Running out of Macbook’s drive space is quite common, particularly if your model has a solid-state drive and not a hard drive. SSDs are a better option overall because of how they speed up the Macbook’s performance, but a solid-state drive does not have that much storage space.
If you are stuck with just a few free gigabytes on your drive, you are bound to run into Mac performance problems. Therefore, it is necessary to create a solid computer data maintenance routine and stick to it.
The ideas below will help you create a strategy to free up the Macbook’s drive space. And the more of these ideas you apply, the better your Mac will perform.
Take Care of Temporary System Junk
Starting with temporary system junk like system and user caches is a good approach. You may find it difficult to remove these files manually since one needs to tinker with system settings to access these files.
Besides, deleting them yourself could lead to accidentally removing a file that was not supposed to be deleted. And do not expect that restoring such a file is simple.
Removing temporary data will free up drive space and improve the overall Macbook performance because the system will have fewer files to process. You can click here to find out how to remove the cache from your Mac.
Delete Old Applications
Applications that you have not used for a while are another item on the list of files you should remove. Look at the Macbook applications on your Macbook and figure out which of them are of no use to you.
Some apps may free up more space than you expect because they come with foreign language support files that can take up to a few gigabytes of storage.
Change Default Location for Downloads
Not everyone remembers a picture or a PDF document that they have downloaded a while back. These files remain in the downloads folder and consume the Macbook’s drive space.
If you forget to check the downloads folder regularly, change the default location for the downloads. For example, making the Macbook’s desktop the default download location would let you see the files you have downloaded right away.
If the downloads are right in front of you by being on the Macbook’s desktop, you will not forget about deleting them when they are of no use to you.
Remove Files Permanently
When removing files from the Macbook, remember to delete them permanently. Dragging shortcuts in the trash bin is not enough. You will need to empty the Trash Bin every time you put a file in it.
Enabling the feature that removes the Trash Bin data automatically after 30 days is worth considering, but the files will still be present for 30 days instead of disappearing right away.
You could also get in the habit of using the Option + Command + Delete keyboard shortcut to delete Mac files permanently. Select a file you want to get rid of, hit the keyboard sequence, and confirm the pop-up.
Check for Potential Cybersecurity Threats
With how many different cybersecurity threats there are, it should not come as a surprise that you may encounter a virus or malware that consumes a computer’s drive space.
Make sure that your Mac is malware-free by installing and running reliable antivirus software. Enabling the Firewall is also a good piece of advice since it provides an additional layer of security.
Transfer Data to External Storage
You should transfer some files to external storage. Dropbox and iCloud are solid options since they provide users with a few gigabytes of free space with an option to extend available storage. Paying a few dollars every month as much as a couple of terabytes of storage sounds like a good deal. Besides, clouds are one of the safest locations to keep your files.
If you prefer external hard drives and memory sticks, you can transfer data to these devices instead.
Reinstall the OS
Sometimes, giving your computer a fresh start is the best option. For that, you can reinstall the operating system and wipe the data. That should be enough to free up the Macbook’s drive space, though remember to create data backups to access important computer files after reinstalling the OS.
Stick to Streaming Platforms
Streaming platforms are a good way to eliminate the need to keep large media files on your Mac. Your favorite music tracks, movies, and TV shows are available on streaming sites.
These services are convenient, and they can do wonders for those who struggle to free up their computer drive space. Once you start consuming media via streaming platforms, you will not want to go back to hoarding media files on the computer.
