How to Free Up Space on Mac (Complete 2025 Guide)

There’s a universal feeling of dread that comes with the “Your startup disk is almost full” notification. Suddenly, your once-speedy Mac slows to a crawl, simple tasks become a struggle, and you can’t save that important file. It’s a frustrating experience, but the good news is that you can reclaim a significant amount of disk space without deleting your precious files.

Your Mac’s storage is likely filled with forgotten downloads, old backups, temporary files, and other digital clutter. This guide will provide a clear, step-by-step roadmap to cleaning your machine. We will explore Apple’s built-in tools, manual cleaning techniques, and powerful third-party apps to help you free up gigabytes of space and get your Mac running smoothly again.

This comprehensive guide will cover:

• How to analyze your Mac’s storage to see what’s taking up space.
• Using macOS’s built-in “Optimize Storage” tools.
• Manually clearing out large and forgotten files.
• Tackling the biggest space hogs: caches, old backups, and language files.
• Tips for keeping your Mac clean in the long run.

First, See What’s Taking Up Space

Before you start deleting anything, you need a clear picture of what’s consuming your storage. macOS provides a simple visual tool to help you understand your disk usage.

1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select About This Mac.
3. Click on the Storage tab.
4. After a few moments, you’ll see a color-coded bar graph that breaks down your storage by category, such as Apps, Documents, Photos, System Data, and macOS.

This graph gives you a high-level overview. For a more detailed action plan, click the Manage… button. This will open the Storage Management window, which is your command center for freeing up space.

Method 1: Use Apple’s Built-in Storage Management Tools

The Storage Management window offers four key recommendations to quickly clear out clutter. For many users, these four steps can free up a substantial amount of space.

1. Store in iCloud

This feature helps you move files from your local drive to Apple’s cloud servers, allowing you to access them on demand without them taking up space on your Mac.

• How it works: It can sync your Desktop and Documents folders to iCloud Drive and store your full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Photos. When your Mac gets low on space, it will keep recent files and optimized (smaller) versions of photos locally, while the originals are stored safely in the cloud.
• To enable it: Click the Store in iCloud… button. You can then choose to sync your Desktop and Documents folders and your Photos library.
• Keep in mind: This offloads files, it doesn’t delete them. You will need sufficient iCloud storage, which may require a paid subscription if you have a lot of data.

2. Optimize Storage

This recommendation targets large files you’ve already watched, specifically movies and TV shows purchased from Apple.

• How it works: Once you’ve watched a show or movie, this feature will automatically remove the downloaded file from your Mac to save space. You can always re-download it for free later if you want to watch it again.
• To enable it: Click the Optimize… button and confirm. It’s a simple, one-click solution for anyone who buys media from Apple.

3. Empty Trash Automatically

It’s easy to forget that files in your Trash are still taking up disk space until you empty it. This feature automates that process.

• How it works: It will automatically and permanently delete any files that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.
• To enable it: Click the Turn On… button. This is a “set it and forget it” feature that ensures your deleted files don’t linger forever.

4. Reduce Clutter

This is less of an automated tool and more of a guided manual cleanup.

• How it works: Clicking Review Files takes you to a browser that helps you identify large files, downloads, and unsupported apps that you might no longer need. You can sort files by size, kind, or last access date, making it easy to spot a huge, forgotten movie file or an old disk image.
• To use it: Go through each category. If you find a file you don’t need, select it and click the Delete button. Be sure you won’t need the file again, as this action permanently deletes it (bypassing the Trash).

Method 2: The Manual Cleanup

While Apple’s tools are a great start, a manual deep-clean can free up even more space. This involves rolling up your sleeves and venturing into the folders where digital junk accumulates.

1. Clear Out Your Downloads Folder

The Downloads folder is often a digital dumping ground for installers, PDFs you only needed once, and random images. Over time, it can grow to an enormous size.

1. Open Finder.
2. Go to your Downloads folder.
3. Click the “Group” icon in the toolbar and select Date Added to see the oldest files first.
4. Go through the list and delete everything you no longer need. Remember to empty the Trash afterward to reclaim the space.

2. Hunt for Large and Old Files with Finder

You can use Finder’s search tools to create your own “Reduce Clutter” view.

1. Open a new Finder window.
2. Press Command + F to open the search function.
3. Make sure “This Mac” is selected as the search location.
4. In the first search filter dropdown, select File Size. In the next dropdown, select is greater than, and enter a size like 1 GB. This will instantly show you every file on your Mac larger than one gigabyte.
5. Review the list carefully. You’ll often find old movie files, ZIP archives, or disk images you forgot about. If you’re certain you don’t need a file, right-click and select Move to Trash.

3. Uninstall Unused Applications

Applications can take up a surprising amount of space, especially complex programs or games.

1. Open Finder and go to the Applications folder.
2. Click the “View” icon and select as List.
3. Click on the Size column to sort your applications from largest to smallest. (If you don’t see a “Size” column, right-click the header bar and enable it).
4. If you see an application you haven’t used in months or years, drag it to the Trash.

Important Note: Simply dragging an app to the Trash doesn’t always remove all its associated files. For a more thorough uninstallation, consider using a dedicated third-party app uninstaller.

Method 3: The Advanced Cleanup (For Power Users)

If you’ve done all of the above and still need more space, it’s time to look at the hidden files and system-related data that can bloat your drive. Proceed with caution here; deleting the wrong files can cause system instability.

1. Clear Caches

Your Mac stores cached data to speed up processes, but these files can accumulate and become corrupted. There are three main types of caches you can clear.

To access them, open Finder, click Go > Go to Folder… in the menu bar, and paste the following paths:

• The User Cache (~/Library/Caches): This is the safest cache to clear. It contains application-specific cache files. Once you navigate here, select all the folders and delete them. Don’t worry; your apps will regenerate what they need.
• The System Cache (/Library/Caches): This contains system-level cache files. It’s generally safe to delete the contents of these folders, but it’s wise to be more selective and avoid deleting the folders themselves.
• The Browser Cache: Every web browser stores its own cache.
• • Safari: Go to Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data… > Remove All.
  • Chrome: Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data.

2. Delete Old iOS and iPadOS Backups

If you’ve ever backed up your iPhone or iPad to your Mac using Finder or iTunes, you may have old, multi-gigabyte backup files sitting on your hard drive.

1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac.
2. Open Finder and select your device from the sidebar.
3. Under the General tab, click Manage Backups….
4. You’ll see a list of all local backups stored on your Mac. Select any old or redundant backups and click Delete Backup. This can often free up a huge amount of space instantly.

3. Remove Unnecessary Language Files

Many applications come bundled with localization files for dozens of languages you don’t speak. These can add up to hundreds of megabytes. Manually deleting them is tedious and risky. It’s best to use a dedicated third-party cleaning app for this task, as they can safely identify and remove these files.

Recommended Third-Party Cleaning Apps

For a deeper, safer, and more automated clean, third-party applications are invaluable. They provide a user-friendly interface for tasks that would otherwise be complex and risky.

• CleanMyMac X: A popular and comprehensive tool that does much more than just clean junk. It has modules for uninstalling apps completely, finding large and old files, removing malware, and running maintenance scripts. Its “Smart Scan” feature is a great one-click solution for general cleanup.
• DaisyDisk: This app provides a stunning visual breakdown of your hard drive in the form of an interactive sunburst map. It makes it incredibly easy and almost fun to find large files and folders. You can drill down into any segment of the chart to see what’s inside and delete files directly from the app.
• OnyX: A free and powerful utility for advanced users. OnyX is a system maintenance and optimization tool that can be used to clear deep system caches, run maintenance scripts, and tweak hidden system parameters. It’s less user-friendly than the others but highly effective.

Long-Term Strategies to Keep Your Mac Clean

Freeing up space is great, but preventing the clutter from coming back is even better.

• Adopt a “One In, One Out” Mentality: When you download a new app installer, remember to delete the .dmg file after you’ve installed it.
• Store Large Files Externally: For large projects, video libraries, or photo archives you don’t need daily access to, an external SSD or HDD is a cost-effective solution.
• Embrace Cloud Storage: Use services like iCloud Drive, Google Drive, or Dropbox for your working documents. This not only saves local space but also acts as a backup.
• Schedule a Monthly Check-up: Set a reminder once a month to quickly run through the “Reduce Clutter” tool, clear your Downloads folder, and empty your Trash.

By combining Apple’s built-in tools with mindful manual cleaning and the occasional help of a third-party app, you can easily keep your Mac’s storage under control. A clean Mac is a happy and fast Mac, so take an hour to follow these steps and enjoy the renewed speed and space.