To clear space on Mac: 1: Delete Downloads on Mac Often Mac users don’t pay attention to the “Downloads” folder because they use it only when downloading apps and files from the internet. In fact, this folder contains a lot of unneeded documents and files that occupy a chunk of disk memory. The tool shows a breakdown of the storage space taken up on your Mac by media such as Apps, Books, Photos and others. Let's have a look at each tool to see how it can help: Store in iCloud: Quickly store files (Documents, Photos and Messages) from your Mac in iCloud. Delete Unused Applications; Use Third-Party Software to Free Storage on Mac; Delete Cache Files on Mac. In typical situations, you do not need to worry much about cache. MacOS handles them smartly. But if you are too low on storage or believe in having the cache of unused/uninstalled apps, here is how to delete them. Note: Caches are there to.
So you’ve had your Mac for a while, and things don’t feel as fresh and clean as they used to? Although Macs don’t require a lot of maintenance for cleaning, those temporary files, app leftovers, and system cache do accumulate. These files may slow down your machine and take up a lot of valuable space. In this article, we share quick and easy ways to clean up your MacBook. Let’s get started!
How to clean your Mac automatically
Here’s a simple diagram to explain the most common types of computer junk, sorted by size. Some of these, like Trash bin files, are easily reachable, while others are stored away in hidden system folders. Sadly, there’s no easy way to clear them up without special skills.
If you don’t feel like spending the next several hours cleaning your Mac manually, you can use a powerful cleaning tool CleanMyMac X to find and remove all the clutter your Mac contains. It knows which files are useless, how to find them and remove completely. CleanMyMac has everything to finish the 3-hour task of a Mac cleanup in under 5 minutes. It will even clean up the junk you didn’t know about and give your computer a speed boost.
How to clean up system storage on Mac with CleanMyMac X:
- Download CleanMyMac X for free here.
- Run the app and go to System Junk.
- Click Scan.
- Press Clean to get rid of all junk.
Done! Now your Mac looks much better!
How to Clean Mac Hard Drive Manually
If you never performed an automatic or manual system cleaning — it means that your Mac has been collecting unnecessary files and clutter for years. You can quickly clean up your Mac with these easy steps.
1. Clean up cache
You’ve probably heard “Remove your cache” as a web browser troubleshooting tip. In fact, your Mac stores a lot of information in files called caches, allowing fast access to that data and reducing the need to get it from the original source again. Unfortunately, those files take a lot of space on your Mac, and instead of speeding the things up, they slow your computer down. Therefore, if you want to give your system a boost, clean your Mac from the cache files.
There are two ways to do that: you can delete them manually or use a MacBook cleaner like CleanMyMac X to do the job for you. Of course, the second way is an easy and fast one. However, if you decide to clean up the cache manually, check out a comprehensive guide on “How to Clear Cache on a Mac.”
2. Uninstall apps you don’t use
The applications you’ve installed on your Mac take up space, of course. And over time when your Mac becomes full of different apps, it may start running slowly. How to clean MacBook? In the first place, you need to remove the apps you no longer use or need. To do this, right-click on the app you want to remove and choose Move to Bin.
You may be surprised to find out that sending an app to the Trash will not uninstall it completely because the app leftovers still remain on your Mac taking up a lot of storage. So, if you want to be a responsible Mac user, you need to uninstall applications the right way. Here’s a step-by-step guide on “How to Uninstall Apps on a Mac.”
Extra step: Trim down your login items
Login items are applications that run automatically upon startup. Nowadays, every second app tries to become as prominent as possible and get into your Login Items. First of all, you may not even know what they are (not all of them appear in the Dock). Secondly, such apps consume memory. That's enough reasons to get rid of extra login items you don't need.
- Open System Preferences.
- Go to Users & Groups.
- Choose your nickname on the left.
- Choose the Login Items tab.
- Check startup programs you want to remove.
- Press the “–” sign below.
You’re done.
3. Clean out useless duplicates
Identical photos, music tracks you’ve added one time too many, saved and re-saved PDF files… all of that sits on your Mac and gobbles up storage. The storage that could be used for better purposes.
So how do you quickly weed them out? The fastest way is to use Gemini 2: The Duplicate Cleaner.
- Download and launch the app
- Click “Scan for Duplicates”, and watch as it quickly fetches them from different corners of your Mac.
