Guides · Storage guide
Freeing space starts with knowing what you can replace. Review the largest items you recognize, use the app that owns the data, and confirm the result before moving to the next folder.
Open System Settings → General → Storage and note the available space. If an installer or app reports a requirement, use that requirement as your target. A universal percentage of free space is less useful than the needs of your actual work.
Then identify the folders using that space. Our large-file guide covers the built-in tools and visual disk maps. Before removing original work, confirm that your backup or archive can be opened.
These are among the approaches covered in Apple's storage cleanup guidance. They give you clear ownership and a clear reason for each removal.
An old device backup may be a good candidate for removal, but it may also be your only copy of a message, photo, or app state. Review device backups through Finder or the relevant backup app. Keep the restore points you still need; do not treat a backup as a disposable cache.
Local Time Machine snapshots are different from backup files you manage yourself. macOS normally reclaims these automatically as space is needed, and counts their space as available. Apple explains how local snapshots use storage.
For a file already synced to iCloud Drive, Remove Download can remove the local copy while retaining the cloud file. Deleting the file is a different operation and can remove it from synced devices. Check sync status first and retain local copies you need offline. See Apple's iCloud Drive instructions.
For Photos, use the library's storage options or a supported library move. Do not browse inside the Photos library package and delete individual files to make it smaller.
Use an app's own cache or download controls where available. Clearing a cache usually means that the app will rebuild or download it again, so removing every cache can create work without solving the source of growth.
Do not blanket-delete Library or Application Support. Those folders can contain databases, local projects, account settings, and other data that an app cannot simply recreate. If one folder keeps growing, identify the app and the cause.
Developers should distinguish generated build data from release archives, simulator data, database volumes, and source files. Follow the DerivedData guide for Xcode, or our developer storage checklist for Docker and package managers.
Recheck the same volume after emptying the Trash. On APFS, shared blocks and snapshots can keep data allocated after one file is removed. A size displayed beside a folder should not be read as a guaranteed increase in free space. Read the storage accounting explanation.
Delve turns the folder hierarchy into a disk map. Inspect the largest regions, preview files, and collect the items you decide to remove. It is a focused way to move from a storage warning to a reviewed set of files.
If you are deciding between a visual analyzer and a broader maintenance app, read disk analyzer vs. Mac cleaner.
You can move a verified archive to another drive or use an available cloud service option to remove a local download. Check that the retained copy is complete and keep a backup.
Use app-specific cleanup controls and target a known problem. Caches can refill, and deleting unfamiliar Library folders can remove data that is not a cache.
Check the Trash first. APFS shared blocks, snapshots, and changes elsewhere on the volume can also affect the free-space total.