Free Up Disk Space
How to find what's using your storage and reclaim space by clearing temp files, caches, and large files
Running low on disk space slows everything down, prevents updates from installing, and can make apps behave unpredictably. Here's how to find what's eating your storage and get space back.
- Open System Settings
- Click General in the sidebar, then select Storage
- You'll see a color-coded bar showing what's using your disk (Apps, Documents, System Data, etc.) and cleanup recommendations below it
Use the built-in recommendations:
- Store in iCloud offloads old files to iCloud Drive (only useful if you have enough iCloud storage)
- Optimize Storage removes already-watched TV shows and movies
- Empty Trash Automatically deletes items in Trash after 30 days
- Click into any category (like Documents or Applications) to browse and delete large files directly
Manual cleanup:
- Empty the Trash (right-click the Trash icon in the Dock and select Empty Trash)
- Open your Downloads folder in Finder and delete old installers, zip files, and downloads you no longer need
- Check
~/Library/Cachesin Finder (Go > Go to Folder, paste the path) for app caches that can be safely deleted
If "System Data" looks unreasonably large (50+ GB), it's usually Time Machine local snapshots and app caches. The snapshots clear themselves over time, but restarting your Mac or running a Time Machine backup to an external drive can speed that up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to delete temp files?▾
Yes. Temporary files are meant to be disposable. They're created by apps and the OS for short-term use (caching, updates, installers). Deleting them is safe and is exactly what built-in cleanup tools do. If an app needs a temp file again, it will recreate it.
What is "Other" or "System Data" storage on Mac?▾
This category includes caches, logs, Time Machine local snapshots, and various system files. It often looks alarmingly large but is mostly stuff that can be reclaimed. The storage panel in System Settings will let you browse some of it. Local Time Machine snapshots are the biggest culprit and clear themselves automatically over time, or after a full backup to an external drive.
How much free space should I keep?▾
Aim for at least 10-20% of your total drive capacity. Your operating system needs free space for virtual memory, updates, and temporary files. Performance degrades noticeably when a drive is above 90% full, and some updates will refuse to install entirely. On smaller drives (256 GB or less), keeping 20-30 GB free is a good minimum.