For a pretty penny, you can get a Mac with loads of storage — up to 8TB oncertain models, in fact. But what if you have an oldMacBook Airand you can’t even installBig Surbecause it has an itty bitty 128GB drive? Why is that “other” category consuming so much space?
This guide shows you how to free up space on your Mac. Some of the instructions are rather simplistic, while others require a trip into the Terminal. We even suggest a few third-party alternatives if you don’t want to dig deep into MacOS.
Hopefully, by the end, your Mac will have a bit more room to breathe storage-wise. It may even have an extra spring in its step.
Clear browser data
Web browsers download and store data like HTML files and images to display them on your screen. Typically, this cache remains on your Mac, especially with websites you frequent most. All browsers have tools to delete this data, but here’s how to do so in Safari:
Step 1:With Safari open, selectHistoryon the menu bar.
Step 2:SelectClear Historyon the drop-down menu.
Step 3:Click theBlue Arrowsnext to theClearfield and selectThe Last Hour,Today,Today and Yesterday, orAll Historyon the drop-down menu.
Step 4:Click theClear Historybutton to finish.
Use the MacOS storage manager
MacOS provides integrated tools to help with storage management. Here’s how to access those tools:
Step 1:Click theAppleicon displayed on the left end of the menu bar.
Step 2:Select theAbout This Macoption on the drop-down menu.
Step 3:Select theStoragetab in the pop-up window.
Wait for MacOS to calculate your storage. You’ll eventually see the capacity divided into several color-coded categories. Hover the mouse pointer over each category to get more detail. When you’re ready, move on to the next step.
Step 4:Click on theManagebutton.
Step 5:On the following screen, click theOptimizebutton in theOptimize Storagesection, if available. This deletes all watched TV shows and movies purchased through the Music and Apple TV apps. It also deletes old email attachments.
Step 6:Click theTurn Onbutton in theEmpty Trash Automaticallysection if you want the trash can to delete your discarded files immediately. Otherwise, files in the trash remain on your Mac’s drive for 30 days in case you change your mind.
Step 7:Click theReview Filesbutton in theReduce Cluttersection. Here, you’re able to sift through Applications, Documents, your iCloud Drive, Mail, Messages, and Photos to delete the files you don’t need to be stored locally on your Mac.
For instance, select theApplicationscategory on the left, and a list of all apps appear on the right. Click theSizeoption to arrange the list in descending order from largest to smallest. This allows you to quickly free up space consumed by large, unwanted apps. Just select the app, and then click on theDeletebutton.
Anything you download falls under theDownloadstab inDocuments. Messages can be a big culprit, too, storing images, movies, and so on locally on your Mac.
Manually delete music and music videos
While Optimize Storage already does this in bulk, use the following instructions to delete specific albums, songs, and music videos while keeping others intact on your Mac.
Step 1:Open theMusicapp.
Step 2:Find the locally-stored music you want to remove from your Mac.
Step 3:Click the three-dotMorebutton.
Step 4:Select theRemove Downloadoption on the drop-down list.Do not selectDelete from Libraryunless you no longer want to own the music.
Manually delete movies and TV shows
Again, Optimize Storage already does this in bulk. However, use the following instructions to delete specific movies and TV shows while keeping others intact on your Mac.
Step 1:Open the Apple TV app.
Step 2:Find the movie or TV show you want to remove from your Mac.
Step 3:Click the three-dotMoreicon.
Step 4:Select theRemove Downloadoption on the drop-down list.Do not selectDelete From Libraryunless you no longer want to own the media.
Manually delete downloaded files
Don’t forget to clean out this folder if you download a lot of files from outside Apple’s ecosystem.
Step 1:OpenFinder.
Step 2:SelectDownloadslisted on the left.
Step 3:Right-click on theDownloadyou want to delete, and selectMove to Trashon the pop-up menu.
Step 4:Right-click on theTrashicon on theDockand selectEmpty Trashon the pop-up menu.
