How to Free Up Space on Your Mac Hard Drive: 20 Best Ways

Written by

Ojash

Reviewed by

Hashir Ibrahim

Last updated: July 27, 2024

Expert verified

Ever hit a digital wall with the dreaded “Your disk is almost full” alert on your Mac? Even the most well-kept Macs can get cluttered, storing everything from cherished family photos to crucial work documents. But reclaiming space on your Mac is easier than you think.

Dive into this guide to discover some of the most savvy ways to free up space on your Mac hard drive and supercharge its performance. Let’s get started and give your Mac a refreshing boost.

Why Free Up Space on Your Mac?

Regularly freeing up space on your Mac ensures it runs smoothly, efficiently, and remains reliable for years to come. Below, I’ve shared some of the most common reasons for freeing up space on your Mac:

1. 🚀 Improved Performance: Just like a cluttered room can slow down your ability to find things, a cluttered Mac can slow down operations. Freeing up space can boost your Mac’s speed and responsiveness.
2. ⚠️ Avoid System Errors: When your Mac is nearing its storage limit, it can lead to system errors or application crashes. Clearing space helps prevent these issues.
3. 🔄 Faster Software Updates: With more free space, your Mac can download and install software updates more efficiently.
4. 💼 Enhanced Productivity: A faster Mac means applications load quicker, files open faster, and tasks get done sooner.
5. ⏳ Prolonged Lifespan: Regular maintenance, including freeing up disk space, can extend the life of your Mac by reducing wear and tear on the hard drive.
6. 📂 Better File Management: Cleaning up allows you to organize your files, making it easier to locate and access them in the future.
7. 🌌 More Space for What Matters: By clearing out old or unnecessary files, you make room for new projects, photos, music, and other important data.
8. 🧘 Peace of Mind: Knowing that your Mac is optimized and free from clutter allows you to work and play with confidence.

How to Check the Storage Space on Your Mac

Checking your Mac’s storage regularly helps it work better. By checking the storage space, you can see how much space is used and where you can clean up. Here’s how to check storage space on your Mac:

1. Click the Apple menu and select About This Mac.

2. Click More Info on the window.

3. Navigate to the Storage section in the About window and click the Storage Settings button.

4. Here, you’ll see a detailed view of storage allocation, like apps, documents, and photos.

Now that you know how to check storage, let’s dive in to some proven strategies to enhance your Mac’s storage.

20 Best Ways to Free Up Space on Your Mac Hard Drive

Over time, files accumulate, apps pile up, and before you know it, your once-speedy Mac starts to lag. But with a few simple steps and regular maintenance, you can keep your Mac running smoothly and efficiently.

The following 20 methods will guide you through the best ways to declutter and optimize your Mac’s hard drive.

1. Optimize Storage With Built-in Tools

Even if you have a lot of free space, more is always good, and Apple offers built-in optimization tools to help with this. Here’s how to use Apple’s built-in tools to optimize your Mac’s storage:

1. Click the Apple icon and select System Settings.

2. Within System Settings, click General and select Storage.

3. Here, you can view a breakdown of what’s hoarding your hard drive space, organized by categories.

4. To see more details and management options for each category, click the i button next to them.

5. In the storage management options window, select an app you want to remove and click the Delete button.

2. Move Your Files to the Cloud

Storing your files in iCloud can help clear space on your Mac. By putting your photos, videos, and documents in iCloud, you can access them on any device with your Apple ID. This also makes more room on your Mac.

Here’s how to move your files to the iCloud:

1. Click the Apple logo and select System Settings.

2. Click Apple ID and select iCloud.

3. In iCloud, click Photos or Documents.

4. Toggle on the Sync this Mac option.

Now, you can store your photos and documents in iCloud.

3. Find and Remove Duplicate Files

Mac’s built-in ways to find duplicates work well, but they can be pretty slow. If you’re looking for a quicker, hassle-free option that’s still spot on, try MacKeeper. Its Duplicates Finder helps you get rid of extra copies quickly and easily.

Here’s how to remove duplicate files on Mac using MacKeeper’s Duplicate Finder:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
2. Open MacKeeper on your Mac and click Duplicates Finder in the left sidebar.

3. Click Start Scan.

4. Select a folder in the left menu to review duplicate files before deletion.

5. Alternatively, you can click Check All and tap the Remove Selected button to remove all duplicate files at once.

6. Tap the Remove button on the pop-up to confirm the deletion.

7. This will remove the selected files, and you’ll get a Removal Completed message. Click Finish to end the process.

4. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies

Every time you visit a website, your browser stores data to make future visits to that site faster. This stored data includes cache and cookies. Over time, this can take up a significant amount of space on your Mac.

