TL;DR
To check storage space on your Mac:
- Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner.
- Select About This Mac.
- Click More Info.
- Scroll down to the Storage section to view total and available storage.
Tried and Tested ✅: The methods and steps mentioned in this article have been tried and tested firsthand by Ojash Yadav on his MacBook Pro M3 and rechecked for errors on Hashir’s MacBook Air M2.
Running out of storage is a common problem for many Mac users, especially if your device is a bit older. In this post, I’ll share the simple steps I use to check storage and free up space to keep my Mac running smoothly. Let’s dive in!
How to Check Storage Space on Your Mac
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Let’s explore the different methods you can use to check storage space on your Mac.
1. Via About This Mac
Here’s how to check storage space on your Mac from the About This Mac menu:
- Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select About This Mac from the dropdown menu.
- Click the More Info button on the new window.
- Scroll down the About window and at the end of the page, you’ll see Storage section.
- Your hard drive will (usually named Macintosh HD) will be listed in this section with total and available storage on your Mac.
- If you want to get a detailed breakdown, click the Storage Settings… button.
- Navigate to the Storage section on the new window.
Here, you’ll see a graphical representation of your storage use, breaking it down into various categories like Apps, Bin, Other Users, macOS, and System Data.
2. From System Settings
Follow these steps to check storage space on your Mac via System Settings:
- Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Choose System Settings from the dropdown menu.
- Click General and select Storage.
- Here, you’ll see a graphical representation of your storage use.
- Click the All Volumes button next to your hard drive.
- It will give you a detailed breakdown of various categories like Apps, Bin, Other Users, macOS, and System Data. You’ll also see the space occupied by Other Volumes on your MacBook.
3. Via Storage Status Bar
Here’s how to enable the Storage Status bar and use it:
- Open any Finder window.
- Navigate to the View menu in the menu bar.
- Choose Show Status Bar.
- The bottom of your Finder window will now display a status bar, which includes the available storage on the device you’re currently viewing—usually your Mac’s primary drive.
4. From the System Information
Here’s how to access System Information to check storage space on your Mac:
- Launch Finder on your Mac.
- Click Applications in the left sidebar and open the Utilities folder.
- Double-click the System Information app.
- In the System Information window, look for the Storage option in the sidebar under the Hardware section.
- Click on it to reveal in-depth details about your storage devices. You’ll see the available capacity and how much space each partition is using, among other details.
5. Using Disk Utility
Here’s the step-by-step guide to use Disk Utility to check storage space on your Mac:
- Launch Finder on your Mac.
- Click Applications in the left sidebar and open the Utilities folder.
- Double-click the Disk Utility app to open it.
- In the Disk Utility window, you’ll see a list of drives and their associated partitions on the left sidebar.
- Select your primary drive, usually named Macintosh HD. The main panel will display various details about the selected drive, including its total capacity, available, and used space.
6. Running a Terminal Command
Follow these steps to use Terminal to check storage space on your Mac:
- Open Terminal by typing Terminal in Spotlight search (Command ⌘ + Spacebar).
- Once the Terminal window is open, type the following command and press Enter:
df -h
- The command will display a detailed list of mounted volumes along with their storage details, such as total size, used space, and available space. The columns are generally self-explanatory, but what you’ll most likely focus on is the line that refers to your main disk, usually identified as /dev/disk1s1 or similar.
This method is ideal for power users, system administrators, or anyone comfortable with command-line operations. It’s a quick and potent way to keep tabs on your storage without additional software.
How to Manage Storage in macOS
Knowing how much storage space you have left on your Mac is only half the battle. The real trick is efficiently managing that space to ensure optimal system performance and ease of use. Below, I’ve shared effective tips to manage your storage space on Mac:
- 🛠️ Optimize Storage Feature: Use macOS’s Optimize Storage tool to store files in iCloud and automatically clear the Trash. This helps manage space and keep your Mac running efficiently.
- 🗑️ Uninstall Unnecessary Applications: Remove unused apps via Finder or MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller. This frees up storage and ensures leftover files are also deleted for a complete cleanup.
- 🧹 Clear Cache and Temporary Files: Clear cache and temporary files manually via Finder to automate the process and prevent wasted space.
- 💾 Move Files to External Storage: Transfer large or rarely accessed files to an external drive. This helps free up internal storage and ensures smoother system performance.
- 🗑️ Empty the Trash: Regularly empty the Trash to permanently remove deleted files and reclaim valuable storage space.
- 🚀 Manage Startup Items: Remove unnecessary startup apps via System Settings. This speeds up your Mac’s startup and improves performance.
Check Mac’s Used and Available Space
Now that you know how to check and manage storage space on your Mac, you may want to learn more about making the most of your system resources. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Clearing Other Storage on Mac can also help free up disk space and improve system performance.
- Regularly clean your Mac to prevent clutter buildup.
- If you’ve tried everything and your disk is still full, consider adding storage to your Mac.