Erase junk email
Your collection of emails and attachments can eat up your Mac’s storage, too. Here’s how to clean out Apple’s native Mail app:
Step 1:Open theMailapp.
Step 2:SelectMailboxlisted on the menu bar.
Step 3:Select theErase Junk Mailoption on the drop-down menu.
Step 4:Select theErase Deleted Itemsoption on the drop-down menu followed byIn All Accounts,On My Mac, oriCloudon the roll-out menu.
Clean out the “other” data
This one is tricky because MacOS places all data it can’t categorize under the “other” label. Determining what’s under this umbrella can be time-consuming. MacOS Sierra and newer do a better job at classifying these files, but you may find it may be larger than any other listed category. Problem is, you can’t directly access the contents in this category like you can with Applications or Documents.
Here are some examples of “other” files:
Remove cache folders
Apps, programs, and even MacOS store local files, aka cache. Typically, the older cache is not needed and can be safely removed. However, you’ll need to investigate what cachecango and what your Mac currently needs before going trigger happy with the delete function. Here’s where to find all the cache:
Step 1:OpenFinderand selectGoon the menu bar.
Step 2:Select theGo to Folderoption on the drop-down menu.
Step 3:Type~/Library/Cachesin the text field and then click theGobutton, as shown above.
Step 4:A list of files and folders appears. Right-click on the app folder you want to delete and selectMove to Trashon the pop-up menu.
Step 5:Right-click on theTrashicon on the Dock and selectEmpty Trashon the pop-up menu.
Remove unnecessary Time Machine backups
MacOS will keep old Time Machine backups on your Mac. This can be problematic on devices with 128GB because the backups aren’t easily accessible and use a lot of space. You’re forced to use the Terminal and use commands to delete them individually. Here’s how:
Step 1:OpenFinderand selectApplicationslisted on the left.
Step 2:Double-click to open theUtilitiesfolder.
Step 3:Double-click to open theTerminalapp.
Step 4:Type the following command and then press theReturnkey:
tmutil listlocalsnapshots /
As shown above, you’ll see a list of local Time Machine snapshots stored on your Mac. These files start withcom.apple.TimeMachineand include the capture date. The files end with the.localextension.
Step 5:Type the following command, add a space, and then enter the numerical sequence in the file’s name:
sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots[space][numerical sequence]
For example, the command may readsudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots 2025-08-15-130031.
Step 6:Press theReturnkey.
Step 7:Repeat step 5 for all remaining Time Machine backups. When the commands are entered successfully, Terminal will respond with aDelete Local Snapshotmessage.
Remove additional unwanted files
Another long-winded way to delete unwanted files is to enter a file extension and list the associated files by size. This way, the largest ones appear at the top so you may quickly regain storage. Here’s how:
Step 1:At the desktop, press theCommand +Fkeys simultaneously.
Step 2:In the pop-up window, next to Search, make sureThis Macis selected.
Step 3:Click theArrowsin the first search attribute field and selectOtherin the drop-down menu.
Step 4:In the following pop-up, check the box next toFile SizeandFile Extensionand then click theOKbutton.
Step 5:In the search field, enter a file extension to pull up a list of associated files, like PDF or MOV.
Step 6:Right-click on theFileand selectMove to Trashon the pop-up menu.
Step 7:Right-click on theTrashicon on the Dock and selectEmpty Trashon the pop-up menu.
Use third-party software
If you’d rather use a third-party solution to clean house, here are a few great options:
CCleaner:Originally developed for Windows, this MacOS version is an easy way to remove underlying junk files. The premium version adds real-time monitoring, automatic updates, and premium support for $20.
CleanMyMac X:The free version cleans up to 500MB. If you need to clear up additional space, the premium version starts at $35.
Disk Doctor:This utility costs a mere $3 and provides a simple toggle-style interface to easily decide what files you want it to delete, like application caches and logs.
