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Macbook Clean System Storage



  1. Macbook Clean System Storage Space
  2. Macbook Pro System Storage High
  3. Macbook Clean System Storage On Macbook Air

Go to the Apple menu. Select About this Mac. Switch to the Storage tab. Here you will see what kind of files occupy the disk memory: applications, photos, audio files, movies, mails, documents and other files. May 27, 2020 Mac storage space clean-up can be safe and straightforward. In this article, we shared iOS files and some tips and tricks to free up more space on Mac. While there are many software available today that claim easy disk clean-up however not every software is reliable. Downloads Folder. The Downloads folder is the default location on Mac that stores all the content. Choose Apple menu  About This Mac, then click Storage. Each segment of the bar is an estimate of the storage space used by a category of files. Move your pointer over each segment for more detail. Click the Manage button to open the Storage Management window, pictured below. Dec 11, 2020 If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu System Preferences, click iCloud, then click Options next to iCloud Drive. Store in iCloud turns on the Desktop & Documents Folders and Optimize Mac Storage settings. In Photos, choose Photos Preferences, then click iCloud. Store in iCloud selects iCloud Photos and Optimize Mac Storage.

Optimised Storage helps you save storage space by storing your content in iCloud and making it available on demand:

  • When storage space is needed, files, photos, films, email attachments and other files that you rarely use are stored in iCloud automatically.
  • Each file stays exactly where you last saved it, and will download when you open it.
  • Files that you’ve used recently remain on your Mac, along with optimised versions of your photos.

If you haven't yet upgraded to macOS Sierra or later, find out about other ways to free up storage space.

Find out how much storage is available on your Mac

Choose Apple menu  > About This Mac and then click Storage. Each segment of the bar is an estimate of the storage space used by a category of files. Move your pointer over each segment for more detail.

Click the Manage button to open the Storage Management window, pictured below.

Manage storage on your Mac

The Storage Management window offers recommendations for optimising your storage. If some recommendations have already been turned on, you will see fewer recommendations.

Store in iCloud

Click the Store in iCloud button and then choose from these options:

  • Desktop and Documents. Store all files from these two locations in iCloud Drive. When storage space is needed, only the files you recently opened are kept on your Mac, so that you can work offline easily. Files only stored in iCloud will display a download icon , which you can double-click to download the original file. Find out more about this feature.
  • Photos. Store all original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Photos. When storage space is needed, only space-saving (optimised) versions of photos are kept on your Mac. To download the original photo or video, just open it.
  • Messages. Store all messages and attachments in iCloud. When storage space is needed, only the messages and attachments you recently opened are kept on your Mac. Find out more about Messages in iCloud.

Storing files in iCloud uses the storage space in your iCloud storage plan. If you reach or exceed your iCloud storage limit, you can either buy more iCloud storage or make more iCloud storage available. iCloud storage starts at 50 GB for $0.99 (USD) a month, and you can purchase additional storage directly from your Apple device. Find out more about the prices in your region.

Optimise Storage

Click the Optimise button to save space by automatically removing films and TV programmes you've watched. When storage space is needed, films or TV programmes that you've purchased from Apple and have already watched will be removed from your Mac. Click the download icon next to a film or TV programme to download it again.

Macbook Clean System Storage Space

Your Mac will also save space by only keeping recent email attachments on this Mac when storage space is needed. You can manually download any attachments at any time by opening the email or attachment, or saving the attachment to your Mac.

Optimising storage for films, TV programmes and email attachments doesn't require iCloud storage space.

Empty Bin Automatically

Empty Bin Automatically permanently deletes files that have been in the Bin for more than 30 days.

Reduce Clutter

Reduce Clutter helps you identify large files and files you may no longer need. Click the Review Files button and then choose any of the file categories in the sidebar, such as Applications, Documents, Music Creation or Bin.

You can delete the files in some categories directly from this window. Other categories show the total storage space used by the files in each app. You can then open the app and decide whether to delete files from within it.

System

Find out how to re-download apps, music, films, TV programmes and books.


Where to find the settings for each feature

The button for each recommendation in the Storage Management window affects one or more settings in other apps. You can also control these settings directly within each app.

  • If you're using macOS Catalina or later, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, click Apple ID, and then select iCloud in the sidebar: Store in iCloud turns on the Optimise Mac Storage setting on the right. To turn off iCloud Drive entirely, deselect iCloud Drive.
  • If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, then click Options next to iCloud Drive. Store in iCloud turns on the Desktop & Documents Folders and Optimise Mac Storage settings.
  • In Photos, choose Photos > Preferences and then click iCloud. Store in iCloud selects iCloud Photos and Optimise Mac Storage.
  • In Messages, choose Messages > Preferences, then click iMessage. Store in iCloud selects Enable Messages in iCloud.
  • If you're using macOS Catalina or later, open the Apple TV app, choose TV > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Files. Optimise Storage selects “Automatically delete watched films and TV programmes”.
  • In you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes, choose iTunes > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Advanced. Optimise Storage selects “Automatically delete watched films and TV programmes”.
  • In Mail, choose Mail > Preferences from the menu bar and then click Accounts. In the Account Information section on the right, Optimise Storage sets the Download Attachments menu to either Recent or None.

