In this time and age, getting that “Your startup disk is almost full” notification is nothing short of a nightmare. Movies are getting bigger in size, likewise pictures and other media related contents. That is why knowing how to free up space on MacBook is a must know for every MacBook user. You never know when the knowledge might come in handy.

Apple has gone on to add a new feature in the macOS Sierra and above versions. This feature allows users to optimize storage on the MacBook. This feature includes suggestions on what to do to free up space on your MacBook. But for those who are running lower macOS versions, We will be talking about how to go about it and the steps to take in order to free up space on Your MacBook.

How To Free Up Space On MacBook

1. Empty Trash Can – The Trash Can is an equivalent of the Recycle Bin on Windows. This is where all your deleted files go when you delete them. You can choose to restore the files if you deleted them by mistake or you need to use the file again. If not, then the files are just taking space off your MacBook and deleting them from the trash would free up more space.
2. Uninstall Applications – If your MacBook is getting closer to its storage limit. The best thing would be to prioritise and let go of some apps. Most apps that you do not use too often or apps you do not use at all. Deleting those apps will give you more storage space to play with on your MacBook.
3. Clear Temporary Files – Some files you do not need and probably would never use are sitting on your hard drive taking up space. The files are referred to as junks. Files like Thumbnails of a deleted photo, the cache of browsers etc. Although those browser cache help load sites you’ve visited before more faster. There are a lot of files like that on your MacBook and I would advice getting a cleaner tool like CCleaner for MAC to fish out and Delete those files.
4. Clean Up Attachments In The Mail – If you have been using the inbuilt mail app on your MacBook. Then chances are you have been receiving a lot of attachments and while those attachment are small in size. Over time, it could grow in size and eat up storage space.
5. Delete Language Files – You can also delete languages files from your MacBook Using Monolingual as you probably would not need them. Unless you speak about a thousand languages. Delete the unimportant languages and leave the ones you can speak.

Others

For those who do not want to go through the process of cleaning up your Hard drive to free up more space. You can employ the services of a third party app to do the job for you. There are many apps that can do it for you, but I would recommend CleanMyMAC 3. I would also advise you back up all your important files before using the app as it might mistake your important files for junk and delete it.

If you are using the macOS Sierra latest version, then you can also go your Menu >> About This MAC >> Click on Storage and play with the settings to free up more space.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to free up space on Macbook, you can go ahead and give it a try. You can also move some of your files to the cloud after trying the above steps and still isn’t satisfied with the amount of storage you have. That will inevitably give you more space on your MacBook.