What Files are Taking Space in Your Mac? How to Get Back More Space Easily?

Raza Ali Kazmi Apple, Data Management, Duplicate Data

The storage space is one of the most precious digital assets a Mac user owns. If the clutter on your Mac SSD is driving you crazy, you’re not alone. There are countless users who find themselves in a situation with no storage space to save new files or install favorite apps and games.

When the SSD runs out of space, Mac displays the following dreaded error message:

Your disk is almost full. Save space by optimizing storage.

Thankfully, Mac is equipped with a handful of utilities that help users easily determine which files are eating up precious storage space and make an informed decision about it. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not have an idea about these features and what to look for should they run into this situation.

 

Analyze Files that Occupy the Storage

Follow these steps to get a linear chart depicting the type of files that occupy a significant portion of your Mac’s storage space:

  1. Click on the Apple menu and select About this Mac.
  2. You’ll see the macOS name in the About dialog. For example macOS High Sierra.
  3. Click on the Storage tab.
  4. You’ll now be able to see a linear chart providing useful storage information.

 

Store Files on iCloud

Apple offers an online cloud-based file storing service called iCloud. You can store your photos, videos, documents and other files with great ease, and quickly download them when needed. iCloud offers 5 GB of free storage space. You can upgrade for more by subscribing to one of the paid-for plans.

Your recent files are locally stored so that you can work offline. Mac will automatically update the changes on the iCloud server once you’re connected to the Internet. iCloud also provides an option to store full-resolution images in their original quality, or store space-saving optimized images that you can quickly download in no time.

  1. Click on the Apple menu, followed by System Preferences.
  2. Spot the iCloud icon and click it.
  3. Enter your Apple log-in credentials and click Next. If you do not have an Apple account yet, use the Create Apple ID link.

 

Choose What to Store in iCloud Servers

It is also important to determine which of your files are stored on the iCloud servers. You can do so by customizing the iCloud Settings as under:

  1. Open the iCloud dialog again.
  2. Mac will display a list of items synchronized with your cloud server. The list will comprise of:
      • iCloud drive
      • Photos
      • Mail
      • Contacts
      • Calendars
      • Reminders
      • Safari
      • Notes
  3. Use the checkboxes to determine which items to synchronize. To prevent an item from being synced, uncheck it.

 

Auto-Optimize the SSD’s Storage

Apple offers a set of recommendations based on your MacBook usage. With the right settings in place, you can optimize the storage utilization, freeing up space for newer files that matter. Here’s how:

  1. Repeat steps # 1-4 under the Analyze Files that Occupy the Storage section.
  2. Click the Manage button.
  3. Mac will display recommendations to save your storage and avoid the low disk space issue. The recommendations might include:
    • Optimize Storage: This feature contains a set of optimization tweaks that automatically perform storage optimization in the background. The tweaks include deleting old iTunes movies and TV shows that you have already watched, older email attachments, and so on. Click the Optimise button to proceed.
    • Empty Trash Automatically: This deletes items in the Trash that have been lying in the Trash for more than 30 days. Click on Turn On to enable this feature.
    • Reduce Clutter: This feature helps you review and delete unwanted files in a simple manner. Click on Review Files to view specifically files from categories such as Large Files, Downloads, and File Browser.

 

Find Duplicate Documents & Files

As you use your Mac, your Mac will accumulate duplicate copies of files when you download new stuff online or copy something from the External SSD drive or a USB Stick. These identical copies are typically scattered across different folders, sub-folders. It could be a long and tedious task to evaluate them on your own. Also, there is no in-house support provided by Apple to find duplicate files. Therefore, we’ll be using a popular and reliable third-party utility named Clone Files Checker to accomplish this task.

  1. Download and install Clone Files Checker for Mac.
  2. Click the tab Include for Scan on the left.
  3. Click the Add button, and choose the folder/ drive you want to be scanned for duplicates.
  4. The default program setting is to search for All Files. This means that the scan will look for duplicates of all file types unless you want to search for a specific set of file(s). If you do not want the all files scan, click Custom and then select from these categories: Documents, Archives, Music, Videos, and Images.
  5. Click on Start Search to launch the scan. And now patiently wait for the scan to tabulate the results.
  6. When the scan gets over, you’ll be shown a pop up that will summarize the scan results. Click the REVIEW & FIX button to see a list of all duplicate files on your SSD.
  7. Use the checkboxes to select or deselect individual files. Or simply use the Select Duplicates button and select criteria to retain files.
  8. Click on Select Action, and choose whether to delete your duplicates to the Trash or move them to a folder that you can specify.

 

Clear Cache Contents

The Cache is a temporary location used by the operating system and any apps installed on your machine. Cache serves temporary files which are then processed by your system. It increases the processing speed and improves your Macbook’s performance.

The catch here is that the cache content might become obsolete over a period of time. Deleting them will not only free up storage space but also make your Mac run smoother.

  1. Exit all open applications because any files that are already opened cannot be deleted.
  2. Click on the Go menu, followed by the Go to Folder option.
  3. Type in the following folder path, and click Go:
    (a) ~/Library/Caches
  4. Now delete all the files from the folder that just opened up.
  5. Repeat steps # 2 & 3 above.
  6. Type the following folder path, and click the Go button:
    (a) /Library/Caches
  7. Delete all the contents of this folder.

 

Compress the Files

Compressing the files will turn them into relatively smaller sized files. If you have downloaded a lot of media content such as movies, music, you can shave off some of the storage space they are occupying by compressing them.

However, the most common problem encountered after compressing the files is that every time you want to view or open a compressed file, it would require you to temporarily extract compressed contents. This process might take a lot of time and impact your productivity. Therefore, you shouldn’t go with the option of compressing all files. It is recommended that you compress only larger files and those files you rarely use.

  1. Right-click a file that you want to compress.
  2. Select the Compress option.
  3. Wait for the file compression process to finish.

 

Delete Unused Language Packs

When you install macOS, it comes with a set of language packs. These language packs aren’t required by the average user. There are also many third-party apps that are known to install individual language packs targeting users in different geographical regions.

While the primary motive behind installing these language packs is to provide the best user experience and support in major world languages, you really don’t have to keep all language packs at all. Depending on your geographical location, it is safe to delete unused language packs to reclaim your lost storage space. You can accomplish it through the steps given below:

  1. Open the Finder application.
  2. Select Applications on the left.
  3. Now simply right-click an application, for which you want to delete the language files.
  4. Select Show Package Contents.
  5. Open up Contents | Resources.
  6. Look out for any files with the .lproj extension.
  7. Delete these files by moving them to the Trash.

 

Empty the Trash

The Trash in Mac is equivalent of Recycle Bin in Microsoft Windows. Click the Trash icon on the Dock, and then review all files located inside the Trash. If any important files are found, move them somewhere else, and then empty your Trash.

 

Delete Junk Emails

All of us receive unsolicited emails in the form of advertising and promotional material. Any large attachments, image files attached to these emails occupy a significant portion of your Mac’s Solid State Drive (SSD). You can delete junk emails as follows:

  1. Hover over to the Dock and click the Mail app.
  2. Click the Mailbox | Erase Junk Mail.
  3. To permanently delete all emails from the Trash, review them first. Once you’re sure you want to get rid of them, click Mailbox | Erase Deleted Items.