# How to free up space on a Mac: a checklist in order of payoff > Ten ways to free up disk space on a Mac, ordered from the quickest wins to the deeper clean, with what each step usually gives back. - URL: https://maccleaner.tech/free-up-space-mac/ - Published by: Mac Cleaner Guide, written by the Bytesweep team (Bytesweep is the publisher's own app) - Last updated: November 12, 2026 - Steps checked against Apple's documentation for macOS 27 in November 2026. To free up space on a Mac, open **System Settings > General > Storage** to see what is using the disk, then work down this list: empty the Trash, clear Downloads, delete unused apps, remove old iPhone backups, and move photos or large files off the internal disk. Most full Macs are fixed by the first five steps. ## Start by looking The storage bar in System Settings is color coded by category. Click the info button beside a category to see the files in it. Two minutes here tells you which steps below matter for your Mac. If the biggest block is gray System Data, jump to [our System Data guide](https://maccleaner.tech/reduce-system-data-mac/). ## The quick wins ### 1. Empty the Trash Deleted files keep taking space until the Trash is emptied. Right-click the Trash in the Dock and choose **Empty Trash**. Photos, Mail and some other apps have their own trash or Recently Deleted folder; empty those too. To stop it building up again, turn on **Empty Trash automatically** in Storage settings, which erases items after 30 days in the Trash. ### 2. Clear the Downloads folder Open Downloads in Finder, switch to list view and sort by size. Installers ending in `.dmg` or `.pkg` can go once the app is installed. So can anything you can download again. ### 3. Delete apps you do not use In Storage settings, open **Applications** to see your apps and the space each one takes. See [how to uninstall apps fully](https://maccleaner.tech/uninstall-apps-mac/) for the files they leave behind. ### 4. Remove old iPhone and iPad backups Each local backup can be tens of gigabytes. They are listed under **iOS files** in Storage settings. Keep the latest for each device you still own. ### 5. Find the large files you forgot In Finder, press Command F, set the search to **This Mac**, choose **File Size** as the criterion (it is under **Other** the first time) and search for files greater than 1 GB. Old screen recordings, video exports and disk images are the usual finds. ## The medium effort steps ### 6. Let iCloud hold the originals There are two switches, both called **Optimize Mac Storage**. For documents, go to **System Settings > your name > iCloud > Drive**: when space runs low, older files are kept in iCloud only and download again when you open them. For pictures, go to **Photos > Settings > iCloud**: full-size originals stay in iCloud and smaller versions stay on the Mac. Both need enough iCloud storage, which may mean a paid plan. ### 7. Clear caches Browser and app caches can add up to several gigabytes. They rebuild, so the gain is partly temporary. Steps are in [how to clear the cache on a Mac](https://maccleaner.tech/clear-cache-mac/). ### 8. Trim Messages and Mail Messages keeps attachments for as long as its Keep Messages setting says, and for many people that is Forever. In Storage settings, open **Messages** to see and delete the largest. In Mail, choose **Mailbox > Erase Junk Mail** and empty the deleted items. ### 9. Remove duplicates Copies of photos and downloads pile up quietly. See [how to find duplicate files on a Mac](https://maccleaner.tech/duplicate-file-finder-mac/). ## The big move ### 10. Put large libraries on an external drive If photos, video projects or music take half the disk, no amount of cleaning will fix it for long. Quit Photos, drag the library from the Pictures folder to an external SSD, then double-click it there to open it. Confirm it opens correctly before deleting the original, and keep a backup of that drive. Apple adds three cautions. If you use iCloud Photos, set the moved library as the System Photo Library in Photos settings. Do not put the library on a disk used for Time Machine backups. Do not use an SD card or a USB flash drive. ## How much free space should a Mac have? Apple does not publish one figure. As a working rule, keep at least 10 to 15 percent of the disk free, and more before a macOS upgrade, which needs room to download and unpack. Below that, macOS has too little space for swap and temporary files, and the Mac slows down. If yours already has, see [why a Mac runs slow](https://maccleaner.tech/mac-running-slow/). **If you would rather see it all at once.** Our own app, Bytesweep, draws the whole disk as a map so the big items are obvious, and cleans most of the list above from one window, with a 7-day undo for most items. This site is published by the Bytesweep team. Free to try for 3 days; cleaning needs the one-time USD 29.99 license. [See Bytesweep for Mac](https://bytesweep.app/mac.html). ## Quick answers ### How do I free up space on my Mac? Check System Settings > General > Storage, then empty the Trash, clear Downloads, delete unused apps, remove old iPhone backups and move large libraries off the internal disk. ### How much free space should a Mac have? Apple gives no single figure. As a working rule, keep 10 to 15 percent of the disk free, and more before a macOS upgrade. ### What takes up the most space on a Mac? Usually photos and videos, apps and their data, iPhone backups, and System Data such as caches and snapshots. Storage settings shows the split for your Mac. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Free up storage space on Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102624) - [Mac User Guide: Optimize storage space on your Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/optimize-storage-space-sysp4ee93ca4/mac) - [Mac User Guide: Store files in iCloud Drive on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/store-files-in-icloud-drive-mchle5a61431/mac) - [Photos User Guide: Use iCloud Photos on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/photos/use-icloud-photos-phtf5e48489c/mac) - [Apple Support: Move your Photos library to save space on your Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108345)