By clearing the browser cache on your Mac, you can free up space on your system and reduce resource usage. Below, I’ve shared the steps to clear browser cache on Mac for Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.

a. Safari

Here’s how to clear Safari cache on Mac:

1. ​​Open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar, and select Settings.

2. Select the Privacy tab and tap the Manage Website Data button.

3. Click Remove All to clear all website cookies completely.

4. Alternatively, you can select individual websites and tap Remove.

5. Click Done when you have deleted all cookie files.

b. Google Chrome

Follow these steps to clear Chrome cache:

1. Open Chrome and click the three dots at your display’s top right corner.

2. Select More tools from the drop-down menu, followed by Clear browsing data…

3. A pop-up window will appear. Select the Cached images and files option. You can also clear other browsing data like browsing history, cookies, and more.
4. Select the time range you want to clear the cache for.
5. Now, click Clear data to remove these items from your browser.

c. Mozilla Firefox

Follow these steps to clear your browser cache on Firefox:

1. Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.

2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.

3. In the Settings window, click Privacy & Security in the left sidebar, scroll down the right pane, and click Clear Data… under Cookies and Site Data.

4. Check the boxes next to Cookies and Site Data and Cached Web Content, and tap the Clear button.

5. Your Firefox browser cache will now be cleared.

5. Delete Unused Language Files

Macs support many languages, ensuring users worldwide have a seamless experience. However, each language comes with its own set of files, and if you’re only using one or two languages, the rest just occupy precious space on your hard drive.

Here’s how to get rid of unnecessary language files on Mac:

1. Open Finder and go to the Applications folder.

2. Right-click an application and select Show Package Contents.

3. Open the Contents folder and find the Resources folder.

4. Look for language-specific files (e.g., folders named “en.lproj” for English) and delete the ones you don’t need.

6. Declutter Your Mac Desktop

A cluttered desktop not only makes it hard to find files but can also slow down your Mac. Every icon on the desktop requires memory to display, so the more icons you have, the harder your Mac has to work.

Here’s how to declutter your desktop on Mac:

1. 🗑️ Tidy Up Icons: Look over your desktop icons. Find any files, folders, or shortcuts you don’t use often or don’t need anymore. Move them to the right folders or trash them.
2. 📂 Make Organizing Folders: Put alike files into folders on your desktop. Name folders by what’s inside, like projects, kinds of files, or topics.

3. 📚 Try Out Stacks: Mac has a cool tool called Stacks that sorts your desktop files for you. Just right-click the desktop, pick Use Stacks, and choose how you want them sorted, like by date or type of file.

4. ☁️ Turn On iCloud for Desktop: Consider using the iCloud Desktop and Documents tool. It puts your desktop files and other documents in iCloud, clearing up space on your Mac, and you can get to your files on any device.

5. 🔄 Do Regular Check-Ups: Set times to check your desktop. Every week or month, look over your files. Trash or move what you don’t need to keep things neat.
6. 🌅 Pick a Simple Wallpaper: Use a wallpaper that’s easy on the eyes. A plain or peaceful background can make your desktop feel less busy.

7. Remove Unused Apps and Leftovers

Over time, we accumulate apps on our Mac that we no longer use. These apps not only take up valuable storage space but might also leave behind residual files even after uninstallation.

Here’s how to uninstall apps on your Mac and remove their leftover files:

1. Open the Finder on your Mac.

2. Click Applications in the left sidebar.

3. Locate the application you want to delete.
4. Right-click the application and select Move to Bin or drag it to the Bin.

Now, to remove the app’s associated files, follow these steps:

1. Click Go in the menu bar and select Go to Folder.

2. A pop-up will appear.

3. Type the following paths in the search bar one by one:

/Library/Application Support

/Library/Preferences

/Library/Caches

~/Library/Application Support

~/Library/Preferences

~/Library/Caches

After deleting the unnecessary apps, empty your bin to permanently remove them from your Mac and free up storage space.

If you want a more straightforward and quick method to delete unwanted apps on your Mac, I suggest using MacKeeper. Its Smart Uninstaller lets you remove the app and its leftovers without manually finding the files on your system.

Here’s how to uninstall apps with leftovers on your Mac using MacKeeper:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
2. Open MacKeeper and click Smart Uninstaller in the left sidebar under Cleaning.

3. Click Start Scan.

4. When the scan completes, Applications in the left sidebar, select the unused apps and click Remove Selected.

5. Tap Remove on the pop-up window.

6. This will delete the selected apps from your Mac, and you’ll get a Removal Completed notification. Click Rescan to start the scan again.

7. When the scan completes, click Leftovers in the left sidebar.

8. Select the leftover files you want to delete and click Remove Selected.

9. Click Remove on the pop-up window to confirm.

This will remove the app leftovers from your Mac.

