Empty your Mac OS X trash bin. When you delete an item on a Mac, it is placed in the 'Trash' in your Mac OS X dock. However, it still takes up hard drive space until you clean out the Mac hard drive by emptying the trash. In the 'Finder', click 'Finder' in the top menu bar and select 'Empty Trash' from the drop-down menu. Delete Temporary Files on Mac; Taking out the Trash; Move files into external storage; 1. Mac OS Storage Management. The first port of call when making space on your Mac is to see what tools your Mac offers you for such a task. If your Mac is running macOS Sierra or later, it has great built-in tools for managing files and optimizing storage. Our best experiences are shared. We are currently piloting Mac OS support for AltspaceVR. Please note, this pilot is intended to help us better understand the feasibility of expanding AltspaceVR to Mac OS.
System cleanup in one click
Sometimes, you need to know how much storage space is on your Mac. Apple doesn't make this info readily available because not many of us need to know about Mac storage often enough. It's really easy to check, though – and there are even some alternatives that give you better options for managing your onboard memory!
People need to check their storage space for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's just good device management; sometimes your computer is running slowly, and storage is the first culprit you think of. Ideally, about ten percent of the storage space on your Mac should be free at all times so your computer can run smoothly.
Depending on which model you have, this can be tricky to accomplish routinely. Maybe you need to delete some older apps you're not using, or the app isn't supported anymore. Maybe you're just holding onto old documents you no longer need.
Whatever your use-case, here's how to check disk space on Mac.
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How To Check Storage on Mac
It's actually really simple to check your device's memory! Here's how:
- On the menu bar, click the Apple logo in the top left
- Select ‘About this Mac'
- Select ‘Storage'
This is the easiest method for how to see storage on Mac – but you can go deeper! If you need a closer look at your Mac's memory use, there are a few ways to go about it.
From the Storage screen, you can select ‘Manage,' which takes you to a new window. Applications, Documents, Photos, and other sections can be found on the left of this window, and a detailed view of those files on the right.
You can also use Finder! To do so, open Finder, go to the View menu item in the menu bar, and select ‘Show toolbar.' You'll see a new bar at the bottom of the Finder window showing the number of items for the section you have selected on the left-hand pane and the total amount of storage your Mac has available.
Check out how to use Time Machine.
Disk Utility is another resource. Open Disk Utility, and it will launch into a view of the volume(s) on your Mac, which also shows how much space is used, and how much is free. (Keep in mind Disk Utility is meant for power users who want to manage their storage, and is a bit of overkill for most users.)
How To Manage Storage in macOS
There are also easy ways to manage the files or applications taking up room on your Mac.
In Finder, select the category from the left side pane, then the application or file you want to delete. Right-click on that file or app, select ‘delete,' and it'll be removed. From the System Information menu, simply select the file or app you want to get rid of, and select the ‘delete' button on the bottom right of the window.
But these two methods often don't solve the issue! One clever way to better manage the storage on your Mac is to use cloud storage options like iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive. Apple's iCloud is woven into your AppleID, and using it is a very straightforward approach; it's automatically added to the storage options for your Mac!
But iCloud is not the only solution for cloud storage on Mac. If you have something else, CloudMounter is the easiest and best way to manage all your cloud storage containers. It lives in your menu bar for easy access, and shows all your cloud storage options in Finder. It helps your Mac treat cloud storage as a local disk, making access and managing files really simple!
Best of all, CloudMounter uses 256-bit encryption, so your documents are always safe.
If all the menus and file size jargon of Apple's Finder and System Information options is confusing, we've got a great solution for you. iStat Menus is a handy app that also lives in the Menu Bar, and gives a graphical overview of CPU and GPU use in real-time, network connections, and memory use. Instead of dipping and diving through Apple's hierarchal menus, you can just click on iStat Menus to get the same information in a much better interface!
iStat Menus also allows you to keep the data surfaced directly on your menu bar. Instead of clicking the icon, you can choose to have things like CPU or memory usage as icons so the information is always available in real-time. Awesome!
