It’s recommended that you keep at least 15-20% of your Mac’s memory free to keep it running smoothly. Optimizing storage is an efficient way to do this. But there are also several other steps you can take to free up space on MacBook Air, Pro, or any other macOS device. Doing these routinely will ensure you don’t face any storage issues and are able to make the most of your system. So let’s have a look.
Also, there is a quicker way to clean your MacBook Pro. You need to get a special cleaning utility such as MacFly Pro, for example. It will clean your system and memory quickly and easily without any additional actions from you. As there is more than meets your eye, it is hard to clean everything manually. Clean duplicated files or folders on Mac. Uninstall apps and clean associated files safely. Monitor Mac system in disk utilization, battery status, memory performance and CPU usage. Compatible with iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook (Air/Pro) in the latest macOS Mojave. How to clean up Mac with CleanMyMac X: Download CleanMyMac X (a link to a free edition of the app) Launch the program. Go to the Large and Old Files section on the menu. Review the details, select what to clean and then click Clean. Remove old iOS backups. Having your files backed up is a wonderful thing. Catalina for macbook pro. It’s recommended that you keep at least 15-20% of your Mac’s memory free to keep it running smoothly. Optimizing storage is an efficient way to do this. But there are also several other steps you can take to free up space on MacBook Air, Pro, or any other macOS device. Software comes with smart scanning algorithms to search and delete junk files automatically. As you launch this app on MacBook Pro and select One Click Clean option, software automatically detects all junk files and lists out them. You can use this app on MacBook Pro, Air.
12 Easy Ways to Free Up Space on MacBook Air or Pro Running macOS Catalina
#1. Delete Large Files on your Mac
Instead of deleting a hundred small files and images, first of all, let us go for the big fish.
- Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
- Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
- Click Documents. Mostly, this is where the big files are. Here you will see the video files, ZIP/RAR files, etc. By default, the biggest files are at the top. Select one or hold the command key and select multiple files
- Finally, click on Delete from the bottom right and confirm.
#2. Remove iOS and iPadOS Backups
- Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
- Now Select Storage tab and click on Manage.
- Click iOS Files from left sidebar
- Select and
Related:How to Find iPhone Backup Location on Mac & Windows
#3. Delete Unwanted Applications
You can delete Mac applications in various ways. You may follow the above steps, click on Applications, and remove the large ones.
#4. Clear Cache to Free Up Space on Mac
- Be in Finder and click on Go from the top menu bar
- Click Go to Folder.
- Type or copy-paste ~/Library/Caches
- Delete the files from here that are taking the most space. You may even delete everything. With normal usages, these files and folders will be recreated by macOS.
- Next, click on Go again and then Go to Folder. Now type or copy-paste /Library/Caches
- You may delete files from here too. After this empty the trash and restart you Mac
#5. Remove Old Downloads
This comes down to what you are willing to keep and what you are happy to let go of. Nowadays everything is online in the cloud. Thus there is no point in storing too may videos, music, etc. on the local storage.
- Click on the Finder icon (leftmost) from the Dock
- Click Downloads and remove unnecessary files from here, by right-click and selecting Move to Trash.
You may also right-click and sort by size to quickly locate and delete the biggest files first.
#6. Compress Folders and Files
If you have many images and word files that you rarely use, but can not delete, then it is a handy idea to compress them. Here is how to zip and unzip files on Mac.
#7. Empty Trash Automatically
- Right-click on the Trash icon in the dock (the rightmost option)
- Click Empty Trash and confirm
To empty Trash automatically:
- Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
- Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
- Click on Recommendations from the top of the left sidebar
- Click Turn On for Empty Trash Automatically.
Many times, GBs of files pile up and are stored in the Trash, thus occupying significant space. It is better to empty it regularly.
#8. Use iCloud to Store Documents
It is best to use iCloud to Store docs etc. on Mac if you have a paid iCloud plan that gives you more than 5 GB of online storage. Here is how to use iCloud to Store Documents.
- Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
- Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
- Click on Recommendations from the top of the left sidebar
- Click Store in iCloud.
- Review what all will be stored. Uncheck if you wish to exclude photos, messages, desktop, and documents. Finally, click on Store in iCloud.
You may also, enable iCloud Photos from System Preferences → Apple ID → iCloud → Photos or the Preferences of the Mac’s Photos app.
#9. Optimize Storage Automatically
- Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
- Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
- Click on Recommendations from the top of the left sidebar
- Click on Optimize next to Optimize Storage. Now, all the movies and TV shows you have watched will be automatically removed.
#10. Delete Attachments from Mac Mail App
Following these steps, you can delete the attachments that have been saved locally on the Mac from the mail app. Depending on the number of emails you receive, this data can be huge.
- Be in Finder and press and keep holding the Option key. Now click on Go from the top menu bar
- Click Library.
- Now, Click on Containers.
- Go to com.apple.mail.
- Click on Data.
- Select Library.
- Now, click on Mail Downloads.
- Select all folders and delete them. Or open the individual folders, see the content, and delete the unnecessary ones.