Empty Bin Automatically: From the Finder, choose Finder > Preferences, then click Advanced. Empty Bin Automatically selects “Remove items from the Bin after 30 days”.

Other ways that macOS automatically helps to save space

With macOS Sierra or later, your Mac will take these additional steps automatically to save storage space:

  • Detects duplicate downloads in Safari, keeping only the most recent version of the download
  • Reminds you to delete used app installers
  • Removes old fonts, languages and dictionaries that aren't being used
  • Clears caches, logs and other unnecessary data when storage space is needed

How to free up storage space manually

Even without using the Optimised Storage features described in this article, you can take other steps to make more storage space available:

  • Music, films and other media can use a lot of storage space. Find out how to delete music, films and TV programmes from your device.
  • Delete other files that you no longer need by moving them to the Bin, then emptying the Bin. The Downloads folder is good place to look for files that you may no longer need.
  • Move files to an external storage device.
  • Compress files.
  • Delete unneeded email: In the Mail app, choose Mailbox > Erase Junk Mail. If you no longer need the email in your Deleted Items mailbox, choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items.
Macbook clean system storage on macbook pro

Learn more

  • The Storage pane of About This Mac is the best way to determine the amount of storage space available on your Mac. Disk Utility and other apps may show storage categories, such as Not Mounted, VM, Recovery, Other Volumes, Free or Purgeable. Don't rely on these categories to understand how to free up storage space or how much storage space is available for your data.
  • When you duplicate a file on an APFS-formatted volume, that file doesn't use additional storage space on the volume. Deleting a duplicate file only frees up the space required by any data that you might have added to the duplicate. If you no longer need any copies of the file, you can recover all of the storage space by deleting both the duplicate and the original file.
  • If you're using a pro app and Optimise Mac Storage, find out how to make sure your projects are always on your Mac and able to access their files.

Storage on the Mac is a concerning yet irritating problem, which every Mac user faces. So, if you are undergoing the same issue, just read the rest of the article closely. Within this article, we will help you clear other storage easily and efficiently. But before we get started, let us give you a clear understanding of what other is on Mac storage?

  • 1. What Is Other On Mac Storage
  • 2. How to Delete Other Storage on Mac - 10 Options
    • Option 1: A Professional Other Storage Mac Cleaner Software Can Help a Lot
    • Option 2: Restart Your Mac
    • Option 3: Delete System Files
    • Option 4: Use Smart Folder Finder
    • Option 5: Use Optimized Storage On Mac
    • Option 6: Delete Old Device Backup in iTunes
    • Option 7: Remove Downloaded Files
    • Option 8: Delete Temporary Files
    • Option 9: Delete Application Plugins And Extensions
    • Option 10: Delete Cache Files

What Is Other On Mac Storage

Generally, it is presumed that other content is garbage. Trust me, it's not! Other storage on a Mac is home to several files, cached data, and all those files that to do not fall into the category of photos, apps, documents, etc. Different types of data types are classified into as other on Mac storage, such as:

  • Cache files – browsers, photos, system and apps
  • Documents – PDF, DOC, PSD etc.
  • Archives and disk images – zips, dmg, iso, tar, etc.
  • Temporary files and system files – logs, preference files.
  • Application plugins and extensions.

After knowing what is other storage, you need to check space on the Mac. How do you know you are short of space? How much space do you need to download your files? How much data do you need to delete to get ample storage space? Follow these simple steps and get hooked with all the information about your Mac storage space:

  1. Click on Apple Icon.
  2. Select About This Mac.
  3. Click on Storage tab.

Now, your system will provide you with a complete breakdown of your mac storage. You will view a horizontal bar graph enlisting all the details of your hard drive in the form of photos, apps, movies, audio and others, from which you can check there is how much other storage on your Mac.

How to Delete Other Storage on Mac - 10 Options Available

Clear other storage is simple, however out of carelessness, you may end up deleting your useful files along with the unneeded ones too. There are abundant ways that can help you clear the other storage and help you get extra space. But, within this guide, we are enlisting 10 useful options for you.

Option 1: A Professional Other Storage Mac Cleaner Software Can Help a Lot

Macbook clean system storage device

Macbook Pro System Storage High

Time Needed: 3 minutes

Release Space: Up to 40%

Difficulty: Very Easy

There is a powerful third-party software that can help you clean your Mac conveniently, quickly and easily. It is called Umate Mac Cleaner, that is a feature-packed Mac cleaning tool with competitive price. Umate Mac Cleaner can help you delete other storage on Mac without any hassle. It comes up with some incredible features that are outstanding and noteworthy to clear storage.

Key Features:

  • Clean up more than 40 types of junk files efficiently
  • Locate & delete large files that are over 50MB
  • Take only 1 sec to clean up your Mac
  • Super easy to use, and the cleaning speed is incredibly fast

Step 1.Download, install and launch Umate Mac Cleaner on your Mac.

Step 2.Select a Feature to clear other storage, like 'Clean up Junk', then hit the big Scan button.

Step 3.After scanning, choose the target files you want to remove and click on Clean button. So easy to get a younger Mac!