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Probably the best (and definitely the most powerful) option for managing your Mac's memory is CleanMyMacX. Like iStat Menus, it has a drop-down window from the menu bar showing details like CPU or memory use, as well as which apps may be kicking your Mac into overdrive.
CleanMyMacX really shines when you open it up. The app scans your system and identifies unused files, random system junk, mail attachments – and also manages your trash bins. It scans for malware, checks for privacy leaks, optimizes your system for speedy performance, and does routine maintenance.
That's a lot, but we're not done! An option within CleanMyMacX named ‘Space Lens' is a lot like Apple's Finder, only better looking and much easier to use. Here you'll see all your applications and files divided into sections, and broken into sub-menus. You can also manually delete apps or files.
‘Large & Old Files' is a feature in CleanMyMacX which – you guessed it – finds large files and files you haven't touched in a long time. The goal is to help you identify which files might be worth deleting, or at least shuffling off to cloud storage. It even tells you how long it's been since you used a file!
But let's be honest: most of the space on your Mac is probably taken up by apps. And chances are, you don't want or need most of those apps anyway. This is where CleanMyMacX shines bright! Under the ‘Applications' menu, you can update and manage apps and extensions with ease.
The ‘Uninstaller' option is a lot like the ‘Large & Old Files' option, just for apps. It shows you which apps are old, which may be abandoned (32-bit apps are no longer supported on Mac!), and which are just plain unused. It even shows you how large the apps are, letting you do the quick math on which will free up the most space when deleted.
To get rid of apps or files, simply select them from the CleanMyMacX menu, and select the ‘Uninstall' or ‘Delete' option at the bottom of the window. It's that easy!
Keep your Mac in top shape
Checking and managing the storage on your Mac is simple. Camp keepalive (itch) mac os. While viewing your Mac's storage is easy to do without having a separate app, there are good reasons to have something beyond Apple's own options to manage your Mac's memory.
Apps often have files and folders embedded deep in your Mac's memory, which don't always go away when you simply delete the app from Apple's menus. Sure, you got rid of the main offender, but many apps (like those from Adobe) have nuisance files that linger long after you delete the app.
Similarly, moving an app to the trash bin doesn't actually delete it. The ‘Trash' app is little more than a place you put apps you don't want; it doesn't delete them. You have to manage your trash bin separately, which can balloon out of control.
CleanMyMacX is a great bet for handling it all. It's smarter at deleting files, folders, and apps, and gives you a much better view of what may be occupying your Mac's storage. It also removes associated files for apps you delete.
There's no silver-bullet solution, though! We also like CloudMounter for those with multiple cloud storage solutions, and iStat Menus is really sharp at surfacing the right data when you need it. Best of all, all three options are available for free as part of a 7-day free trial for Setapp, along with dozens of other great apps.
/Mac Cleaner /Top 2 Ways to Remove Mac Purgeable Space [2021 Update]
I'm a Mac user and I use it for storing large-sized files. I'm a video special effects specialist and I am responsible for my company's large video files. I just heard about the Purgeable storage in macOS Sierra. What is it? Can you tell me more about this Purgeable storage?
You're in the right place. I'll show you about what is Mac Purgeable space and how to remove purgeable space on Mac.
Tips: iMyMac PowerMyMac can help you easily clean up your Mac to remove purgeable space, just have a free trial below.
Article GuidePart 1. What is Mac Purgeable Space?Part 2. How to Manage Your Mac Storage?Part 3. How to Remove Purgeable Space on Mac?Part 4. Bonus Tip: How to Preview Purgeable Storage In Your Sierra?Part 5. In Conclusion
People Also Read:2021 Top Tips to System Has Run Out of Application MemoryHow Much Space Does Mac OS Take?
Part 1. What is Mac Purgeable Space?
What's the meaning of Purgeable? Mac Purgeable Space is actually related to the Optimized storage feature of your macOS Sierra. Apple didn't make your hard drive space bigger. What they've done is to handle the limited space on your Macintosh with the help of cloud storage. This, in turn, made one part of your storage bar and turned it into a piece called 'Purgeable.'
