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How to free up space on your Mac

Start with the recommendations built into macOS, then remove the files, apps and backups you no longer need.

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macOS can free some space on its own, and it helps you find the rest. Work through these steps in order. The first ones take the least effort.

Turn on the Storage recommendations

  1. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, then click General in the sidebar.
  2. Click Storage.
  3. Look through the recommendations and turn on the ones you want.
RecommendationWhat it does
Store in iCloudKeeps your Desktop and Documents in iCloud Drive, photos and videos in iCloud Photos, and messages in iCloud. When space is needed, only recently opened files stay on your Mac
Optimize StorageRemoves Apple TV movies and shows you already watched, and keeps only recent email attachments on your Mac when space is needed
Empty Trash AutomaticallyErases items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days

Store in iCloud uses your iCloud storage plan. When you reach its limit, you can buy more or free some up.

If your disk is partitioned, the recommendations apply only to the partition with your home folder.

Source: Apple Support, Optimize storage space on your Mac (opens in a new tab) and Free up storage space on Mac (opens in a new tab).

Let macOS clear what it can

When space is needed, macOS clears caches and logs that are safe to delete by itself. Apple lists temporary database files, interrupted downloads, staged macOS and app updates, and Safari website data. You don’t need to do anything for this to happen.

Source: Apple Support, Optimize storage space on your Mac (opens in a new tab).

Empty the Trash

Moving a file to the Trash doesn’t free its space. The space comes back only when you empty the Trash.

To empty it, choose Finder › Empty Trash in the Finder.

Source: Apple Support, Free up storage space on Mac (opens in a new tab) and Delete or uninstall apps on Mac (opens in a new tab).

Remove what you no longer need

  • Downloads. Open your Downloads folder from the Dock, or choose Go › Downloads in the Finder, and delete what you don’t need.
  • Media. Delete music, movies, podcasts and other media you can stream or download again.
  • Mail. In Mail, choose Mailbox › Erase Junk Mail, then Mailbox › Erase Deleted Items.
  • Apps. Remove the apps you no longer use. See how to uninstall apps on your Mac.
  • iPhone and iPad backups. Connect the device with a USB cable and select it in the Finder. On the General tab, click Manage Backups, right-click an old backup, choose Delete, then click OK.
  • Other users. Delete users who no longer need the Mac. Then check the Users folder on Macintosh HD for anything they left behind, and for shared files you no longer need.

Source: Apple Support, Free up storage space on Mac (opens in a new tab) and Locate and manage backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (opens in a new tab).

Move or compress what you want to keep

  • Move it to another drive. Large libraries, such as your Photos or iMovie library, can live on an external drive. Apple explains how to move your Photos library (opens in a new tab). For the Photos library, the drive must be formatted as APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and it can’t be the drive you use for Time Machine backups.
  • Compress it. Compress files you rarely open, and expand them again when you need them.

Source: Apple Support, Free up storage space on Mac (opens in a new tab) and Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac (opens in a new tab).

If you need room for an update right now

Starting up in safe mode clears some system caches. macOS creates them again as needed, but it can free enough space for a one-off task, such as installing a macOS update.

  1. Start up in safe mode:
    • Mac with Apple silicon: Choose Apple menu › Shut Down. Press and hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears. Select your startup disk, then hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Mode.
    • Intel-based Mac: Turn on or restart your Mac, then press and hold Shift until the login window appears.
  2. Do the task that needed the space.
  3. Restart your Mac normally to leave safe mode.

Source: Apple Support, Free up storage space on Mac (opens in a new tab) and Start up your Mac in safe mode (opens in a new tab).

Sources

Every source was checked on 11 October 2026, against macOS 27.

Disk Census also looks through caches, build files and app leftovers, and tells you which are safe to delete before anything is removed.

See how Disk Census works

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