It's a matter of three steps, but they are the most crucial ones. This cleaning software not only thoroughly scans your Mac storage but offers you a list of unwanted files. Deleting them will help you attain that extra space you were looking for. However, if you want to refer to the manual option, just continue reading.

Option 2: Restart Your Mac

Time Needed: 2 minutes

Release Space: Up to 5%

Difficulty: Easy

Can 'restarting my mac' help me delete other storage on mac? Well, it won't delete 'other' but will help you clean up some space. Restarting your mac will free up RAM, thereby making space in your Mac.

Macbook Clean System Storage On Macbook Air

Option 3: Delete System Files

Time Needed: 5 minutes

Release Space: Up to 10%

Difficulty: Easy

System files are those that become outdated over time and gradually occupying your disk space. So, it's necessary to delete these files to regain more storage for your device. Don't know how to start? Follow the steps below:

  1. Locate those applications that use the maximum space.
  2. Delete the unwanted files manually.

Option 4: Use Smart Folder Finder

Time Needed: 5 minutes

Release Space: Up to 10%

Difficulty: Easy

Still wondering how to delete 'other' on Mac? Use smart folder finder and clear mac Other Storage with ease.

  1. Click Cmd+F on the desktop.
  2. Search for 'Other' folder in 'This Mac'.
  3. Choose 'Other' in the drop-down menu.
  4. Click the Desired File Size and click Ok button.
  5. Once you have specified the file size, a list of files will appear.
  6. Delete Files you no longer need.

Option 5: Use Optimized Storage On Mac

Time Needed: 8 minutes

Release Space: Up to 10%

Difficulty: Medium

Do you know MacOS comes up with a new handy feature 'optimized storage'? With the help of this storage feature, you can automatically delete the old and useless files by transferring them to iCloud. However, if you have an urge to use them again, you can re-download them back from iCloud.

Option 6: Delete Old Device Backup in iTunes

Time Needed: 10 minutes

Release Space: Up to 10%

Difficulty: Medium

iTunes is good; however, they may groin on your backup storage that takes at an average 4-5 GB. So, do you want to hold that unnecessary space if you no longer use it? So, get rid of these old device backups and enjoy free space with the following simple steps:

  1. Open iTunes.
  2. Tap Preferences.
  3. Select Devices.
  4. Choose the Backup (don't delete the latest backup; it might be useful for you).
  5. Select Delete Backup.

Option 7: Remove Downloaded Files

Time Needed: 10 minutes

Release Space: Up to 15%

Difficulty: Medium

Your download files may also consume a lot of space on your Mac. So, to clear other storage on the Mac, you need to get rid of the downloaded files.

  1. Go To The Finder Icon from your dock or by clicking on the desktop.
  2. Select Go.
  3. Click Downloads.
  4. Select Download Files you want to remove.
  5. Select Move To Trash.
  6. Empty trash.

Option 8: Delete Temporary Files

Time Needed: 20 - 30 minutes

Release Space: Up to 15%

Difficulty: Hard

Temporary files are similar to system files; these files also create clutter within Mac space storage. The operating system produces temporary files but fails to delete them automatically. This is where you step in, and you need to clean them from time to time. Free the clutter with the following steps:

  1. Go to ~/User/User/Library/Application Support/ .
  2. Search for temporary files and old backups in the mobile sync folder.
  3. Delete the files you select.

Option 9: Delete Application Plugins And Extensions

Time Needed: 30 minutes

Release Space: Up to 10%

Difficulty: Hard

Everyone is fond of plugins and extensions; so we tend to install many, but in the end, we never use them again. It is advisable to remove them, because after all, they are only occupying space. How to decrease other storage on Mac by removing extensions from safari, chrome or Firefox? Just take a look at the following steps:

Safari:

  1. Click Preferences.
  2. Go to Extension.
  3. Select the extension you want to delete.
  4. Click Uninstall.

Chrome:

  1. Click the Three-Dot Icon.
  2. Go to Tools> Extensions.
  3. Remove the extensions you dont need any longer.

Firefox:

  1. Click Burger Menu.
  2. Click Add-Ons.
  3. Remove extensions and plugins.

Option 10: Delete Cache Files

Time Needed: 30 - 40 minutes

Release Space: Up to 15%

Difficulty: Hard

Cache files not only halt your system process but also exploit the storage capacity on your Mac. So, if you are short of space; look into your cache files.

  1. Search - Go to a folder (~/Library/Caches, ~/ Library/Logs, /Library/Caches) you want to scan and delete cache files.
  2. Click Go.
  3. Click- Hold Option; drag caches folder to desktop (create a backup).
  4. Select Files in the cache folder.
  5. Drag them to trash.
  6. Empty trash.
  7. Delete The Backup once assured.

Wrapping up

That was all! So, do you still want to clear other storage on Mac manually? Do you know there is a wide population that ends up deleting something special that they really value? That is why thousands of users prefer Umate Mac Cleaner. It is a powerful Mac cleaning app with an all-in-one package that efficiently cleans and optimizes your Mac. Install this cleaning software and give your Mac a new storage space look!