- Once the scan is done, hit Review Results and check which copies you want to remove.
- Click Smart Cleanup to delete everything you’ve selected.
That's it. Now your Mac should be completely duplicate-free.
4. Empty the trash
Even though you’ve deleted the files, they reside in your Trash bin taking up a lot of storage on your Mac. They are just waiting to be removed completely. If you want your precious hard drive space back, you need to empty the Trash.
Here’s how to clean your MacBook from the trash:
- Click and hold on the Trash can icon in the Dock.
- Click Empty and then Empty Bin.
The process is quite simple, right? There is even a more effortless way to clear Trash. CleanMyMac X scans your Mac for junk and lets you remove all trashed files. To do that, launch CleanMyMac X and press Scan. When the scan is completed, click Review Details to see what exactly CleanMyMac X has found.
I’ve already cleaned Bin a couple of weeks before, but over some time, almost a gigabyte of trashed files has accumulated. Now, I can simply click Back to Summary and then Run to clean Trash and system junk.
5. Reduce clutter
Apple has already thought about the clutter that can be generated on the Macs and provided a possible solution. Here’s how to reduce clutter on your Mac:
- Go to the Apple menu.
- Choose About This Mac and then Storage. Here you can see how much free space is left on your computer.
- Then click Manage.
Here’re some recommendations for saving space on your Mac. You can choose Review Files to examine apps, documents, and other files that are stored on your Mac.
You can choose any file in every category (Applications, Bin, Documents, etc.) and click Delete to remove it and optimize space. Look through other recommendations and make the necessary changes to use your Mac’s space more efficiently.
6. Delete large and old files
It has always been a rule of thumb among computer geeks, that you should keep a minimum of 15-20% of free space on your main hard drive. This is just a rough estimation, but the more free space you have, the faster your Mac works. A computer magazine once performed a test on this, which concluded that the difference in speed can reach as much as 35%. If you work with heavy graphics or video rendering, even more free space is recommended.
How to have more free space? Delete large and old files.
The first way is totally manual and requires you to find them one by one, while for the second way, you just need to make two clicks and CleanMyMac X will do the job for you.
How to clean up Mac with CleanMyMac X:
- Download CleanMyMac X (a link to a free edition of the app)
- Launch the program.
- Go to the Large and Old Files section on the menu.
- Click Scan.
- Review the details, select what to clean and then click Clean.
That’s it!
7. Remove old iOS backups
Having your files backed up is a wonderful thing. But over time your Mac becomes overloaded with old backups that take gigabytes of storage on your hard drive. That’s why you should consider removing the old iOS backups you no longer need.
Each backup remains stored on your computer and is accessible via iTunes. To delete the old backups, you need to do the following:
- Choose the Apple menu and then select About This Mac.
- Go to the Storage tab and click Manage.
- Here, choose iOS Files.
- Select the backup you want to remove and click Delete.
- Confirm and you’re done!
That’s it! The backup files are gone from your Mac forever.
8. Wipe out Language files
Unused language localizations take up about 1 GB of storage space. Mac applications come with language files for every language they support. It allows starting using the app in that language immediately. Cool, right? Not always. Just consider: when was the last time you used the app in Bengali or Korean? Since you don’t speak those languages, such files just waste space on your Mac. You need to remove the unnecessary language files and clean MacBook from that clutter.
How to delete the language files? Go to Finder > Applications, then right-click the app which language files you want to remove and choose Show Package Contents. Open the Resources folder and then find folders ending with “.lproj.” Every folder contains language files for one particular language. Note that for every app you should manually find and select the files to remove. But there is an automatic way to delete the language files that will save you tons of time — CleanMyMac X. Just download the application (for free) and it will do the job for you.
9. Delete old DMGs
Disk images (DMGs) often take up valuable space on your Mac. Here’s how to perform a Mac cleanup and get rid of those files:
- Open Finder and type “disk image” in the search bar.
- Then delete all files that have .dmg extensions. Don’t forget to remove them from Trash as well.
CleanMyMac X allows you to locate and delete DMGs quicker. With its System Junk module you can remove unused disk image in the single click of a button:
Just press Clean and it’s done!
10. Remove duplicates
Useless copies of your documents, files, and photos eat up your Mac’s precious space. Therefore, if you wonder how to clean up a Mac and boost its performance, try to delete the duplicates. Note that the process of finding and removing the duplicates requires either a lot of patience and time (if you decide to delete them manually) or a duplicate finder app. Whatever method you choose, make sure to check out this article on “How to Find Duplicates on Mac.”
