{"id":10253,"date":"2017-12-28T08:06:02","date_gmt":"2017-12-28T16:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.hellotech.com\/?p=10253"},"modified":"2021-06-11T05:11:25","modified_gmt":"2021-06-11T12:11:25","slug":"10-ways-free-up-mac-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hellotech.com\/blog\/10-ways-free-up-mac-space","title":{"rendered":"10 Foolproof Ways to Free Up Space on Your Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When the dreaded \u201cYour startup disk is almost full\u201d error rears its ugly head, there’s always a moment of panic but there are easy solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep your Mac running smoothly, you need to have 10% of your storage free at all times. That can be a little tricky considering the built-in solid-state drive (SSD) on the latest MacBooks starts at a pedestrian 128GB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before your storage space gets in the way of your Mac experience, keep your hard drive clean with these tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remove Languages You Don\u2019t Use <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being localized in over 25 languages means the Mac OS X installs that many languages on your machine. Although the multiple language support can be handy, you probably won\u2019t ever be using that many dialects on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get rid of extra language files that you won\u2019t need, go to the Resources<\/em> folder. Look for folders ending in .lproj<\/em> as each of those will include a language file. From there, you should be able to send them to the trash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toggle Empty Trash Automatically <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Selecting this option on macOS Sierra will empty files in your trash after they\u2019ve been there for a long time. While you may be worried that you might end up deleting something important, the feature gives you 30 days to sort through your trash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you click the \u201cTurn On\u201d button, you will see a prompt asking if you\u2019re sure you want to erase what\u2019s in your trash automatically. Because a month seems too long a time to completely overlook any crucial files that you may have deleted by accident, we recommend proceeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Declutter the Photo Library <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your photo library is one of those places that you won\u2019t notice occupying tens of gigabytes until it\u2019s too late. Before that happens, it\u2019s worth taking some time to see which extra shots you can afford to delete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019ve been a long-time Mac user who may have migrated to the Photos app from iPhoto or Aperture, don\u2019t be surprised to find that Aperture\/iPhoto may still have some unnecessary associated files lurking in your computer. Before deleting those files, it’s worth copying your entire photo library to an external drive for safekeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try the Reduce Clutter Feature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Can\u2019t figure out which documents you don\u2019t really need? Try out Mac\u2019s Reduce Clutter option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning this option on allows the computer to review all the content it stores and deletes older documents. Before that happens, click on Review Files<\/em> where you\u2019ll be taken to a pane that shows Downloads, File Browser, and Large Files. You\u2019ll see the largest files on your Mac, including when you last accessed them. Simply click on the magnifying glass icon to get a preview of the file and if you think they\u2019re expendable at this point, click on the \u201cx\u201d button to delete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear Up the Downloads Folder <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our bet is that your Downloads<\/em> folder is stuffed with PDFs, disk image files, images, etc. that you probably no longer need. If that\u2019s the case, you can do a quick cleanup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Begin with disk images. When you\u2019ve already installed their contents, you likely won\u2019t need them anymore. Even if they contain apps, you probably have to install the latest versions anyway. Go ahead and delete them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set Optimize Storage on Automatic <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Certain media content and email attachments can add up over time and clog your Mac\u2019s storage. In that case, we recommend toggling this built-in feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn it on and your system will delete films or TV shows you\u2019ve already watched. It will also get rid of email attachments. Don\u2019t worry about losing either because you actually won\u2019t. Emails are stored in the iCloud. You can also download shows you\u2019ve purchased from iTunes for free anytime. It\u2019ll save you a ton of space if you let your Mac help you with de-cluttering your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quit Apps Running in the Background <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you let applications run without quitting them, they create temporary files to store data. The problem with that is the longer the app runs, the bigger those files become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re in need of every extra inch of space on your Mac, quit apps that you may have left open for several days or more. Another option is to restart your Mac. Either should free up disk space on your computer. Whenever you quit an app, you instantly regain much-needed disk space as cached files get deleted. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Save Files to the Cloud <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re convinced that using cloud services is the answer to your Mac\u2019s storage woes. Not only do they help you regain space on your computer, but they give you remote access to crucial files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although saving files to the cloud<\/a> can offer your Mac temporary relief, it comes with a major drawback. Using free cloud storage services like OneDrive and Dropbox will eventually take up space on your computer, especially when you have to install their apps. Pay for their premium storage and you\u2019ll likely find yourself running out of disk space sooner. Luckily, these services can be set to sync only files and folders you specify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides these options, you can always try Google Drive as it can back up your entire Mac<\/a> already. The iCloud<\/a> is at your disposal, too. The only problem with using iCloud is its 5GB free storage is too small and anything more can get exponentially expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delete Unwanted Apps and Their Support Files <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll be surprised at how many unnecessary\/unused apps are hoarded in a short span of time. Are you a long-time Mac user? The apps you\u2019ve accumulated over the years will probably be high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A likely reason you\u2019ve hoarded so many unwanted apps is that most macOS X apps come in bundles. While trashing the application is easy, getting rid of support files isn\u2019t. You\u2019d be lucky if the application you\u2019re deleting includes an uninstaller. If it doesn\u2019t, you probably need some third-party app to do the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transfer Files to an External Storage Device <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The simplest and most straightforward way to address your Mac storage dilemma is to go old school. Get yourself a handy, dependable external storage device and back up all your files so you can free up computer disk space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can\u2019t make up your mind what storage solution to get? Read up on our insightful storage device guide<\/a> to know which one to buy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the dreaded \u201cYour startup disk is almost full\u201d error rears its ugly head, there’s always a moment of panic but there are easy solutions. To keep your Mac running smoothly, you need to have 10% of your storage free at all times. That can be a little tricky considering the built-in solid-state drive (SSD) on the latest MacBooks starts at a pedestrian 128GB. Before your storage space gets in the way of your Mac experience, keep your hard drive clean […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17594,17580],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computers","category-tips-and-tricks"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n10 Foolproof Ways to Free Up Space on Your Mac - The Plug - HelloTech<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Short on Mac disk space? These easy ways will free up space and declutter your computer in a short amount of time. 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