You can free up storage space on Mac by reviewing files stored on your Mac. Click on the Review Files button to the files that you can delete to free up space on your Mac. You can choose from these tabs – Large files, Downloads, and File Browser. Why Should I Update My macOS? The quickest way to free up space on your Mac is to automatically remove files that you don't need. Without realizing it, you can accumulate gigabytes worth of duplicate files and folders on your computer. The problem is that it can take so much time to find and delete these duplicates that people do not bother to do it even if they want to.
/Mac Cleaner /How to Free up Space on Mac -- Complete Guide in 2020
Our Mac is one of the most useful devices that we tend to use in our everyday life, especially for people who run a business, working person, or a student. However, as time goes by, your Mac will be filled with the files and other things that you no longer need. These files can actually make your Mac run slow and can eat up your space.
In this article, we are going to show you how to free up space on Mac in both the easy way and the manual way.
Article GuidePart 1. How to Free Up Space on Mac – The Easiest and Fastest WayPart 2. How Do I Free Up Disk Space on My Mac – Manual WayPart 3. Conclusion
Part 1. How to Free Up Space on Mac – The Easiest and Fastest Way
So, how to free up space on Mac? Cleaning your Mac will definitely take a lot of your time especially if there are a lot of files or junks that are stored in it that you do not actually use and need.
However, there is definitely a way for you to clean it up the easiest and in the fastest way possible. This is by using a Mac Cleaner that has powerful functions. And with that, we have the best cleaner that you can use. This is the iMyMac PowerMyMac.
It has the ability to get rid of all the junk files that you have stored on your Mac. It can also remove all the email attachments, iTunes backup, and the multi-languages on your Mac. It also has the ability to find and then completely remove your Large and Old Files and all of your duplicate files.
By doing all this, the iMyMac PowerMyMac will be able to speed up your Mac and as well as to free up space. This way, you will still have enough space to install other applications that you need and files that are more important.
Now, here is a guide on how to free up space on Mac using the iMyMac PowerMyMac.
Step 1. Download and Install iMyMac PowerMyMac
Go ahead and download the iMyMac PowerMyMac from the official website. Once that the program is completely downloaded, install and launch it on your Mac.
Step 2. Select Master Scan Module
On the main interface of the program, you will be able to see all the modules that the PowerMyMac can do on the left side of your screen. From that list, you can go ahead and choose any module that you want. Let's say you are going to clean up all the junk files that you have on your Mac, then just go ahead and click on the 'Master Scan' module.
Step 3. Scan Your Junk Files Alex turner interview annie mac.
Click on the 'Scan' button, then the iMyMac PowerMyMac will start locating and scanning all the junk files on your Mac. Wait until the program is done with the scanning process. iMyMac PowerMyMac will then show you all the junk files that it has found on your Mac. These junk files will be listed by category.
Step 4. Review and Choose the Items You Wish to Clean up
From the list of categories shown in your screens such as Application Cache, Photo Cache, Email Cache, System Cache and more, go ahead choose a category that you want to clean up. Once that you click on one a category, the items that it contains will show up on the right side of your screen.
Choose the items that you would want to remove. Once that you are satisfied with the items that you have selected, go ahead and click on the 'Clean' button.
Step 5. Junk Files Cleaned
Once that the iMyMac PowerMyMac is done with cleaning your junk files, all the items that you have selected earlier will then be erased and some of them will be marked as 'Zero KB'. However, there are some folders that will not have this indication because those folders are considered to be auto recreated folders.
You see, isn't it the easiest way on how to free up space on Mac startup disk with iMyMac?
Tip: Advantages of iMyMac PowerMyMac
- It is a powerful tool because it can actually scan everything on your Mac. You can also check Battery status of your Mac.
- It can also show you all the scanned result according to the time and the date the file was saved on your Mac. And before you can go ahead and delete that file, you will be able to view its content first.
- Once that you get the iMyMac PowerMyMac, it will give you the privilege to have a 500MB. It is also free of trial for you to experience how awesome is the PowerMyMac.
Just have its free trial to get more space on your Mac now!
Part 2. How Do I Free Up Disk Space on My Mac – Manual Way
Now, if you feel like cleaning your Mac manually and you have a lot of time to spend on doing this, then you can still do. Here, we are going to show you some ways on how to free up space on Mac so that you will be able to save more apps and files that you need.
