1. See what is actually using your space
On macOS Ventura and later, choose Apple menu › System Settings › General › Storage. A bar at the top shows how your disk is split between categories such as Applications, Documents, Photos, Developer, iOS Files and System Data. Below it, each category has an ⓘ button that lists what is inside and lets you delete items directly.
Start with the biggest category. It is far more useful than deleting things at random, and it tells you which of the steps below will make the biggest difference.
On older macOS versions, the same view lives in Apple menu › About This Mac › Storage.
2. Empty the Trash
Files in the Trash still take up space until you empty it. Control-click the Trash in the Dock and choose Empty Trash. In Storage settings you can also turn on Empty Trash Automatically, which removes items that have been in the Trash for 30 days.
Some apps, such as Photos and Mail, keep their own "Recently Deleted" or "Deleted Items" areas. Check those too.
3. Clear out your Downloads folder
Downloads quietly collects installers and archives you only needed once. Open it in Finder, switch to list view and click the Size column to sort the biggest files to the top. Good candidates:
- Disk images (
.dmg) and installer packages (.pkg) for apps you have already installed. .ziparchives you have already unpacked.- Large videos or files you have already moved somewhere else.
These are your own files, so check each one before you delete it.
4. Remove apps you no longer use
In Storage settings, click ⓘ next to Applications to see your apps sorted by size, with the date each was last used. Select one and click Delete. Apps often leave support files behind; our guide on uninstalling apps completely explains where those live.
5. Find big files you forgot about
A handful of large files often matter more than thousands of small ones: old screen recordings, exported videos, disk images and virtual machines. Our guide on finding large files on a Mac shows three ways to list them.
6. Keep photos and videos, but not on your disk
- If you use iCloud Photos, open Photos › Settings › iCloud and choose Optimize Mac Storage. Full-size originals stay in iCloud and smaller versions are kept on your Mac.
- In Photos, the Duplicates collection (below Utilities in the sidebar) shows duplicate photos and videos and lets you merge them.
- Large video projects and old libraries can live on an external drive.
7. Delete old iPhone and iPad backups
Local device backups can be several gigabytes each. In Storage settings, click ⓘ next to iOS Files to see them with their dates, and delete the ones you no longer need. Keep your most recent backup unless the device also backs up to iCloud.
8. If you write code, check developer data
Xcode build data, simulators and package caches can grow to tens of gigabytes. They are rebuilt when needed, so they are usually safe to remove. See how to clear Xcode DerivedData and other developer files.
9. Caches: helpful, but only a temporary win
Apps store caches so they load faster, and they rebuild them as needed. Clearing a large cache for an app you no longer use is worthwhile; clearing caches for apps you use daily frees space only until they refill. Read is it safe to delete cache files on a Mac? before you start.
What not to delete
- Anything inside
/System, and items in/Libraryyou don't recognise. - Folders inside
~/Library/ContainersorGroup Containers: these hold app data such as notes and messages, not caches. - Anything inside your Photos library package. Manage photos from the Photos app instead.
- Keychains, Mail and Messages data folders.
How much free space should a Mac have?
Enough for macOS to work and to install updates. macOS uses free space for virtual memory, caches and temporary files, and major updates can need tens of gigabytes while they install. Apple lists the space needed on its page for each macOS update. If your disk is nearly full, aim to free enough for the next update first.
Where TheCleanDisk helps
TheCleanDisk does the checking for you: one read-only scan, every item explained, and only things apps rebuild on their own are pre-selected. Cleaned items wait in quarantine for 7 days so you can undo, and the space is fully freed when quarantine empties. It is coming soon to the Mac App Store; until then, every step above works with the tools already on your Mac.