Mac storage full? Where your space went

What’s using space on my Mac?

Storage in System Settings shows used and available space, and which kinds of files take it.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click General in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
2. Click Storage, and wait while macOS adds up each category.
3. Read the line at the top: how much of the disk is used. Move the pointer over a color in the bar to see what that category uses. Light gray is free space.
4. Look at the biggest categories. Those with an info button (ⓘ) open, so you can select files and delete them.

For an external drive, select it under Locations in the Finder sidebar and choose File > Get Info. How to check storage on a Mac: 4 ways compares every way to check.

What usually fills up a Mac?

What should I do when my disk is almost full?

Start with the space that comes back fastest.

1. Empty the Trash. Click the Trash in the Dock, look through it, then click Empty in the upper-right corner. Its files take up space until you do: 6.88 GB on this Mac.
2. Delete large files and old downloads you no longer need.
3. Move files you want to keep to an external drive: drag them to the drive, listed below Locations in the Finder sidebar. Check the copies, then delete the originals and empty the Trash.
4. Turn on the recommendations at the top of Storage: Store in iCloud, Optimize Storage and Empty Trash automatically.

If a macOS update still won’t fit, starting up in safe mode clears some system caches, which macOS creates again as needed. “Your disk is almost full”: what to do first has each step.

How do I free up space fast?

Begin with what’s biggest. On this Mac, deleting one 48.2 GB video takes available space from 89.52 GB to 137.72 GB: from 91% full to 86%.

• Large files you don’t need: Documents > Large Files in Storage.
• Libraries you want to keep: photos and videos use a lot of space, so Apple suggests moving your Photos library to another drive.
• Photos in iCloud: with iCloud Photos, Optimize Mac Storage (Photos > Settings > iCloud) keeps smaller versions on your Mac when space is limited, and the originals in iCloud, in your iCloud storage plan.
• Downloads and apps: delete installers you’ve used and apps you no longer need.

How to free up space on a Mac: every way, ranked ranks every method by how much it gives back, with its risk.

How do I find the largest files?

Storage lists your largest files, sorted by size.

1. In Storage, click the info button (ⓘ) next to Documents.
2. Click Large Files, then click Size to sort, biggest first.
3. Select a file and click Show in Finder to look at it first, or click Delete.

Click File Browser in the same view to see how much space each folder uses. Copy anything you want to keep before you delete it. How to find large files on a Mac, safely covers checking a file first.

Why is System Data so big?

System Data is the Storage category for files that don’t fall into any other. Apple says it’s mostly files the system uses, such as log files, caches and virtual memory (VM) files, plus temporary files, fonts, app support files and plug-ins. Here it’s 92.88 GB.

You can’t manage the contents of System Data: macOS does, and its size changes with the current state of your Mac. What you can do is clear what’s around it: empty the Trash, delete large files of your own, and manage data in the apps that created it. What is System Data on a Mac, and why is it so big? explains why it grows and shrinks.

Should I clear caches to free space?

Usually not. When space is needed, macOS already clears caches and logs that are safe to delete, including temporary database files, interrupted downloads, staged macOS and app updates, and Safari website data. Apple’s guidance for developers is that an app’s Caches folder holds only files the app can re-create easily, so space you free by deleting caches by hand tends to fill up again.

Clear a browser’s cache when a website misbehaves, not to free space: in Safari, choose Safari > Settings, click Privacy, then Manage Website Data. How to clear cache on a Mac, and when not to covers browsers and app caches.

What is purgeable space?

Purgeable space is space macOS can free up when it’s needed, by removing files it has marked as purgeable. You can’t remove those files yourself; macOS removes them as space is required. So a disk’s available space can include both free space and purgeable space, and two tools can show different numbers for the same disk.

1. Open Disk Utility. It’s in Applications > Utilities, or search for it with Spotlight.
2. Choose View > Show All Devices.
3. Select the volume, such as Macintosh HD, then click Info in the toolbar to see its available space.

When numbers disagree, Storage in System Settings is the place to see what’s using the space.

Does a full disk slow down a Mac?

It can. In Apple’s guide to a Mac that runs slowly, the first cause listed is a startup disk without enough free disk space. macOS also uses the startup disk for memory: Activity Monitor’s Swap Used is the space on your startup disk used to move files in and out of RAM. To see it, open Activity Monitor, click Memory and look at the bottom of the window. Why is my Mac slow? How to find the cause walks through every cause.

Leave room for macOS to work

Apple doesn’t publish a percentage or a number of gigabytes. What Apple does say is that if the macOS installer reports that your Mac doesn’t have enough storage space, you need to free up space and try again. So keep enough free for the next macOS update and for your biggest regular job, such as a large video import. This Mac has 89.52 GB available of 994.66 GB, about 9%. How much free space should a Mac have? explains how to size it.

Questions people also ask

Why is my Mac still full after I deleted files?

Files you delete go to the Trash, and their space doesn’t become available until you empty it. Empty the Trash, then check Storage again.

Does buying more iCloud storage free up space on my Mac?

Not on its own. An iCloud plan is space in iCloud. Space comes back on your Mac only when files move there, for example with Store in iCloud or Optimize Mac Storage in Photos.

Can I add more storage to my Mac?

You can add room with an external drive and move files you want to keep onto it. External hard drives and SSDs on a Mac: a guide covers choosing, formatting and ejecting one.