1. Locate and Remove Duplicate Files
One of the most common things that we tend to have on our Mac is having duplicate files that we are not aware of. This usually happens if you are using your Mac for a very long time. You can also use iMyMac's Duplicate Finder to remove these duplicate files on your Mac easily.
2. Empty Your Trash Bin
Most people would think that once that you have put a certain file in the trash bin, then that means that the file was actually deleted. Well, that is wrong. The truth is, once that you have put a file on the trash bin, it just sits there and still eats up space on your Mac.
How to free up memory on Mac completely? To achieve this, you can go ahead and simply empty your trash bin. All you have to do is to press on the Ctrl button + right click on the trash bin icon located at the bottom of your screen. Then after that, go ahead and choose Empty Trash option. Then all the files that it contains will be completely deleted from your Mac and that you can no longer recover them.
3. Uninstall App That You No Longer Use
There are instances that you have installed Applications on your Mac that you do not really need and it is actually taking up a lot of space on your Mac. With this, you should go ahead and uninstall it if you do not need it. For you to remove these applications that you no longer need, here is what you need to do.
- Go ahead and launch Finder on your Mac.
- And then choose Applications located at your sidebar.
- After that, go ahead and drag the application that you no longer need and drop them in your trash bin icon on your Mac's dock.
Now if you want to know which of the applications that you have installed on your Mac that you do not likely use, all you have to do is to do the following. This way, you will have an idea on which of your Apps you do not really need.
- Go ahead and launch Finder on your Mac.
- And then go ahead and click on Applications.
- After that, go ahead and choose 'Show Items on the List' on the toolbar.
- Then, goa head and click on the Size heading for you to be able to sort out your Applications by size.
4. Clean Up Your iTunes Backup of Your iPhone/iPad on your Mac
Backing up your data is one of the best ways to keep them safe. This way, you will have a way for you to get them back if ever you have lost your iPhone device or if you have damaged it.
However, as you make more backups of your data on your Mac, it is actually one cause of eating space on your Mac. This is because every time you back up your data, these backup files will actually pile up on your Mac over the time.
Now, the best way on how to free up space on Mac is to remove all those backup files that you no longer need. You can only let those previous back-ups you made as those would be the one that you most likely need.
5. Remove All of Your Temporary Files
The Mac that you are using also contains some temporary files that you actually do not need. These temporary files also cause Mac system taking up too much space. Mac OS X will be able to try to remove these temporary files that you have, however, you will most likely need a certain application that is intended in doing this such as the iMyMac PowerMyMac.
Removing the temporary files that you have on your Mac will not make it run faster but it will definitely free up your space.
There are several temporary files that you have on your Mac. And you will be able to see them once that you access your Finder and Go and then Go to the folder of the menu and use ~/Library/Caches. This command will be able to lead you to the cache folder of your Mac. And you will be surprised to see a lot of folders in that section.
6. Check Out Your Disk To See What is Taking Up Space and Locate Files
If you would want to know how to free up space on Mac, then it is a good way for you to see which is actually taking up your disk space. This way, you will be able to know what to delete from your Mac and what not.
You can use a certain tool that will help you in finding all the things that are taking up space on your Mac the most. Then that is the time that you can delete all of the things that you no longer need that is taking up a huge space on your Mac.
7. Remove The Language Files on Your Mac
All the applications that you have on your Mac actually come up with language files that they actually support. This way, you will be able to switch the system language on your Mac and then you will be able to use that application on the language that you have selected.
However, you do not need most of these language files your applications have. Well, you may need some if you are able to speak and understand that language, but if not, they might as well remove them.
For this, you can use a certain tool that could help you in removing these language files that you do not need such as the Monolingual.
But you can also use the iMyMac PowerMyMac for you to completely remove the language file that you do not need. This way, you will be able to learn how to free up space on Mac exactly.
Part 3. Conclusion
Now you have learned how to free up space on Mac with auto and manual ways.
There are really several other ways that you can clean up your Mac and that you will be able to free up some of your space. You can either do this process by going all through this one by one. But, this will definitely take you a long time to do it.
Create bootable mac drive. Well, if you want to save time and do this in the fastest, easiest and yet very efficient way, then the iMyMac PowerMyMac is the tool that you should use.
