A full Mac leaves little room for new downloads, photos, or the files you actually need. Start with the largest files you recognize, then work through unused apps, photo libraries, and downloaded content. The steps below show where to find each kind of clutter and how to reclaim its space while keeping the files you want.
Find the files taking up the most space
On macOS Ventura 13 and later, open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Storage. Click the Info button beside a category to inspect it. Available categories depend on your installed apps and stored content.
Open Documents to review large files, downloads, and File Browser. Click Size to sort the files by size. Select an unfamiliar item. Then click Show in Finder to locate it before deciding whether to remove it.
Select files you no longer need. Click Delete to remove them. Start with large files you recognize so each deletion has a clear purpose.
Clear out Downloads and finish emptying Trash
Old downloads and obsolete installers take up space long after you have finished using them. In Finder, open Go > Downloads. Drag unwanted files to Trash, or select them and press Command-Delete.
Open Trash to review its contents before permanently removing anything. Click Empty to complete the cleanup. Moving files to Trash alone does not reclaim their space.
To remove only specific trashed files, Control-click those items. Choose Delete Immediately. Click Delete to confirm.
For ongoing cleanup, open Finder > Settings > Advanced. Enable Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.
Uninstall apps you no longer use
Unused apps deserve a look, especially those with extensions and other supporting files. Quit the app before removing it.
Check its folder for Uninstall or Uninstaller, or check the app’s settings for a removal feature. Use the supplied uninstaller when one is available, following the developer’s instructions. Apple recommends this route for removing associated extensions, login items, and supporting data.
For an app without an uninstaller, open Finder > Go > Applications. Select the app. Choose File > Move to Trash. Authenticate when prompted.
Choose Finder > Empty Trash to finish removing it. App documents and subscriptions are separate from the app itself. If removal fails, follow the developer’s uninstall instructions for that app. Required macOS apps cannot be removed using this Finder method.
Let macOS handle recurring cleanup
Open System Settings > General > Storage to review the built-in recommendations. These include Store in iCloud, Optimize Storage, and Empty Trash automatically.
Enable Optimize Storage to manage downloaded content. When space is needed, it removes watched Apple TV downloads and retains only recent Mail attachments.
macOS also clears eligible caches, logs, temporary databases, interrupted downloads, and staged updates under storage pressure. There is no separate cache-cleaning switch to enable.
Give your Photos library a closer look
Remove unwanted pictures and duplicates first, then optimize the photos you want to keep.
- 1.In Photos, select unwanted library items, press Delete, and confirm. Removing a picture only from an ordinary album leaves its library copy intact.
- 2.Open Utilities > Duplicates. Select duplicates, click Merge [number] Items, and confirm. Duplicate detection is not immediate.
- 3.Open Utilities > Recently Deleted. Use View Album to unlock it when prompted.
- 4.Select the items to remove permanently, then click Delete [number] Photos. Use Delete All only when you want to remove everything there.
- 5.For the remaining library, open Photos > Settings > iCloud. Enable iCloud Photos and select Optimize Mac Storage. This requires sufficient iCloud storage. Full-resolution originals stay in iCloud, while smaller versions remain on your Mac when space is limited.
Keep cloud files without their local downloads
In Finder, open iCloud Drive to find downloaded files whose uploaded copies you want to keep. Control-click a downloaded file or folder. Choose Remove Download. This retains the uploaded cloud file and keeps it available on demand; Control-click it and choose Download Now when you want a local copy back.
For automatic optimization on macOS Tahoe 26, open System Settings > your name > iCloud > Drive. You need an Apple Account and sufficient iCloud storage. Enable Sync this Mac.
Enable Optimize Mac Storage. Older local documents become eligible for removal when storage is needed. Click Done. To include your desktop and documents, reopen the same Drive settings.
Enable Desktop & Documents Folders. Allow synchronization to finish. Uploading files does not guarantee immediate local space savings.
For OneDrive files, open OneDrive in Finder. Right-click downloaded files or folders. Choose Free up space.
For Dropbox files, open Dropbox in Finder. Right-click a downloaded file or folder.
Choose Make online-only. Opening the item downloads it again. Cloud storage capacity is separate from your Mac’s disk capacity, so use local-download removal when you want to retain the cloud original.
If you want to keep large files offline
Use an external drive when you want to keep files offline without storing them on your Mac’s internal disk. This also gives you an alternative to cloud storage.
Connect a compatible external drive, using an adapter if your Mac requires one. Copy the files you want to keep to the drive using Finder. Verify that the external copies contain what you need.
Move the internal originals to Trash after confirming the copies. Choose Finder > Empty Trash to reclaim the space.
A Photos library needs a specific destination: a drive formatted as APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Apple excludes Time Machine destinations and advises against flash cards, USB flash drives, network storage, and cloud storage for the library.
Quit Photos before relocating its library. Open Finder > Go > Home. Open Pictures.
Drag Photos Library to the external drive. Open the relocated library. Verify its contents. Designate the relocated library as the System Photo Library if you use iCloud Photos.
Move the original library to Trash only after confirming the relocated one works. Choose Finder > Empty Trash to complete the move.
Remove obsolete iPhone and iPad backups
This frees space occupied by local device backups you no longer need. Connect your iPhone or iPad to the Mac by USB. Select the device in the Finder sidebar.
Open General. Click Manage Backups. Right-click an obsolete backup. Choose Delete. Click OK when you are finished.
Downloaded media and attachments deserve a final pass
Offline movies, music, podcast episodes, and message attachments occupy disk space until their stored copies are removed. In Music, open Songs or Albums.
Open More beside a downloaded item. Choose Remove Download. Choosing Delete from Library also removes the library entry, with deletions propagating when Sync Library is enabled.
In the Apple TV app, open Downloaded. Hover over an item. Choose More > Delete from Library. Confirm the deletion.
In Podcasts, open Downloaded. Choose an episode’s More > Remove Download. To clear all podcast downloads instead, choose the top-level More > Remove All Downloads. Confirm when prompted.
For automatic cleanup, open Podcasts > Settings > General. Enable Remove Played Downloads. Downloaded episodes are removed 24 hours after playback.
In Messages, select a conversation. With Messages in iCloud enabled, deletions also reach your other synced devices. Select unwanted messages. Press Delete.
Open View > Recently Deleted. Select the conversations to remove permanently. Click Delete.
For Mail attachments, save anything you need elsewhere first. For IMAP accounts, removing attachments also deletes them from the server. Select a message in Mail.
Choose Message > Remove Attachments to delete its attachments while keeping the message text. Return to System Settings > General > Storage to review your remaining usage and identify any other category that needs attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete System Data on my Mac?
System Data has no direct deletion control in Storage settings. Manage identifiable files through Finder or the app that created them.
Why does Time Machine use space on my internal disk?
Time Machine keeps local snapshots. Apple counts their space as available and reclaims it automatically when needed.
Does compressing files free up Mac storage?
Savings depend on the file type. In Finder, Control-click a file or folder and choose Compress. Verify the resulting ZIP before deleting the uncompressed original and emptying Trash. Keeping both copies does not save space.
Will clearing Chrome’s download history delete the downloaded files?
No. Deleting Chrome’s download history removes the record, not the downloaded files themselves.