When your Mac runs out of storage space, it pops up a complementary error message:
Your disk is almost full. Save space by optimizing storage.
This error is self-explanatory. While some people tend to ignore it, it is not recommended to do so. This is because macOS and any apps installed on it need a certain amount of free space to function correctly. Due to the unavailability of free space, Mac’s core features may get interrupted and you might face major system issues such as Mac crashes, errors, system freezes, unresponsive dialogs, and even worse, serious data loss.
This article contains several methods that can show you the way on resolving this problem.
Method 1: Empty Trash Contents
The Trash is a special container in the Mac operating system that contains all files deleted by users. When you drag a file to the Trash, it is just a single step away from permanent deletion.
- Click the Trash icon, which can be found on the Dock.
- A new context menu will pop-up with different menu options.
- Spot the Empty button on the far right corner of the screen and click it.
- Finally, click the blue Empty Trash button to launch the purge.
Method 2: Uninstall Unused Applications
If you are not using certain applications, it’s best to remove them. This will free up the SSD for newer files that will be of value to you.
- Quit the app that you intend to remove.
- Click Go | Applications.
- Now simply drag the icon of the app to the Trash that you wish to remove.
- Open the Trash and remove the app from there as well.
Method 3: Delete Duplicate Downloads, Docs, Images & Movies
If you are that kind of a person who can never remember the exact location where they downloaded that particular file of the Internet, you must surely have already been hit by the duplication of files.
A disorganized file library can be a total mess to handle for an average Mac user. While experimenting with new things, you might have forgotten to delete the stuff that you actually don’t need. Chances are that these files are scattered across different folders, subfolders of your SSD, making it difficult and tedious to search for genuine files.
Worry not, there is still a way to handle this situation. A single duplicate search using Clone Files Checker is enough to identify and purge an unlimited number of duplicate files.
The best aspect of CFC for Mac is that it simply does not take into account the file name while looking for duplicates. It directly scans the content of the files to determine if they are duplicates or not.
Some key features and benefits of using Clone Files Checker are given below:
- Powerful scan engine: CFC offers an ultra-fast and powerful scan engine that employs modern, popular file comparing techniques to get the desired results at lightning speed.
- In-house preview functionality: With CFC, you don’t have to worry about comparing and evaluating each image file on your own from the Finder. The software shows a preview of the image so that you can check the content without having to open that image file.
- Wizard interface: if you are in a hurry and want to get the cleanup job done immediately, simply use the Quick-Fix option. With just a few clicks, you’re away from reclaiming potentially tens of GBs of storage space facility.
- Batch selection: This is a useful and time-saving option that gives you better control over your files. The Select Duplicates button gives you the ability to select multiple files at once with the selection criteria of your choice.
- Export results: You can save the results to a comma-separated file if you want to evaluate them at a later point of time.
Method 4: Switch to Selective Cloud Syncing
When you use a cloud sync application such as Google Drive, or Dropbox, they might well download all your cloud data to the local storage.
Needless to mention, this eats up significant space and you end up facing the low storage problem. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you blindly uninstall these apps. These apps are pretty much useful for both individuals and businesses. They run in the background (even offline) and consistently keep a log of all changes that you make to your original documents and backup them online.
The solution is to properly configure these apps so they won’t sync the existing large online files onto your SSD. You can do so by switching over to the selective sync mode instead of full sync.
Dropbox for Mac
- Press Command and click on the Dropbox for Mac sync client icon.
- Select the Preferences dialog to open program options.
- Click on the Sync tab.
- Under the Selective Sync category, click on Choose folders to scan.
- You will now be able to select or deselect the folders you want to be synced.
- Simply disable syncing large and unneeded folders that may be taking up your storage.
Method 5: Delete System Logs
The Mac operating system keeps track of all the events, exceptions and errors that appear from time to time. These log files contain detailed information about the activities, process details and other information that may be helpful to diagnose major system problems. However, if your MacBook is running normal, you may consider deleting your log files. This will free up some storage space.
- Exit any apps that are currently open.
- Open the Finder application from the Dock.
- Click on the Go menu, followed by Go to Folder.
- Type the following path:
(a) ~/Library/Logs - Click Go to open up the path.
- Press command + A to select all your log files, and then drag them over to the Trash.
- Once all the log files have been successfully moved to the Trash, empty it.
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Raza Ali Kazmi works as an editor and technology content writer at Sorcim Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. He loves to pen down articles on a wide array of technology related topics and has also been diligently testing software solutions on Windows & Mac platforms. If you have any question about the content, you can message me or the company's support team.