Is the disk space of your Mac (Book) full? You can do something about that. If you want to kno whow to save space on your Macbook, no problem. In this article we list 7 tips to free up storage on your Mac.
Free up Mac disk space
Do you have a MacBook and you are about to hit your storage limit? No problem. There are a number of things you can do, even if you prefer not to delete apps or data to save disk space on Macbook.
Here are step-by-step instructions for how to free up space on Macbook Air, or MacBook Pro.
1. Delete large files
First of all, you can delete large files that you don’t use to free up memory on your mac. However, if you have downloaded a lot, you can lose the overview of the files you have. You can scroll through all the folders of the Finder to see what you do and don’t need, but if you have multiple files in the download folder, that’s not possible.
It is therefore more convenient to go to a folder and organize files by size. In Finder, click the gear at the top of the window. Click on “Sort by” and choose “Size. See which large files you all have and see if you still use them. If not, it’s best to move them to the Trash.
2. Restart Mac or apps
Another best way to save space on Macbook it’s by performing a restart. Apps that you have open secretly keep some temporary data in the background. How about Safari or Chrome or apps like Photoshop? The longer you run them, the more files they create and the more disk space they take up.
Restarting your Mac (Book) every now and then will delete the temporary files, which again saves a bit of disc space. Always close apps when you are not using them. Sometimes apps continue to run in the background, and sometimes they also create temporary data. To do this, press cmd + tab. You will then see which applications are still open. Hold cmd and press Q to exit an app. Also, restart your MacBook regularly to clear temporary files.
3. Remove “Other storage”
Whether you want to save space on Macbook Pro, MacBook Air or MacBook mini, you’ll love this tip. A huge amount of data is stored on the Mac, but it is not always clear what kind of files it concerns. In addition to apps, photos and movies, your Mac also accumulates a large amount of data under the “Other” category.
These are often documents, plugins, system data and cache memory that are stored by installed apps. The files are not harmful, but they do take up a lot of disk space. By removing these you quickly free up a lot of memory. Also read How to delete documents and data on iPhone or iPad
To see how much other storage your Mac is using, simply follow these steps:
- click the Apple icon in the top left of your screen, then click “About this Mac.”
- In the tab “Storage” you can see in which categories your data is divided, and how much disk space each category uses.
- Click “Go” in the Finder at the top of the menu bar;
- Click on “Go to folder …”
Type ~ / Library / caches in the text box and press “Go”;
You will now see the folders with saved data of all installed apps.
Here you can delete folders from apps that you no longer use or have already been deleted. It is of course important to delete only these folders. Deleting folders from apps you are still using can cause problems.
4. Optimized storage
Your MacBook can also help you free up disk space. Through Optimized Storage, your Mac gives you tips and recommendations on how to use up your MacBook’s files and programs as little memory as possible.
You activate this function by clicking on the Apple icon at the top left and then on “About this Mac”.
Under the tab “Storage” choose “Management”.
Your Mac calculates how much space it uses and gives you recommendations to optimize storage space.
Choose one of the ways to minimize the amount of data from apps and files using automated functions. For example, you can have your trash automatically emptied, or automatically remove films and programs that you have watched.
5. Store files in the cloud
If you’re running out of space on the hard drive, you can also store files elsewhere. With services like iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox you can save your documents and files. Often you get a few GB for free to try out the service and you have to pay a certain amount every month if you want more space.
The price for this differs, but is often not too bad. For the iCloud, for example, you can increase your storage 10 times with 0.99 dollars per month. One benefits of such a cloud service is that you can access it from any device: so you are not limited to one device. You can also access your cloud files from your iPhone, for example.
6. Use micro SD card or external hard drive
If you prefer not to have your files stored in the cloud, you can choose to store them locally on an external hard drive or a micro-SD card. This is especially useful for (large) files that you do not want to throw away, but do not need to have on your Mac as standard.
Think of films, photos from old holidays or other documents. When you buy a hard drive, you may need to format it for aMac for the first time. Then you can always plug it in.
7. Empty the trash
It might sound obvious, but don’t forget to empty the trash. If you clicked a file and pressed delete, the file is not completely gone. It has actually been moved to the trash but still retrievable. For example, if you have thrown out the cache of deleted apps, they will still take up disk space in the trash.
To permanently remove it, right-click on the Trash in the Dock. Choose “Empty trash”. Your files are now permanently deleted.
How do i free up disk space on my Mac? Now you know
We trust this guide has helped you free up space on your Mac.
And that covers everything about how to free up space on Macbook Air, MacBook Pro or MacBook mini. We also have plenty of other articles that I suggest you check right now.