effort from you.
→ Switch on 'Empty Bin Automatically' so items are removed after 30 days.
→ Use 'Optimise Storage' to remove watched Apple TV films and old Mail attachments from your Mac.
→ Empty the Bin yourself with Cmd+Shift+Delete when you want the space back straight away.
→ Check the Applications list in Storage and remove apps you have not opened in months.
4. Use iCloud to lighten the load.
If you already pay for iCloud storage, it can hold your older files and photos while keeping them available whenever you need them. Your Mac simply keeps the most recent items close to hand.
→ Choose 'Store in iCloud' in the Storage recommendations to move Desktop, Documents and Photos.
→ In Photos settings, select 'Optimise Mac Storage' to keep smaller versions on your Mac.
→ Click a cloud icon in Finder to download a file again whenever you need it.
→ Make sure your most important files have finished uploading before you remove local copies.
• Check your Storage settings once a month - it takes less than a minute.
• Aim to keep at least 10 to 15 percent of your disk free so your Mac stays quick.
• Back up with Time Machine before any big clean-up, just in case.
• If you are not sure what something is, leave it alone or ask us.
• If you are reading this through your employer's TechBenefits scheme, our team is always happy to help you choose a Mac with the right amount of storage.
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Farpoint Developments Ltd. · farpoint.co.uk · 01225 460 678
