# 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. Checked against macOS 27 on 11 October 2026. 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. | Recommendation | What it does | | --- | --- | | Store in iCloud | Keeps 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 Storage | Removes Apple TV movies and shows you already watched, and keeps only recent email attachments on your Mac when space is needed | | Empty Trash Automatically | Erases 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](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/optimize-storage-space-sysp4ee93ca4/mac) and [Free up storage space on Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102624). ## 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](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/optimize-storage-space-sysp4ee93ca4/mac). ## 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](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102624) and [Delete or uninstall apps on Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102610). ## 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](https://diskcensus.com/blogs/uninstall-apps-on-mac.md). - **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](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102624) and [Locate and manage backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108809). ## 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](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108345). 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](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102624) and [Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108345). ## 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](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102624) and [Start up your Mac in safe mode](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/start-up-your-mac-in-safe-mode-mh21245/mac). ## Sources - Apple Support: [Free up storage space on Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102624) - Apple Support: [Optimize storage space on your Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/optimize-storage-space-sysp4ee93ca4/mac) - Apple Support: [Delete or uninstall apps on Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102610) - Apple Support: [Locate and manage backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108809) - Apple Support: [Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108345) - Apple Support: [Start up your Mac in safe mode](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/start-up-your-mac-in-safe-mode-mh21245/mac) 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](https://diskcensus.com/)