11. Tidy up your desktop
Many people use Desktop as their primary destination for files. But this could be tricky because your OS treats every file on a desktop as an active window. When items on your desktop are too many, Finder gets substantially slower. This leads us to the most compelling advice in this article — cleaning up desktop does miracles!
Rather than just leaving every file on your desktop, organize them into folders. The latest macOS does that automatically thanks to the Stacks feature. You can also use Google Drive, Dropbox or any external storage device to save your files and keep your desktop tidy.
12. Clean your Mac’s keyboard
Our last but not least advice is to wipe your Mac’s keyboard. As you use your keyboard daily, it quickly gets dirty. Moreover, all those crumbs may live under the keys forever!
If you were wondering how to clean Mac’s keyboard, there are no special rules here. You can try blowing the dust and other particles out of your keyboard once in a while. Disinfecting wipes and alcohol-based sprays may also prove useful. Just choose the piece of fabric and wipe the keys gently to make them clean and shiny!
All in all, be careful with your system files. Don’t delete things you’re not sure about. If you are not completely confident that you can manage the task by yourself, better use a dedicated utility like CleanMyMac X to get a fresh and clean Mac in just two clicks. Here's the video describing quick tips to clean up your Mac:
Happy cleaning!
How To Clear Up Memory On Mac
These might also interest you:
“My storage on Mac is taking up crazy amount of space for some reason. What I don't understand is why does my Mac require so much space? I want to clear some storage files. Any solutions? Any help is appreciated.“
As shown above, a lot of Mac users complains that their Mac has become slow for having not enough storage. With each passing day, it is becoming lazy and slow. Instead of buying a new one, they do want to know the efficient ways to clean up storage. How can you improve your Mac’s running speed and make it more reliable? If you are looking for these answers, then here is the right place for you. In this article, we will discuss some useful ways on how to clear storage on Mac.
Understanding System Storage and Other Storage on Mac
Firstly, you need to understand what is system storage and other storage on Mac. Apple usually considers files like movies, applications, images, and documents as system storage. There are various files included in the System category, including:
- Cache from web browsers, models and other third-party applications
- Mac operating system used for multiple functions and app launching
- Any trash files and unused and temporary file
- Duplicate files
Now I will give a brief idea on other storage. Other storage in Mac includes a wide variety of files and documents, and it is not necessarily unnecessary data and files which are as follows:
- Files, Documents including DOC, PSD files and PDF files
- Extensions, different Plugins, and Applications extensions
- Archive and Compressed files and images
- iCloud used files
In simple words, other files are usually those who do not fall into a more specific category like “Video” or “audio”.
3 Most Commom Ways to Clear Storage on Mac [Not Effective]
Most of system storage and other storage files are useless that can be removed. You can clear up storage on Mac for regaining more free space. And how to get this done? Next we will introduce most common ways to clear storage files. They are also some recommendations that macOS has provided to their users.
1. Store your files in iCloud
Storing your files like ducuments, messages or photos on the icloud can help you save more space on your Mac. Whenever you want to check the files you can simply log in the icloud accound and access them. Just follow these simple steps:
- Click on storage on the Mac.
- Click on Manage option.
- Click on Store in iCloud.
2. Optimize your storage files
You can also use the Optimized Storage option on the Mac to manage your storage files. And it will present you with these options below when you click on the Optimize button.
- Delete iTunes movies and TV shows that you've already watched.
- Keep only recent email attachments.
3. Empty trash frequently
Empty trash bin on your Mac frequently and try to flush out the files that are already in Recycling so that you may clear up more space. Many files occupy ample space, so keep in mind not emptying the trash can cause your Mac to run slowly. So keep a close check on your Recycle Bin. At least clear it once in 30 days.
The most common ways we have discoussed above can be easily accessed on your device, however, they are not so effective on clearing storage. You need a more deeper clean up to release more space. And we will tell you an easy way as to delete storage on Mac in one smooth move by using powerful Mac cleaner app. One of the most popular ones is called Umate Mac Cleaner. It comes with all-in-one package, which can efficiently and completely clean up your Mac compared to the above operations.