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Free DownloadIf you're looking for solutions on how to fix ‘startup disk full' error on your Mac or simply want to clean or optimize your storage space, you've come to the right place. Although the newest models of Apple computers are now equipped with relatively large hard drives, some users still find themselves dealing with the startup disk full error. It is because pre-installed programs can already take a significant portion of disk space and over time, different kinds of files will gradually fill the remaining space. Sooner or later, the user might receive this message:
Your disk is almost full. Save space by optimizing storage.
Sure, you can simply ignore it — just click Close and go on with your merry life. However, ignoring it over and over again will not solve the problem. You will eventually get another form of a pop-up that reads:
Your startup disk is almost full. To make more space available on your startup disk, delete some files.
Aside from this window popping up in the most inopportune moment, such as when you're backing up your iPhone or saving a document that you have been working on for hours already, the issue can easily escalate. Eventually, you will notice your Mac starting to run slow, which defeats the purpose of owning a fast and reliable Mac in the first place.
For those who don't know, it's important to note that you should have at least 15% of free startup disk space for a Mac computer to run properly. So, if you keep on ignoring the friendly reminder to optimize your storage, your Mac will not thank you for it.
What is the Startup Disk?
By default, the startup disk is what's known as the Macintosh HD. It is the partition in Mac's hard disk where the Mac OS itself is installed. It is also where most of your files and apps are probably stored. Essentially, the startup disk is where the Mac OS will boot from, so it needs enough space in order to do its job. Once it begins to get filled, it will try to warn you before you experience the eventual slow-down.
The First Step: Knowing What's Eating Up Your Startup Disk Space
How To Get Free Space On Mac
Basically, fixing the startup disk full error requires freeing up disk space. But before you can do that, you first need to know what's filling up space, so you'd know what you need to get rid of. Thankfully, this can be easily done.
- First, open the Apple menu.
- Next, go to About This Mac.
- Then, choose the Storage If you have an older version of OS X, you may need to click on More Info before you can access the Storage tab.
In this tab, you will see how much of the disk is occupied by certain types of files, which are:
- iOS Files
- Apps
- Documents
- Photos
- Movies
- Audios
- Backups
- Other
Once you know which ones take up most of the space in your disk, you will know where to start the purge.
How to Free Up Storage Space on a Mac
There are several ways on how to free up space on Mac and ultimately solve the startup disk full error. Luckily for you, almost all of these can be done easily.
- Empty the trash.
This may sound elementary, but many of us forget about 'taking out the trash' from our computers. When we delete files, they will go to the Trash, which serves as a holding area that you can go to in case you realize you need to recover what you deleted. However, the files in the Trash still occupy space, so you basically just moved the files to another folder. It is recommended to empty the Trash at least once a week. To do this:
- Right-click on the Trash in the dock panel.
- Select Empty Trash.
You can also open the Trash and click the Empty Mac file format. button found at the top right corner.
- Clear cache.
A cache file is a temporary data file created by browsers, apps, and other programs. Even if you remove or stop using an application, the cache files remain in the Cache folder and when not checked, may take up a lot of space — we're talking about tens of gigabytes here. So, it's recommended that you clear the cache every once in a while. The Cache folders are inside the Library. You need to look for two types of these folders:
- /Library/Caches – This is where temporary files are stored. These files don't usually take up too much space.
- ~/Library/Caches – This is where junk files created when you run apps go.
- Delete logs.
While in the Library folder, you may also want to check the Log files, another type of temporary files. They can be found in the Logs folder. But before you delete any of them, make sure that you no longer need them.
- Remove language resources.
You are probably unaware that your Mac has 26 pre-installed dictionaries, which can be considered the most underrated space eaters. If you don't need German, Russian, or Dutch translations, for instance, you'd want to consider deleting them along with other localisations. These can be found in the following directory:
Macintosh HD -> Users -> Your User -> Library -> Dictionaries
- Delete old iOS backups.
How To Clear Disk Space On Mac
If it has become your habit to sync your other Apple devices with iTunes, it is possible that there are dozens of backups and they tend to take up a lot of space. To delete old backups, go to:
Library -> Application Support -> MobileSync -> Backup folder
Select old, outdated backups, then simply move them to the Trash.
- Delete unnecessary documents, photos, and other files.
How To Get Free Disk Space On Mac
For those who don't know, it's important to note that you should have at least 15% of free startup disk space for a Mac computer to run properly. So, if you keep on ignoring the friendly reminder to optimize your storage, your Mac will not thank you for it.
