If you ask Mac users to tell you all about the advantages of their computers, they will come up with an endless list of perks. The disadvantages are fewer, but one of them is especially significant: small hard drives. You have to pay much more if you want to get more capacity on the hard drive, and not everyone is prepared to do that when purchasing a Mac.
Apple has a policy behind its tiny hard drives: the iCloud compensates quite well for the lack of space on your computer. But sometimes you’re wondering how to cancel iCloud storage plan and free up some of the original space. No matter how low the monthly fee is, you might want to avoid it.
Let’s go through a few simple tips that will help you clean up your Mac. With that, you’ll make it faster and more enjoyable to use.
Tips: How to Free Up Storage on Mac
1. First, Check What’s Taking Up Space
You want to start by verifying the type of data that consumes the most space on your device. With that, you’ll know where to target the cleaning process.
In About This Mac (the first option under the Apple logo in the menu), you’ll find the Storage section. Here’ you’ll see details on the available and total space on your computer.
In most cases, the storage is consumed by apps, photos, podcasts, and system files. But there’s a gray area called Other, and it confuses users a lot. When a file doesn’t fit into the other types of storage, the system labels it as Other. These may be app extensions, old backups, cache files, installer packages, temporary files, and more. You might not need a big part of this data.
2. See What’s in Other Storage
In the Library folder, you’ll be able to see the data labeled as Other. You can go there by opening Finder, selecting Go to Folder, and typing ~/library in the designated field. You’ll see a massive list of folders.
Don’t start deleting random folders and files!
Deleting the wrong files may get your system in trouble. You may delete a cache from an old app that you don’t use any longer, but don’t touch any data from apps that you need. If you don’t know what a particular folder or file stands for, it’s best not to delete it.
3. Get Rid of TV Shows, Movies, and Music Files
These are the types of files you use for fun, but you don’t need on your computer. Why allow them to consume space when you can store them elsewhere?
Start with Apple Music. In the app, delete the items that you don’t want in your computer. They are already stored in the cloud, so having them on your device is pointless.
Then, do the same thing with the TV shows and movies that you downloaded to your computer from the Apple TV app. You’ll still have access to those files.
As for the photos, you should back up the ones that you still want, and get rid of everything else. This process will take some time, but you’ll end up with a cleaner and faster Mac after that.
4. Get Rid of Unnecessary Applications
Is your Mac full of apps that you no longer use? Maybe you installed Day One, Trello, and other journaling and time-management apps with every intention to use them. But you got tired of them. You haven’t opened them for months, and they are just sitting there, consuming space on your device.
Go through all apps that you installed and delete the ones you don’t need.
You can do this through the Applications option in Folder. When you see an app you don’t use, right-click on it and choose the Move to Trash option.
5. Clean the Downloads Folder
All content that you download from the web goes into the Downloads folder by default. These are old documents and files. Chances are, you no longer need them.
Open the Downloads folder and go through the list of files in it. If you see something that you need, move it into an appropriate folder. You need to categorize your files, so you’ll easily find what you need. After this process, you’ll be left with the useless data, which you can move to the trash.
Enjoy Your Computer; It Will Feel Like New
Macs are made to be fast and functional. When you clog them with loads of data, they may become sluggish. If you want to restore the experience you had when you got your computer, you can take easy steps to free up some space. Just make sure you don’t delete any crucial files!
Author Bio
James Dorian is a technical copywriter. He is a tech geek who knows a lot about modern apps that will make your work more productive. James reads tons of online blogs on technology, business, and ways to become a real pro in our modern world of innovations.
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