8. Delete Mail Attachments and Junk Mail

Emails, especially those with attachments, can occupy a surprising amount of space on your Mac. Regularly cleaning out your mail can help free up some of that valuable storage.

Here’s how to delete old email attachments on your Mac:

1. Open the Mail app on your Mac.

2. Click Mailbox in the menu bar and select Erase Deleted Items.

3. Click Mailbox in the menu bar again and select Rebuild.

9. Delete Old Time Machine Backups

Time Machine is a fantastic tool for backing up your Mac, but over time, these backups can accumulate and consume a lot of storage. It’s a good idea to manage and remove old backups occasionally.

Here’s how to delete old Time Machine backups on your Mac:

1. Click the Apple menu and select System Settings.

2. Within System Settings, click General and select Storage.

3. In the Storage window, locate and click the iOS Files section.
4. Look for the backup you want to remove and click the i icon next to it.
5. A new window will appear where you can review the details of the backup. To delete it, click the Delete button.
6. Once you have deleted the desired backup, click Done to close the window.

10. Compress and Archive Data

Instead of deleting files, you can shrink them. This way, they use less space.

Here’s how to compress and archive data using Mac’s built-in tool:

1. Pick the file(s) you want to compress.
2. Right-click your chosen files and select Compress.

3. Mac will make a new zip file, usually named Archive.zip.

4. After making the zip file, delete the original files you just compressed.

If you double-click the zip file, Mac will open it, making a new folder with your zipped files. So, now you have the zipped file and the opened one. So, you have two copies. Make sure you delete the unnecessary copy and keep one.

11. Empty the Downloads Folder

The Downloads folder is a common spot where files pile up. Cleaning it out can free up a lot of space on your Mac. You can move the files to relevant folders or remove them from the Downloads folder if you don’t need them anymore.

Here’s how to delete downloads on your Mac:

1. Open the Finder application on your Mac.

2. Click the Downloads tab in the left sidebar.

3. Select the files or folders you want to delete and move them to the Bin by right-clicking the selected files and selecting Move to Bin.

4. Once you have deleted the items, empty the Bin by right-clicking the Bin icon and selecting Empty Bin.

12. Move Photos to External Storage

Photos can take up a lot of space on your Mac. Moving them to an external storage device can free up a lot of room on your Mac. USB sticks, external hard drives, or network storage can help clear space on your Mac.

Here’s how to move your photos to an external storage device:

1. Get a USB stick, external hard drive, or whatever works best for you.
2. Make sure it works with your Mac. (Check out my detailed guide on how to format a drive on Mac.)
3. Connect your storage to your Mac using a USB or another port.
4. Open Finder and pick the files you want to move.
5. Drag the files to your storage. You’ll see it on the left side of Finder.
6. Open your storage in Finder to make sure the files are there.
7. Before you unplug, right-click the storage in Finder and click Eject.

13. Empty the Bin Automatically

The Trash bin on your Mac can accumulate files over time. Setting it to empty automatically ensures you don’t forget and helps free up space regularly.

Follow these steps to empty the Bin automatically on your Mac:

1. Click the Apple menu and select System Settings.

2. Click General and select Storage.

3. Tap the Turn On… button next to Empty Bin automatically.

4. Click Turn On on the pop-up to confirm deleting the items left in the Bin for more than 30 days.

If you want to manually empty the Trash on your Mac, follow these steps:

1. Locate the Bin icon on your Dock and click to open it.

2. Click Empty in the upper-right corner of the Bin window.

3. Confirm the action by clicking Empty Bin when prompted to delete all items in the Bin permanently.

14. Clear Temporary Files

Your Mac stores short-term files that it doesn’t always need later. Clearing these can free up space. Follow these steps to manually clear temporary files on your Mac:

1. Click the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window.

2. In the menu bar, click Go and then Go to Folder.

3. In the Go to Folder window, type the following path and press Enter:

~/Library/Caches

4. Locate the folder for the app you want to clear the cache for.
5. Right-click the folder and select Move to Bin.

6. Click Empty Bin to delete the folder permanently.

Alternatively, you can use MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup to remove the junk files on your Mac. Here’s how:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
2. Now launch MacKeeper and select Safe Cleanup in the left sidebar.

3. Click Start Scan.

4. From the list of detected items, choose which ones you want to remove from your Mac or click Check All.

5. Click Clean Junk Files.

6. Wait for MacKeeper to finish cleaning. When it’s done, you’ll get a Cleaning Completed notification. Click Rescan to scan your Mac again.

15. Delete Old DMGs

DMGs (Disk Image Files) are often used to install apps on your Mac. After installing, you usually don’t need them. So, it’s best to remove them from the Downloads folder and clear out unnecessary clutter.

