How to free up space on Mac: a safe, step by step guide

By Pruneo TeamPublished: October 22, 2026Updated: October 22, 2026

A full disk makes everything harder: macOS updates fail, apps cannot save, and the Mac feels slow. The good news is that most of the space you can recover sits in a few predictable places. This guide shows you how to find them and clean them in order, from the safest step to the one that needs the most care. Every step works without any third party app.

1. Measure before you delete

Never start by deleting. First find out where the space goes, so you clean what matters and not what is easy to see.

The Storage panel

On macOS Ventura 13 or later, open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Storage. Apple explains this panel in Change Storage settings on Mac. You will see a bar with categories (Applications, Documents, Photos, macOS, System Data and more) and a list of recommendations.

Click the info button next to a category to see its files. In Documents you can sort by size and review your largest files. Apple notes that macOS and System Data only show how much space they use: you cannot select or delete files there.

The du command

The Storage panel is a good overview, but it does not tell you which folder grew. For that, Terminal has du (disk usage). It only reads, it never deletes:

# Size of each folder in your home, sorted from small to large
du -hd 1 ~ 2>/dev/null | sort -h

# Size of one folder
du -sh ~/Downloads

-h prints human readable sizes, -d 1 goes one level deep and -s shows only the total. You can check every option with man du in Terminal. The 2>/dev/null part hides “Permission denied” messages for protected folders.

Write down the three or four biggest folders. That is your cleaning plan.

2. Empty the Trash

It sounds obvious, but it is the most common reason why “I deleted files and nothing changed”. Files in the Trash still use space until you empty it. Apple’s guide Delete files and folders on Mac explains the options: click the Trash in the Dock and then Empty, or choose Finder > Empty Trash.

To avoid this in the future, the Storage panel has a recommendation called Empty Trash automatically, which removes files that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.

3. Clean your Downloads folder

Downloads collects installers (.dmg, .pkg), ZIP files and documents you opened once. Apple lists it as one of the first places to check in How to free up storage space on your Mac. Open it with Go > Downloads in the Finder.

1. Switch to list view (Command-2) and click the Size column to sort.
2. Delete installers of apps you already installed. You can download them again from the developer.
3. Move documents you want to keep to Documents or to an external drive.

Do not delete a .dmg if you still need to install that app and cannot download it again.

4. Find and remove large files

Large files give the biggest win for the least work. Besides the Documents list in the Storage panel, check these places:

• Videos and screen recordings on the Desktop or in Movies.
• Old iPhone or iPad backups. Apple explains how to find and delete them in Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch: connect the device, select it in the Finder, then General > Manage Backups. Apple warns that a deleted backup cannot be recovered, so make sure you have a newer one or no longer need it.
• Apps you do not use. Remove them and, if you want, check the folders they left in your Library.
• Media you can stream or download again, such as movies, music and podcasts.

If a file is large but you want to keep it, move it to an external drive instead of deleting it.

5. Clear caches

Caches are files that apps create to work faster: thumbnails, web data, downloaded resources. Apple’s developer documentation says the Library/Caches folder “contains cached data that can be regenerated as needed” (File System Programming Guide).

First measure which apps use the most:

du -hd 1 ~/Library/Caches 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -15

Then, for the biggest folders, quit that app and move only its folder to the Trash from the Finder (Go > Go to Folder, or Shift-Command-G, and type ~/Library/Caches). Using the Trash instead of rm gives you a way back if an app complains.

We explain the differences between ~/Library/Caches, /Library/Caches and /System in detail in Is it safe to delete the Library/Caches folder?.

6. Understand System Data

System Data is often the biggest and most confusing category. Apple describes it as files that do not fit in the other categories, and it can include caches, logs, temporary files and Time Machine local snapshots. You cannot clean it from the Storage panel, and part of it is space macOS frees by itself when it needs it.

One safe action from Apple: start up in safe mode once. Apple says in Start up your Mac in safe mode that safe mode clears some system caches, which are created again as needed. This can make more space available for a while, for example to install a macOS update. Restart normally to leave safe mode.

We cover what is inside and the tmutil commands to see local snapshots in What is System Data on Mac.

7. Development, creative and package manager junk

If you write code, edit video or make music, the biggest folders are often not in the usual places. Each one has its own guide with safe commands:

• Xcode: DerivedData, old simulators and archives. See Delete Xcode DerivedData without breaking anything.
• Docker: images, containers and build cache. See Docker prune to free disk space on Mac.
• Node.js: node_modules folders and npm, pnpm and yarn caches. See Clean node_modules and npm, pnpm caches.
• Homebrew: old versions and downloads. See Homebrew cleanup on Mac.
• Video and audio apps: render files, proxies and sample libraries. See Free up space on Mac for video editors and musicians.

8. Let macOS help

The Storage panel recommendations are worth a look:

• Store in iCloud keeps recent files on the Mac and the rest in iCloud Drive.
• Optimize Storage removes movies and TV shows you already watched.
• Empty Trash automatically after 30 days.

These options change where your files live, so read what each one does before you turn it on.

What not to delete

Some folders look big but you should leave them alone:

• /System, /usr, /bin, /sbin and /var. They are protected by System Integrity Protection and macOS needs them.
• The Photos library (Photos Library.photoslibrary). Delete photos inside the Photos app, never by opening the package.
• Mail and Messages data in your Library. Delete messages from the apps.
• ~/Library/Application Support. Apple says it can contain user data, not only cache.
• Anything you do not recognize. If you are not sure, move it to an external drive or leave it.

Quick checklist

1. Measure with Storage and du.
2. Empty the Trash after you check it.
3. Clean Downloads.
4. Remove or move large files.
5. Clear caches with the apps closed.
6. Leave System Data to macOS.
7. Clean development and creative junk with each tool’s own commands.

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