If you are here, it probably means you are scared of the disappearing space on your Mac and want to fix things before it gets any worse. So, without further ado, let’s see how you can free up 30+ GB of space in 30 minutes or less.
Delete Redundant Files
With time, your Mac gets bloated with folders, files, and documents. It gets to a point where your Mac’s drive is gasping for breath and cannot save anything anymore.
You must not let your system get to this point. Instead, scan your system regularly to identify and delete redundant files. One of the convenient ways to delete files is in Finder.
Are you wondering how to delete files in Finder on Mac? Simply find the files and folders you want to delete, press the Option key, click Finder in the menu bar, and choose Delete Immediately. The files will be permanently deleted without being sent to the Trash bin. This is going to save you a lot of time.
Large files that are of no use to you can take up several GBs of space on your hard disk. Hence, you must make it a point to delete them permanently.
Transfer Files to Icloud or an External Drive
Are all the files, documents, or photos on your Mac important? If you are unable to decide what to delete and what to keep, the best option is to send the files to iCloud. Alternatively, you can copy them to an external drive. Once the files are transferred to your preferred destination, you can delete them on your Mac. This can potentially reclaim 3 to 4 GB of space, depending on the amount of files and documents you have on your system.
When transferring files to iCloud or external drives, target the media files. Photos, videos, movies, and music files occupy significant storage space. Attack them first and then other file types.
Remove System Junk
System junk is one of the primary reasons why your Mac is performing sluggishly. It is an excess burden on your system, and removing it can free up 3 to 5 GB of storage space. System junk includes browser caches, old Time Machine backups, outdated files, and app localizations.
Deleting system junk manually may take days. It is best to use a cleaner application to automate the process and finish it fast.
Delete Unnecessary Applications and Their Leftovers
If there are too many unnecessary apps on your system, remove them. There are multiple ways to remove apps from your Mac.
You can drag the app to the Trash from the Applications folder and then clear the Trash bin. Alternatively, you can use the Launchpad to delete applications.
Open the Launchpad from the Dock and press the Command key. Then, hold any of the app icons and keep holding them until it begins to shake. The X button will appear above the app. Click the X button, and the app will be deleted.
While deleting apps is not a herculean task, there are some apps that do not show up. Deleting such apps is a challenge. Some applications install themselves as parts of other applications, or they might support applications called Daemons or Launch Agents. Removing such apps is easier with a cleaner app.
Compress the Files
An alternative to permanent deletion is compressing or archiving your files and documents. This will free up to 10% of the initial space occupied by those files and documents.
However, all files cannot be compressed in the same way. For instance, movies are difficult to shrink, but you can easily shrink presentations and documents.
To compress files, launch Finder > go to Documents > Command + Click on a folder or multiple folders > select Compress.
Your task isn’t complete yet. Mac leaves the original file untouched and creates a separate folder for compressed files. Hence, you must remember to delete the original folder or file after it has been compressed.
Is the Storage Problem not Solved Yet?
If you have tried all the above steps and yet your Mac’s storage space is not as free as you had hoped, the final tip is to factory reset your Mac. This will erase all content and settings and return your device in the same state as you had brought it home the first home.
Of course, this is an extreme step, and taking this route means permanently losing all the files, folders, documents, and apps in the system. Hence, before you click the factory reset option, you must back up important data and proceed with this step.
Conclusion
Freeing up space on your Mac is essential to ensure your device runs smoothly and there are no performance lags. Also, with macOS Sonoma’s public beta version available, you would want to reclaim space to install it and enjoy its features like Game Mode, Interactive Widgets, etc.