Clear Storage on Mac with Umate Mac Cleaner in 2 Steps [Fast & Easy]
Umate Mac Cleaner comes with many powerful features, including clean up, speed up your Mac, erase private data and manage apps and extensions. And “Clean up Junk” is the core feature of the app, which can help to clear storage on Mac with single click. It contains two steps: Quick Clean & Deep Clean.
1. Quick Clean: Automatically detects useless files on your Mac and show you what is safe to clear, like system junk, app cache, iTunes junk and installation packages. It will firstly scan your Mac and all the files that are safe to be deleted will be automatically detected . You can click the “Clean” button to clean up all the junk files.
2. Deep Clean: Scans and delete specific types of unnecessary files (like iOS junk, downloads and large files) for deeper cleaning. After quick cleaning, it is clear that how much more space can be deep cleaned. If you want to do a more in-depth cleanup, then choose “Deep Clean” part to continue. Choose those items you do not require and click the 'Clean' to Clear more storage on Mac.
Below are some of the advantages and benefits that it offers.
- 100% Safe to Use: Automatically detects unnecessary junk files for safe removal.
- Time-saving Removal: Enables you to remove junk files with just one click instead of doing manually.
- Release up to 40% free space: Free space reclaimed from storage files can up to 40%.
- 2x Greater Performance: Greatly improve your Mac's performance after cleaning up.
- Trustworthy with good reputation: The developer of Umate Mac Cleaner (iMyFone) is highly recommended by famous technology websites, like Cult of Mac, Macworld, techradar, etc.
10 Additional Ways to Clear Mac Storage
There are also some other common ways to clear up storage and free up more space. As you will have to do all the work manually, so it is a somewhat complicated and not productive method. You can also delete some of your essential files by mistakes. Anyway, here are the simple introcution on how to delete storage on Mac:
Way 1. Remove large files
Store your massive documents and data in the Mac this will also prevent an additional burden on the hard disk. If you have unused large files that are of no use for you delete it.
Way 2. Delete downloaded files
Deleting any unnecessary downloads will get rid of those burdensome files that are no longer needed but still consuming ample space. Try to move the data required and downloads to the external drive, and you can use cloud drive as well.
Way 3. Clean cache files
Your Macintosh stores a lot of information as a cache that reduces the speed of Mac and makes it work slowly. These files, unfortunately, consumes a lot of space, causes your Mac to slow down. So these cache files must be clear to get your Mac in right working conditions.
Way 4. Unisntall unused applications
Applications installed On Mac may occupy a lot of disk space. With these memory-eating apps, your Mac begins to work slowly. Removing the app that are raraly used is definitely an efficient way on how to get rid of storage on Mac.
Way 5. Clean up temporary files
Clear Other Storage On Mac
When your Mac is running, the system itself will creates and piles up some temporary files. These files are useless and they are taking up your disk space on your Mac. If you do nothing about these outdated temporary files, they will become one of the reasons for your slow Mac.
Way 6. Remove plugins and extensions
Most of plugins and extensions on your Mac are useless. They just sit on the hard disk and occupys some space on the device. What's worse, these unneeded plugins and extensions will cause some problems on the Mac and you can delete them for releasing some extra storage.
Way 7. Clean up iOS backups
There are a bunch of iOS device backup files on your Mac and they are taking up a large amount of space. You can follow the path to delete those annoying backup folders.
Way 8. Delete mail attachments
You email account is also a good place to clear storage on the Mac. There are lots of email attachments on the Mail application and they are memory-hogging on your disk. However, it is a complex process if you want to delete them manually. A much eaiser way is to run a cleanup software to get rid of them.
Way 9. Delete photos and videos
Try to store all the pictures and videos in iCloud photos drive. It will not only make back up for your vital images and videos but will also be available without occupying additional space in Mac drive. Try to delete those photos which are useless to you and empty from the trash as well.
Way 10. Upgrade your hard disk drive
If you still need more space after using the methods above, then you should consider upgrade your hard disk drive to a larger one with more space. That will be definitely an efficient way to increase your storage on the Mac.
Conclusion:
How to clean up Mac storage? I think you have got the answer. You can clean up system storage files as well as other no longer needed by Umate Mac Cleaner quickly and securely. As discussed although you can do it manually as well, it will not be safe as you can mistakenly delete your important files as well in the process. So we will recommend Umate Mac Cleaner for your Mac.