Macs are packed with the newest technologies, and each year we have the pleasure to enjoy something new. On the other hand, Macs still have very small hard drives that can fill up with files and apps very quickly.
Especially if you have upgraded from a Windows computer to a Mac, you are used to storing both all useful and completely unneeded files on your computer. Even though Macs have small hard drives but it also gives them many advantages – like fast booting and overall speed and efficiency.
Unfortunately, a full hard drive will make your Mac run slower earlier than you would expect. So knowing how to properly free up disk space on your Mac’s hard drive is crucial for your computer’s performance. To deal with this issue faster, you can check out this overview that will help you analyze disk space and use our tips for freeing space on your Mac manually.
Tip #1: Always Empty the Trash Bin
As there is a Recycle Bin on all of the computers with Windows operating systems, so there is a Trash Bin on every macOS. If you used a Windows computer before and emptied the trash only when you were not able to download large files anymore, with a Mac, it has to change.
This is because of the previously mentioned reason – Mac has a very small hard drive; therefore, it fills up way much quicker than on any other computer, which leads to an underperforming Mac. And if you have already invested your money into an expensive device like Mac, we believe that you want it to function fast and help you become more productive.
So try to form a healthy habit and clean the Trash Bin as often as you can. Ideally, empty it every time you finish working with your computer. Of course, it may be hard to remember to do that at first, but the more often you do it, the easier it will become. Also, you can turn on a feature that automatically empties the Trash Bin when 30 days have passed after file deletion.
Tip #2: Delete Files You Do Not Need
If you would know how many files can be easily accumulated over time, it may really surprise you. We all surely have some that we truly do not need anymore. For example, if you would check out your Downloads folder, we are pretty sure you would find quite some files that are used only once – installation files, all kinds of flyers, and similar files.
To have a better understanding of how much of disk space is taken up by different types of files, you can easily do it by clicking on the Apple icon that is located in the left corner of your Mac’s screen. After you click it, choose the About This Mac option from the drop-down menu. When you see the Overview section, choose the tab named Storage.
Now, you will need to be patient and give your Mac a couple of moments to calculate the data. After that, it will show you how much disk space is taken up by different categories of files and apps: Apps, Photos, Music Creation, Documents and Others, System, and Other. If you find yourself having a lot of photo files, a good idea is to either keep it in cloud storage or in an external hard-drive.
Tip #3: Manage Storage Space
After you have checked what kind of file and app categories are taking the most disk storage space on your Mac, do not close the window that is currently open. If you click the Manage option that is located on the right side of the window, this function can give you some great suggestions about how you can free up even more disk space on your Mac’s hard drive.
One of the options is called Store in iCloud. This means that your Mac will be keeping the files not on the hard drive but in iCloud, which will help you have more disk space. More to it, all your photos or other files will always be easily accessible – you will find them on your computer, in the same folder that you left them. And if the iCloud storage space is not enough for you, you can always upgrade to a better plan that costs only 0.99 cents/month for 50 GB storage.
Also, you can choose the option to Optimize Storage. This function is pretty recent, and what it does is it removes the TV shows and movies if you have already watched them, which is a thing that many of us forget to do. Also, you can use the two other options that will clean the items out of the Trash Bin automatically if they have been there longer than 30 days. The last option is to Reduce Clutter – this one will sort through all kinds of documents and other items and remove what is unnecessary.