You must notice that there is other and purgeable in about this Mac. Now, let's dive more into detail with the said slice of the storage pie. Purgeable storage actually contains files that your macOS refers to as suited for removal.
That's why it's called purgeable, it can actually be deleted from your drive without causing any issues. If Optimized storage is activated, a lot of files gets transferred to the cloud. Some of them are referred to as optional files.
Tip:How to deal with the issue of 'Your startup disk full'?
Purgeable Files: Which Ones Are Considered Such?
No one is 100% sure as to which files are considered purgeable. Some guessed that files and system-generated files that have these two criteria are considered purgeable:
- Super old files you have not used or opened for a really long time.
- Files that are already synced to iCloud. Thus, the original file can be removed on your Mac device since it already has a copy on iCloud.
Mac Purgeable files vary in types. It can be any type out there. It can be movies you watched on iTunes. Or, it can also be language files you have never used before. The type of language files that your system hasn't displayed cause you might not need it or might not understand it.
However, what renders these files purgeable and what does it actually mean? The system on your device looks for these files. It knows that when your Mac is about to run out of disk space and your Optimized Storage is activated, it can automatically delete these files to free your storage of space.
Part 2. How to Manage Your Mac Storage?
You may use a computer to store all your files like photos and videos, then you will have a hard time finding more available space on your Mac's internal drive. So you can get some space by managing and optimizing storage on your Mac.
When you choose to manage your computer's storage space, there are 4 parts to operate. Let's first see how to find these options:
- Click About This Mac under the Apple Menu.
- Select and click the Storage tab, you will see your available macOS storage.
- Press Manage, you will now access storage management options.
- Select Recommendations from the left column.
Now you will see 4 options including Store in iCloud, Optimize Storage, Empty Trash Automatically and Reduce Clutter. Let's discuss how to use them to help you manage your storage separately:
Store in iCloud
With this option, icloud stores only the latest files and optimized photos, and icloud downloads them when you need them. In this way, it saves a lot of storage space.
Optimize Storage
When choosing this option, the purgeable categories are added to your storage details. After clicking the Optimize Storage button, there are iTunes movies and attachments you can manage specifically to save your Mac storage.
Empty Trash Automatically
This option allows you set Mac delete items from the Trash automatically after saving for 30 days. Just select Finder>Preferences>Advanced>Check the box that says 'Remove Items from the Trash after 30 days'.
Reduce Clutter
This option allows you to select and delete any files you unneeded anymore to save some space on Mac. By pressing Review Files button, you will see a new window jumps out and shows you all the apps and files stored on your Mac. You can delete by file type (selected in the sidebar).
Tip: You can uninstall unneeded apps on your Mac completely with PowerMyMac Uninstaller, here shows you how to uninstall OneDrive on Mac as a reference.
Part 3. How to Remove Purgeable Space on Mac?
This is very easy. All you need is a tool called iMyMac PowerMyMac. With this tool, you can find all useless files on your device and delete purgeable space on Mac with a few clicks. You can know more useful cleaners form here.
Here is how to use iMyMac PowerMyMac to remove purgeable space on Mac Mojave, Catalina, or High Sierra step by step, try the steps below:
- Download And Open iMyMac PowerMyMac.
- Scanning System Junk.
- Review Items And Select Which To Delete.
- Clean Up Finished.
Step 1. Download And Open iMyMac PowerMyMac
Download the iMyMac PowerMyMac on your computer and open it. The main screen will appear and it will display the Network condition. Click the module named Master Scan on the left-hand side.
Step 2. Scanning System Junk
Click the Master Scan button and wait. The scanning process will start and wait for it to finish. After it is completed, it will display all Junk files to you.
The Junk files will be classified into different categories including Application Cache, Photo Cache, Mail Cache, System Logs, System Cache, and System Trash, among others.
Note: You can click Rescan to scan your device again.
