How to Free Up Mac Storage Without Deleting Important Files

Ayush Patel

@TheSpaceWalkerz
3 minute read
| How-To
How to Free Up Mac Storage Without Deleting Important Files

Mac is infamous for its paltry storage capacities on entry-level models. Although it won’t be an issue when your machine is new, it can lead to headaches down the line. As you gather cache, you’ll quickly have less space left for new files and apps. As a result, you might have to delete existing files. However, before you resort to such an extreme solution, try going through these tips to free up storage on your Mac.

How To Get Storage on Your Mac

1. Delete Unnecessary Files and Applications

Time needed: 5 minutes

Deleting unnecessary files and apps on your Mac is the easiest way you can get more storage. You can do this manually or from System Settings, as explained below. I prefer the latter as it streamlines the process.

  1. Open System Settings and go to General > Storage.
    ‍ 

    go-to-system-settings-storage

  2. Now, click the info icon located next to Applications.
    ‍ 

    click-info-button-for-Applications

  3. Select the apps you want to uninstall and hit Delete.

  4. After the applications have been removed, hit Done.
    ‍ 

    select-and-delete-apps

  5. Then, click the info icon located next to Documents.
    ‍ 

    click-info-button-for-Documents

  6. Finally, select the unnecessary files and hit Delete.
    ‍ 

    select-and-delete-documents

2. Empty the Trash on Your Mac

When you delete something on your Mac, it isn’t permanently removed. Instead, it moved to the Trash and still occupies space. You need to click Empty Trash for permanent deletion.

  1. Open System Settings and go to General > Storage.

    go-to-system-settings-storage
  2. Click the circular info button located next to Trash.

    click-info-button-for-Trash
  3. Select the files you want to remove and hit Delete.

    select-and-delete-trashed-items

3. Remove Old iPhone Backups

You can free up a significant amount of storage by deleting old iPhone and iPad backups from your Mac. While you can delete all backups at once via Finder, these steps will help you delete specific backups.

  1. Connect your iPhone/iPad to your Mac using a compatible cable.
  2. Open Finder and select your device. Then, click Manage Backups.

    select-device-and-click-manage-backups
  3. Choose a backup you want to remove and hit Delete Backup.

    select-backup-and-hit-delete-backup

4. Get Rid of Mail Attachments

If you use the Mail app on your Mac, email attachments can quickly add up and consume way too much space. You may use these steps to get rid of the existing attachments and turn off automatic downloads.

  1. Open the Finder on Mac and click Go > Go to Folder in the Menu bar.

    Click-Go-and-select-go-to-folder
  2. Type ~/Library/Mail/ in the resulting search box and hit Return.

    go-to-library-mail
  3. Once you’re in the Mail folder, click search and type Attachments.

    search-for-attachments
  4. Now, right-click on the Attachments folder and hit Move to Trash.

    move-attechments-to-trash
  5. Open the Mail app and go to Mail > Settings from the Menu bar.

    go-to-mail-settings-from-menu-bar
  6. Navigate to the Accounts tab and select a mailbox from the left.
  7. Click the Download Attachments drop-down and select None.

    change-mail-attechment-setting

5. Rebuild the Spotlight Index

Spotlight can use a lot of storage on your Mac due to a corrupted index. You can resolve such issues by rebuilding the Spotlight index. While you can do this manually, I prefer using OnyX. Here’s how it works:

  1. Download and install OnyX from its official website.

    download-and-install-onyx
  2. Launch OnyX and grant all the necessary app permissions.
  3. Navigate to the Maintenance tab and deselect all the options.
  4. Enable the Spotlight Index option under the Rebuilding section.
  5. Hit Run Tasks to start the process and rebuild the Spotlight index.

    rebuild-the-spotlight-index-using-OnyX

6. Delete the Temporary Files

Over time, your Mac accumulates temporary files, cache, logs, and app-generated data, which can take up significant space. Deleting these files can help you free up Mac storage without removing other files.

  1. Open the Finder on your Mac. Then, click Go > Go to Folder in the Menu bar.

    Click-Go-and-select-go-to-folder
  2. Type ~/Library/Caches/ in the resulting search box and press Return.

    go-to-library-caches
  3. Select the unnecessary files and folders. Then, hit Delete to get rid of them.

7. Get Rid of Browser Cache

Browser cache can take too much storage on your Mac if left unchecked. As a result, you should delete the browser cache. Although the steps will differ for other web browsers, here’s how to do this in Safari.

  1. Open Safari and go to Safari > Settings via the Menu bar.

    go-to-safari-settings
  2. Go to the Privacy tab and click on Manage Website Data.

    manage-website-data
  3. Then, click Remove All in the resulting window.

    click-remove-all
  4. Click Remove Now to confirm the action.

    click-remove-now

8. Delete Local Snapshots

Apart from creating backups that are stored on an external drive, Mac also creates local Time Machine Snapshots. You can restore from this backup without the need for physical HDDs. If you’re running low on storage, deleting the local snapshots can be a quick solution to free up storage.

  1. Press Shift + Command + U to access the Utilities folder. Then, open Terminal.

    Launch-Terminal-from-utilities
  2. Now, type tmutil deletelocalsnapshotdates / and press Return.
  3. Type your Mac’s password and press Return to delete all local snapshots.

    delete-all-local-snapshots