What is the Startup Disk?
By default, the startup disk is what's known as the Macintosh HD. It is the partition in Mac's hard disk where the Mac OS itself is installed. It is also where most of your files and apps are probably stored. Essentially, the startup disk is where the Mac OS will boot from, so it needs enough space in order to do its job. Once it begins to get filled, it will try to warn you before you experience the eventual slow-down.
The First Step: Knowing What's Eating Up Your Startup Disk Space
How To Get Free Space On Mac
Basically, fixing the startup disk full error requires freeing up disk space. But before you can do that, you first need to know what's filling up space, so you'd know what you need to get rid of. Thankfully, this can be easily done.
- First, open the Apple menu.
- Next, go to About This Mac.
- Then, choose the Storage If you have an older version of OS X, you may need to click on More Info before you can access the Storage tab.
In this tab, you will see how much of the disk is occupied by certain types of files, which are:
- iOS Files
- Apps
- Documents
- Photos
- Movies
- Audios
- Backups
- Other
Once you know which ones take up most of the space in your disk, you will know where to start the purge.
How to Free Up Storage Space on a Mac
There are several ways on how to free up space on Mac and ultimately solve the startup disk full error. Luckily for you, almost all of these can be done easily.
- Empty the trash.
This may sound elementary, but many of us forget about 'taking out the trash' from our computers. When we delete files, they will go to the Trash, which serves as a holding area that you can go to in case you realize you need to recover what you deleted. However, the files in the Trash still occupy space, so you basically just moved the files to another folder. It is recommended to empty the Trash at least once a week. To do this:
- Right-click on the Trash in the dock panel.
- Select Empty Trash.
You can also open the Trash and click the Empty Mac file format. button found at the top right corner.
- Clear cache.
A cache file is a temporary data file created by browsers, apps, and other programs. Even if you remove or stop using an application, the cache files remain in the Cache folder and when not checked, may take up a lot of space — we're talking about tens of gigabytes here. So, it's recommended that you clear the cache every once in a while. The Cache folders are inside the Library. You need to look for two types of these folders:
- /Library/Caches – This is where temporary files are stored. These files don't usually take up too much space.
- ~/Library/Caches – This is where junk files created when you run apps go.
- Delete logs.
While in the Library folder, you may also want to check the Log files, another type of temporary files. They can be found in the Logs folder. But before you delete any of them, make sure that you no longer need them.
- Remove language resources.
You are probably unaware that your Mac has 26 pre-installed dictionaries, which can be considered the most underrated space eaters. If you don't need German, Russian, or Dutch translations, for instance, you'd want to consider deleting them along with other localisations. These can be found in the following directory:
Macintosh HD -> Users -> Your User -> Library -> Dictionaries
- Delete old iOS backups.
How To Clear Disk Space On Mac
If it has become your habit to sync your other Apple devices with iTunes, it is possible that there are dozens of backups and they tend to take up a lot of space. To delete old backups, go to:
Library -> Application Support -> MobileSync -> Backup folder
Select old, outdated backups, then simply move them to the Trash.
- Delete unnecessary documents, photos, and other files.
How To Get Free Disk Space On Mac
You need to take a look at your Downloads, Documents, Pictures, Music, and Movies folders and decide which files you no longer need. Next, organize the files that will be left behind. You might also want to consider moving them to an external disk or taking advantage of the iCloud storage.
- Uninstall unused applications.
Applications are among the primary space takers, so it's just logical to remove any that you haven't used in a while and have no plans of using again. You need to remove them properly, though. Dragging and dropping them in the Trash won't be enough. You also need to remove the cache and service files, which are found in the Library folder.
- Take out the trash again.
Once you have deleted the files and folders mentioned above, they will naturally end up in the Trash, so you will need to empty it again.
- Use an automated Mac cleaner.
Probably one of the easiest and fastest ways to clean up your Mac to free up space is to utilize an automated cleaner such as Outbyte MacRepair. Automated mac cleaners are designed to clean up your disk from time to time, checking for unnecessary and outdated junk, caches, files, programs, backups, language packs, and logs, among others. They even take care of emptying the Trash for you. These programs also recommend ways to better optimize your Mac. Tools such as Outbyte MacRepair offer a long-term solution to issues known to Mac, helping you maximize its potential as a computing beast.
See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy Policy.