Step 3. Review Items And Select Which To Delete
Click a certain category. And then review the files found on the right-hand side of the screen. Select the files you want to delete. After which click the Clean button.
Step 4. Clean Up Finished
The junk files will now be erased. It will then show folders marked as Zero KB. Other folders will not be shown as Zero KB because they are auto-recreated folders.
Repeat steps 1 to 4. But in this case, select UNINSTALLER or LARGE & OLD FILES instead of Master Scan.
How to Remove Purgeable Storage On Your Device?
Actually, you don't need to do this by yourself. But if you wish to do so, you can move to the next part of this guide.
Mac Purgeable space is there in that whenever your device is running out of space, you will be safe knowing that it will automatically clear up the allocated purgeable space.
This will lead to more free space on your Mac. The best thing to do for you to avoid lifting a finger is to activate other Storage. In this way, your device will automatically purge the said files. To do this, follow the steps below:
- Go to the About This Mac menu.
- Next, go to the Storage tab.
- After which, press Manage.
Now, you have the ability to activate a particular option that you wish to be synced to iCloud.
Part 4. Bonus Tip: How to Preview Purgeable Storage In Your Sierra?
You may use Sierra or High Sierra on your Mac, and there must be some Mac purgeable storages.
You have the ability to check out the amount of space in your Sierra can purge in a variety of places:
- The first method you can do is to check your native storage tab. You can access this tab by going to the Apple Menu and selecting About This Mac. Then, you go to the tab named Storage.
- You can also view it on your Finder's Status Bar. To display your Status Bar, you should click View and then press Show Status Bar.
- The third option is to go to the top menu and click Go. Then, select Computer. Next, right-click on the hard drive. Then, go to getting Info.
- The fourth option would be to click View. Then, go to the Options panel. This will activate the Desktop display of hard disks.
- The final option would be to ask Siri about how much space you have left on your device.
Part 5. In Conclusion
Purgeable space on Mac is one way your device works smarter instead of harder. Instead of putting a bigger disk space on your Mac, you are given an optimization feature. Purgeable files are files that can be removed without causing issues to your device. It is automatically deleted on your device if Optimized Storage is turned on.
However, if you find your Mac is running slowly and want to delete more unnecessary files on your system, you can use a tool like iMyMac PowerMyMac. For example, it can help you find all your images stored on your Mac and remove the duplicates. It helps you scan your device for unneeded files and delete them completely without causing harm to your device.
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Free DownloadWillan2019-10-04 10:10:05
I've tried many ways manually, they lost my time and I felt troublesome. So I turned to a third-party to help me. Luckily, iMyMac Mac Cleaner mentioned in this post satisfied my needs and saved my time.
iMyMac2019-10-04 11:03:06
Thanks for your support!
Velin2019-10-08 09:35:56
I totally agree that we should remove purgeable space on our Mac because that really helps us save much storage space. Thanks for your tips! They work well for me.
iMyMac2019-10-08 11:40:20
Thanks for your support!
Abby H2019-06-28 11:04:07
National Clean Out Your Computer Day! It's a great idea to nudge me into doing some cleaning. After reading this post, I have been using iMyMac Mac Cleaner to remove purgeable space on my Mac to save more storage. It helps a lot to organize my Mac regularly.
iMyMac2019-06-28 13:47:23
Thanks for your support!
Cathy2019-05-21 10:06:05
I bought my MacBook at my first college year. It companied me all the time through my college years. So the full storage thing really bothered me. Lots of solutions have I tried. Then I have tried the first way mentioned in this post about using Mac Cleaner to remove purgeable space on my Mac, it really helps! Thanks so much, pretty happy!
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iMyMac2019-05-21 11:01:05
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Thanks for your support and happy to hear that!
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KHUY PY2019-04-04 15:14:26
I found in Get Info. of may hard disk, the 38.49 GB purgeable. and How to delete this unused space?ThanksPy
iMyMac2019-04-04 17:08:06
Thanks for your support! You can just check the Part 3 in this article, there are detailed steps to help you delete that unused space. Hope that really help you!
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