Here’s how deleting old DMGs can clean up your Mac:

1. Open Finder and go to the Downloads folder.

2. Identify DMG files you no longer need.
3. Right-click each file and select Move to Bin or press Command ⌘ + Delete.

4. Empty the Bin to permanently remove the DMGs from your Mac.

16. Find and Delete Hidden Files on Your Drive

Hidden files are usually system files that Mac hides to keep them safe. But sometimes, other hidden files can take up space. 

Here’s how to find and delete hidden files on your Mac:

1. Click the Finder icon and look for hidden files, like in your Home folder.
2. Press Command ⌘ + Shift ⇧ + Period (.). This will show files that are usually hidden.

3. Find files or folders you don’t need anymore. This can be cache files, logs, or other types of files.
4. Right-click a file and select Move to Bin.
5. Repeat the process for the hidden files or folders you want to remove.
6. Once you have finished deleting the hidden files, empty the Bin to remove them from your Mac permanently.

17. Remove Unwanted Browser Extensions

Browser extensions can be useful, but too many can slow down your browser. Removing unwanted extensions can speed up your browser and declutter your system. The steps to remove extensions vary for each browser. 

Below, I’ve shared the steps to remove browser extensions on Mac From Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.

a. On Google Chrome

1. Click the Google Chrome icon in your dock or search for it in the Applications folder.

2. Click the three-dot icon in the top right corner of the Chrome window and select More Tools from the dropdown Menu. Then, select Extensions from the submenu.

3. Find the extension you want to remove from the list. You can use the search bar to find it quickly.
4. Click the Remove button next to the extension you want to uninstall. Confirm the removal when prompted.

b. On Safari

1. Open Safari on your Mac and click the Safari in the menu bar and select Settings.

2. Click the Extensions tab to view all the installed extensions.

3. Find the extension you want to remove and click it.

4. Click the Uninstall button to confirm that you want to remove the extension.

c. On Firefox

1. Open Firefox on your Mac by clicking its icon in Dock or Applications folder.

2. Click Firefox in the menu bar and select Settings.

3. Click Extensions & Themes in the left-hand menu to view all the extensions installed in Firefox.

4. Find the extension you want to remove and click the three dots icon. Tap Remove in the drop-down menu.

5. Click Remove again to confirm that you want to remove the extension.

18. Delete Large and Old Files

Over time, your Mac can collect big or old files you forgot about. Removing these can free up a lot of space. Follow these steps to delete large and old files on your Mac:

1. Open a new Finder window and navigate to your desired location (e.g., Documents, Downloads, or specific folders).
2. From the View menu, select as List to display the files in a list format.

3. Click the Size column to sort the files in descending order, allowing you to identify the largest files at a glance.

4. Review the largest files and consider whether you still need them. Look especially videos, large photos, disk images, and heavy apps that take up a lot of space.
5. Select the files you want to delete, right-click them, and choose Move to Bin or drag them to the Bin.
6. To empty the Bin, right-click the Bin icon in your Dock and select Empty Bin.

19. Clear the Cache and Junk Files

Over time, your Mac stores cache files that can slow things down and take up space. Cleaning out these and other junk files can help your Mac run smoother.

Here’s how to clear the cache files on your Mac:

1. Open Finder, click Go in the menu bar, and select Go to Folder.

2. Type in the following path and press Enter:

~/Library/Caches

3. Select the cache files you want to delete or select all cache files. Right-click the selected files and select Move to Bin.

4. Right-click the Bin icon in Dock and select Empty Bin to delete junk files from your Mac permanently.

Alternatively, you can use MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup to remove the cache files on your Mac.

20. Remove Watched Media

Movies, TV shows, and other media can take up a lot of space on your Mac. Once you’ve watched them, consider deleting them to free up space. Here’s how to remove watched media:

1. Start with the app you use, like Music or VLC.
2. Look for movies, shows, or videos you’ve already seen.
3. Select the media you’ve watched and don’t need anymore.
4. Right-click and choose Delete or move them to the Bin.
5. To make sure the media is gone, right-click the Bin and pick Empty Bin.

Free Up Space on Your Mac Hard Drive

Keeping your Mac running smoothly and efficiently is all about regular maintenance and decluttering. Remember, a tidy Mac isn’t just about freeing up space; it’s about optimizing your entire computing experience.

Here are a few more tips to enhance your Mac experience:

• Find, merge, and delete duplicate photos on Mac to prevent unnecessary clutter on your hard drive.
• The Other storage on a Mac includes system files, documents, caches, and miscellaneous files that occupy system resources. Clearing Other storage on Mac can help free up space on your system.
• If nothing else works, it may be time to add storage to your Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions