Start with what's actually taking up space

Before you delete anything, find out what is eating your storage. Open Finder, click Apple in the top left, then About This Mac, then the Storage tab. You will see a coloured bar showing what category is using the most space: Photos, Documents, Applications, or System Data. This tells you where to look first.

If you want more detail, use a free tool like Disk Diag or OmniDiskSweeper (both available from the Mac App Store). These show you exactly which folders and files are largest, so you are not guessing. Spend five minutes here before you start deleting — it saves you from removing something important by accident.

Key Takeaways

  • Check the Storage tab in About This Mac to see which category (Photos, Documents, Applications, System Data) is using the most space.
  • Empty the Trash manually after deleting files, because deleted items stay on your drive until you do.
  • Move large files like videos, old projects, and photo libraries to an external drive or cloud storage instead of deleting them.
  • Clear your browser cache and old downloads folder, which often hold gigabytes of files you no longer need.
  • Remove duplicate photos and old process versions, which accumulate over time and take up surprising amounts of space.

Empty your Trash and Downloads folder

When you delete a file on a Mac, it goes to the Trash but stays on your drive until you empty it. Open Finder, look for the Trash icon in your dock (usually the far right), right-click it, and select Empty Trash. This actually removes the files from your drive. If you have not emptied Trash in months, this alone can free up several gigabytes.

Next, check your Downloads folder. Open Finder, click Downloads in the sidebar, and sort by date modified (click the Date Modified column header). Delete old installers, PDFs you no longer need, and duplicate files. Most people have years of forgotten downloads taking up space here.

Move photos and videos to external storage

Photos and videos are usually the largest files on your Mac. Instead of deleting them, move them to an external drive or cloud storage. Plug in an external drive, open Finder, and drag your photo library to the drive. For most people, this frees up 50 to 200 gigabytes when ready.

If you use iCloud Photos, you can also turn on Optimize Mac Storage. Go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older Macs), click General, then Storage, then check Optimize Storage under iCloud Photos. This keeps full-resolution versions in iCloud and stores only smaller versions on your Mac. You still see all your photos in the Photos app, but they take up far less space locally.

Clear browser cache and temporary files

Your web browser stores copies of every webpage you visit, along with images, videos, and ads. This cache can grow to several gigabytes. Open your browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge), go to Settings or Preferences, find the Privacy or History section, and look for Clear Browsing Data or Clear Cache. Select All Time or Everything and confirm.

You can also clear temporary files that macOS creates. Open Finder, press Command + Shift + G to open the Go to Folder dialog, type ~/Library/Caches, and press Enter. Look for folders from applications you no longer use and drag them to Trash. Be careful not to delete cache folders for applications you still use regularly — stick to old apps you have uninstalled.

Remove duplicate photos and old process versions

Photos app often creates duplicates when you import photos multiple times or sync across devices. Open Photos, go to File, then Deduplicate (on newer Macs) or use the search function to find photos with the same name and date. Delete the duplicates manually if your version does not have automatic deduplication.

Old process versions also accumulate. Open Finder, click Applications in the sidebar, and look for multiple versions of the same app (like "Photoshop 2023" and "Photoshop 2024"). You can safely delete the older version. If you are unsure whether you still use an app, drag it to Trash first — you can always restore it from Trash if you change your mind.

Uninstall applications you no longer use

Applications take up space, and some are surprisingly large. Open Finder, click Applications, and sort by size (click the Size column header). Look for programs you have not opened in months. Drag them to Trash. Some applications leave behind preference files and support folders even after you delete the main app — these are usually small, but if you want to remove them completely, use a free uninstaller like AppCleaner.

Be cautious with system applications (anything that came with your Mac). Deleting those can cause problems. Stick to third-party apps you installed yourself.

Use cloud storage for files you need but do not use often

If you have documents, spreadsheets, or projects you need to keep but rarely open, move them to cloud storage like iCloud Drive, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Open Finder, drag the files to your cloud storage folder, and they sync to the cloud. You can still open them from any device, but they no longer take up space on your Mac's drive.

Most cloud services let you choose which files stay on your Mac and which stay only in the cloud. This is different from deleting — the files are still there, just not stored locally. You can access them whenever you need them, and you have a backup in case your Mac fails.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to delete files from the System Data category?

System Data includes operating system files, caches, and logs that macOS needs to run. Do not delete these manually. If System Data is taking up too much space, restart your Mac or run Software Update — this often clears out old system caches automatically. If the problem persists, contact Apple Support rather than deleting system files yourself.

What happens if I delete a file by mistake?

If you deleted it recently, open Trash, find the file, right-click it, and select Put Back. This restores it to its original location. If you already emptied Trash, recovery is much harder. This is why moving files to external storage instead of deleting them is safer — you keep a copy.

Can I delete old language files to save space?

Some applications include language files for dozens of languages you will never use. Tools like CleanMyMac X or AppCleaner can remove these, but it requires care — deleting the wrong language file can break an process. For most people, the space saved is not worth the risk. Focus on deleting actual files and applications instead.

How much space should I keep free on my Mac?

Apple recommends keeping at least 10 to 15 percent of your drive free for macOS to run smoothly. If your drive is more than 90 percent full, your Mac will slow down noticeably. Once you clear space, aim to stay below 80 percent full.