How to Clear Up Space on Mac Hard Drive: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you tired of running out of space on your Mac hard drive? Do you find yourself deleting files and photos, only to realize that there's still not enough room for new content? It's time to clean up some space on your Mac hard drive. Here are the top 10 ways to do just that.

Method 1: Delete Unwanted Photos in iPhoto

Start by getting rid of unwanted or bad photos in iPhoto. Choose the files you'd like to get rid of and delete them. The iPhoto app has its own dedicated recycle bin, making it easy to recover any accidentally deleted files.

Method 2: Remove Old iTunes Files

Next, head to the previous iTunes folder and delete the old files. Recent iTunes versions generate a backup of the existing iTunes Library file each time the app is updated. To remove these backups, launch the application, hit Uninstaller, choose the application to be removed, and click Uninstall.

Method 3: Clean Up Your Desktop

Having multiple apps and files on your desktop can slow down your Mac. Remove any unnecessary icons from your desktop and consider storing temporary files in a dedicated folder.

Method 4: Clean Up Music Folder

The Music folder is another area where you may have accumulated unwanted files. Look at the pop-up that shows up at your window's top right to find out the folder's space consumption. Click on the Movies folder and press Command-I to see how much space it's taking up. Move any unused or unnecessary files to an external hard drive or the Documents folder.

Method 5: Clean Up Download Folder

Most download files aren't needed or used after some time, so it's essential to frequently check and clean up your download folder. You can move downloaded files to an external hard drive or the Documents folder.

Method 6: Use CleanMyMac 3

CleanMyMac 3 is a disk cleaning aspect that will come in handy when cleaning up space on your Mac hard drive. It safely and permanently removes or uninstalls apps and their preferences, components, log files, and other unnecessary files.

Method 7: Empty the Trash Bin

Don't forget to empty your Trash Bin regularly. Right-clicking the Trash icon allows you to delete individual files or empty the bin at once. Be careful when using this option, as it will permanently delete the files.

Method 8: Check for Duplicate Files

Duplicate files can take up a significant amount of space on your Mac hard drive. Use CleanMyMac 3 or another duplicate file finder to locate and remove any unnecessary duplicates.

Method 9: Remove Unused Apps

Remove any unused apps from your Mac hard drive. This will help free up space and reduce clutter.

Method 10: Clean Up System Files

Finally, clean up system files by deleting any unnecessary log files or other system files. This can be done using CleanMyMac 3 or another cleaning tool.

By following these top 10 methods to clean your startup disk on Mac OS X (El Capitan), you'll be able to free up space and improve the performance of your Mac hard drive. Remember to regularly check and clean up your download, movie, and music folders to keep your Mac running smoothly.

How to clear up space on mac hard drive