Even if you delete from here, the attachments are still in your email that you can view or download anytime. Further, you may also choose to stop the Mac Mail app from downloading attachments.
#11. Remove Duplicate Files using Third-Party Apps
Duplicate files are a big headache and unnecessarily occupy space. We have a list of some of the best mac cleaner apps that can help you delete duplicate files on your Mac.
#12. Use External Drives for Large Infrequently Used Files
Do you have data that you do not use much but can neither delete them nor store them in the cloud? Well, consider investing in an external drive and move infrequently used large files to it.
Signing off…
These were some of the easiest ways to free up space on your MacBook Air. It’s a good idea to do these steps every now and then to keep your system performing well. Are there any other Mac tips you’re looking for? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll help you out. Audio logic software.
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Nobody likes when their MacBook Pro starts to run slow. It can be a real pain waiting for files to load or dealing with the spinning beach ball when you are in the middle of an important project or just trying to watch a movie. Apple MacBooks are typically really fast and reliable but sometimes they can start to act up.
Cleaning up the hard drive on your MacBook Pro can help speed up performance and allow your laptop to seem new again, depending on your MacBook’s specs though. If you have an older model computer or just want to make sure yours is operating at the best of its abilities, take a look at how you can clean up the hard drive and what a difference it can make.
Clean Macbook Pro
Note: by saying “hard drive”, we mean a hard disk drive and solid-state drive (SSD) that’s equipped inside your MacBook Pro.
Symptoms of a Cluttered Hard Drive
If you are not sure that your MacBook Pro needs a clean up, here are a few symptoms that often mean your hard drive is a mess and is due for an easy tune-up. A cluttered hard drive is pretty normal, especially if you’ve had your computer for a while so don’t worry if any of this is happening to your machine.
How To Clean Up Macbook Pro
If your MacBook Pro is running slower than usual, i.e. programs and apps are taking a long time to load, web pages crash or don’t load, or your screen freezes often, it’s a good sign that your hard drive might need to be cleaned. It’s pretty obvious when a nice computer like a MacBook Pro starts to slow down, so if you think it’s acting slow, there’s a good chance it is.
High quantities of large and old files such as photos and music can take up a lot of room on your hard drive and over time lead to slow performance. Items left in the trash bin but not fully deleted can also take up a lot of space. Then you have system junk and junk leftover by commonly used apps that might take up a lot of space without you even knowing it. Old email attachments and old system files also add to poor performance.
How to Clean Up a MacBook Pro Hard Drive the Easy Way
There are a few different ways to go about cleaning up your MacBook Pro hard drive and the easiest way is to purchase and download software that cleans up the hard drive for you. We will look at some steps to cleaning up your hard drive manually but for convenience and if you are not too computer savvy, purchasing a program that takes care of everything is a quick and easy option.
One of the most well known and common software programs that help to clean up a MacBook Pro hard drive is CleanMyMac X. This program is really easy to use and after it is installed, you simply open the program, run the system check and it goes through an in-depth process of cleaning out old files and other junk, along with a few other important scans to clean up everything and get your computer running like new again.
These Mac hard drive cleaning programs do cost money, but the time they can save you and the ability to keep everything on your computer running quick and clean is easily worth the price. A quick scan and clean by one of these programs can have your MacBook Pro running fast again in a matter of minutes while doing it yourself can take several hours.
Other good options for MacBook Pro hard drive cleaning software are Drive Genius and CCleaner.
How to Clean Up A MacBook Pro Hard Drive the Hard Way
If you don’t want to spend the money on a MacBook Pro clean-up software program, it is possible to clean up the hard drive yourself. It takes some time and know-how to do the job right so some research and further instruction outside of this quick guide might be needed. If you are comfortable with your MacBook and know how to access back-end aspects of its operating system, you will be able to clean up your own hard drive.
Here are some easy steps to cleaning up your hard drive:
![Macbook Macbook](https://imobie-resource.com/en/support/img/best-mac-cleaner-reviews2.png)
- Delete old and unused files – go through all of your system files and delete any that you no longer use or don’t know what they are. Duplicate files can also be deleted if you find any during your search.
- Clean up your cache – clearing up web caches can be an easy and effective way to improve performance but is somewhat involved so check out this link on how to go about it.
- Uninstall Any Unused Apps – Apps can take up a ton of space and memory so getting rid of any that are installed on your computer that you don’t use can speed things along in the long run.
- Remove Old Mail Attachments – We all get thousands of emails a year and a lot of these come with images and attachments. If you double click on these, they are saved to your computer. Go through and get rid of these old attachments to help your hard drive.
- Empty Mac Trash – Once a file is placed in the trash can, it still needs to be permanently deleted. If you have put lots of files in the trash but have not yet deleted, they can take up a bunch of space.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning up the hard drive on your MacBook Pro can be an involved process. Purchasing a software cleanup program can be an easy option but if you want to do it yourself, start with the information above and check out this guide and this link for more tips and a walk-through on how to get your hard drive back up to speed.
What is your favorite Mac cleanup software? Have you ever cleaned up your hard drive manually? Let us know any other tips and tricks, if so!