The 2 GB sleepimage file, and the swap files next to it
macOS keeps a hibernation file the size of your memory, plus swap files that grow under pressure. What they are for and why deleting them is pointless.
Read full storyMac Storage Guides
How macOS actually uses your disk, what hides in it, and what is safe to remove.
Library Containers: where sandboxed apps keep everything
Containers holds the private folder of every sandboxed app, and one or two of them are usually huge. How to read the folder and what is safe inside it.
Read full story462 files in Downloads, and the ten installers nobody needs
The Downloads folder is the easiest gigabytes on any Mac. Three commands that sort it by size and age, and the one file type that is always safe to delete.
Read full storyApplications is 13 GB on this Mac, and four apps are half of it
Sorting your Applications folder by size takes one command and usually finds two or three apps you no longer use. Plus what the number does not include.
Read full storyWhatsApp on a Mac keeps every photo anyone ever sent you
The desktop app downloads media automatically and stores it in a shared container. Where it is, how to see the largest chats, and what deleting removes.
Read full storyTelegram has a cache limit setting, and it is off by default
Telegram caches every photo and video it shows you and keeps it forever unless you change one setting. Where the folder is and how to cap it.
Read full storyMessages keeps every attachment ever sent to you, forever
The Messages attachments folder is one of the largest hidden folders on a long lived Mac. How to find the big ones and delete them safely.
Read full storyA video editor's project folder is mostly files it can regenerate
Render caches, generated files and optimised media are usually larger than your footage. Which of them come back on their own, and which do not.
Read full storySpotify's cache is not the same thing as your downloads
One of them comes back for free and one costs you your offline music. Where each lives, and the setting that caps the cache for good.
Read full storyiCloud Drive files are on your Mac until you evict them
Turning on iCloud does not free space by itself. What Optimise Mac Storage actually does, and how to force files back to the cloud.
Read full storyDropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive keep a full local copy by default
Every sync service downloads everything unless told otherwise, and each keeps its own cache on top. How to make files online only in each one.
Read full storyDocker's disk file only shrinks after you prune what is inside it
The virtual disk grows with every image, layer and volume and never shrinks on its own. What each prune command removes, and which one deletes data.
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