Is your Mac running low on storage, using up all the available space? Feeling frustrated at your Mac due to low disk space and no way to explain it? Are you wondering where all the disk space goes? Well, you don’t have to feel guilty. As we all know Macs operate smoothly, but even the most advanced devices are prone to junk accumulation over time. It can be from redundant temporary files to old download files that are neglected – many times, gigabytes of space goes wasted without your knowledge. Well, don’t panic! In this blog, we will explain how to free up and recover space on your Mac, delete unwanted files, and even employ a duplicate file to bring your storage into order.
Let’s dive in!
Why Do You Need to Recover Space on Mac in the First Place?
Before we delve into the solutions, it is important to know why very little disk space is left on your Mac. There are several reasons why disk space is wasted:
- Large Files: Videos, photos, and documents can consume a lot of space. Check all your files and get rid of those that are not needed.
- Downloads Folder: After some period, your Downloads folder may be where all sorts of internet trash are accumulated. Remove the old downloads or move them to the right folders.
- Old Backups: While Time Machine is an amazing backup system, most people will end up drowning in outdated backups. This can be prevented by regular checking for old backups.
- Unused Apps: Applications that are not used anymore but are still present on your Mac can waste a considerable amount of disk space.
- Duplicate Files: Duplicate files can appear on your Mac quite quickly, particularly if you regularly download documents, back up your Mac’s data, or deal with a huge number of multimedia files.
- System Caches: Your Mac stores temporary files, known as caches, to improve performance. While these can be useful, they can also grow over time.
The first step in solving the issue is realizing these common reasons. Let’s now examine how to recover your Mac’s storage and free up the gigabytes of wasted disk space that have been missing.
How to Recover Space on Your Mac?
Utilizing the integrated storage management tool in macOS is among the simplest methods to see what’s occupying how much space on your Mac. Here’s how to do it:
- Click on the Apple logo from the top-left corner of the screen.
- Then choose About This Mac > More Info from the drop-down menu.
- Go to the Storage Settings tab.
A summary of the contents of your storage, including System, Apps, Documents, macOS, System Data, and so on, will be visible to you. This color-coded graphical representation makes it easy to identify space that can be reclaimed.
1. Clear the Downloads Folder
Files often hide in the Downloads folder on your Mac. Disk images from the past, random pictures, ZIP files—all of them are there silently hogging space. Visit the Finder and review the contents of your Downloads, wasting valuable disk space. You can drag unwanted items to the trash.
2. Empty Trash Bin
Go to your Dock, right-click on the Trash Bin icon, and then select Empty Bin/ Empty Trash. It is easy, right? It’s a good idea to clear your trash bin regularly, and Apple provides a terrific solution to make this task automatic.
Meanwhile, your Mac will automatically delete the contents of your Trash bin if you set it up to delete it automatically. You can set it to empty the Trash Bin after 30 days. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Open Finder and choose Finder Settings.
Step 2: Now click on Advanced.
Step 3: Tick the box ‘Remove items from the Bin after 30 days.’
3. Uninstall Unused Applications
Deleting unused apps from your Mac is another easy approach to making space. One of the easiest methods for manually removing programs is as follows, this one will erase all of the apps’ hidden leftover files, temporary files, and more:
Step 1: Open Finder and click on the Applications tab from the left-hand side of the screen.
Step 2: Find the app you wish to delete from this list, then drag it to the Trash Bin.
Step 3: Now empty the Trash Bin.
Step 4: Now once again open the Finder and click on Go while pressing the Option key.
Step 5: Click on Library.
Step 6: In the search bar located at the top-right corner type the name of the app you just deleted.
Step 7: Now select all the related files and drag them to the Trash Bin.
Step 8: Empty the Trash Bin.
4. Use iCloud Storage
Investing in additional cloud storage is another approach you can use if everything else hasn’t gone as planned. Apple provides only 5GB of iCloud storage when you first create your Apple account. In many cases, it is not sufficient, particularly if you use iCloud to sync and back up different Apple devices. Thus, think about purchasing an additional plan. This is how you do it:
Step 1: Open the System Settings of your Mac.
Step 2: From the top-left-hand side of the screen, click on your Apple ID > iCloud.
Step 3: Choose the ‘Upgrade to iCloud+’ option. Select the plan according to your needs and price.
Step 4: Finally click on the Upgrade to iCloud+.
5. Find and Delete Duplicate Files
Another effective method for freeing up disk space is to find and delete duplicate files. You can delete duplicate files from your Mac manually if you are dealing with a small amount of data. In case, there are loads of files and folders to check for duplicates, it is better to use a dedicated and professional duplicate file finder tool like Duplicate Finder and Remover for Mac.
So, go ahead, and download the Duplicate Files Fixer to remove duplicate files on Mac.
Conclusion
So, that’s it! This is how you can recover gigabytes of wasted disk space on your Mac. Simply follow the above-mentioned methods one by one to recover space on Mac. Make a habit of cleaning the Trash bin and Download folders regularly. Also, if you need to upgrade your iCloud storage plan as well. Also, it is advised to perform a scan for duplicate files once a month to remove duplicate files on Mac.
