Whether you have an unusually slow Mac or you keep seeing error messages about your storage being full, freeing up your Mac storage is high on your priority.
Given the kind of storage Apple laptops use, you will find yourself at a disadvantage even with a 256 GB version if you are a heavy user.
Instead of trying to upgrade your laptop, there are some things you can do to free up your Mac’s storage to improve its performance and prolong the lifespan.
Get Rid of Files on Your Desktop
The icons on your desktop take up your RAM. Rendering hundreds of those icons can significantly slow down your computer. You should make it a point to either go through all those files and delete them or never let them find their way to the desktop in the first place.
Another option you have is to ‘Use Stacks’ – this arranges all your files in folders, reducing the number of icons on your desktop.
Delete Apps You Don’t Use
This one goes without saying, but if there are apps you don’t use, you should not have them on your laptop. Delete them and make sure to empty Trash afterward. You can also find these apps through Finder and filter for Date Last Opened.
If you see an app that you have not used in the last 6 months, it is likely you will not use it. If you do feel the need for the app later, you can always re-download the app. Deleting apps can free up a lot of gigabytes, depending on the kind of app.
Delete Files You Don’t Need
If you take a lot of screenshots that you don’t need in the long run, create a reminder for yourself and delete them every two weeks or sooner. You should also check your Downloads folder and make sure that you still need all those files. If you create an organizational structure and have folders for all your work, you can avoid doing this manually.
Use Cleaning Software
If you don’t want to go through cleaning all your files and sorting through everything, you can instead use cleaning software to increase the mac speed. Most cleaning software is paid software, so make sure you try the program before investing in it.
Back up Your Data
Using Time Machine and an external drive to back up your data makes it easy for you to wipe out your local device and rely on the external drive to find files that you need. You can also sync your data to the iCloud or other cloud storage services as well to ease some of the pressure on your local storage disk.
Use Apple’s Recommendations
Apple has its set of recommendations when you go into the About this Mac -> Storage -> Manage. One of these is to sync your data to iCloud. The other one is to optimize storage which deletes any old movies or shows you’ve already watched. You can always download this content again.
Set your Trash to Empty Automatically
If you delete a ton of files and not your Trash, it will not make a difference since all of the files are still being stored on your computer. You can set the Trash to empty itself automatically every month, and this is a part of Apple’s recommendations as well.
Look for Duplicate Files
Duplicate files on your laptop can be found either through the Finder or cleaning software. It is much easier to rely on cleaning software since the process is automated, but you can find and delete these files easily.
Look for Temporary Files
A lot of apps create temporary files so that it is easier for you to pick up where you left off. But this hogs up memory and can be difficult to remove. Using cleaning software can be beneficial since it can do this on your behalf, and it also recommends more files that you can delete.
Get Rid of Old iPhone Backups
If you have been using iPhones for a while, then you may have created several backups of your phone on your computer. You can find these on iTunes and delete the backups that are very old.
Delete Language Files
If you only use your computer in one language, then you can go ahead and delete all the other language files. While this does not necessarily take up a lot of space, it is unnecessary and can be removed safely without affecting your experience.
In Short
If you can afford it, purchase an Apple computer with more storage space. But if that is not a possibility, these tips should help tide you over while you set up cloud storage and offload data to external drives.