You deleted 30 GB and your Mac still says it is full: where the space went
Deleting a file on a Mac does not always free its space. The six places the bytes are still held, how to check each one, and how to get the space back.
730 guides
Mac storage, explained.
What fills your disk, where it hides, and what is safe to remove. Every guide gives you a way to check it on your own Mac.
WeChat on a Mac keeps every photo, video and file anyone ever sent you
WeChat stores chat media on your Mac with no limit, and a phone backup can double it. Where it all lives, how to measure it, and what is safe to clear.
The iMovie library keeps a full copy of every clip, even after the movie is done
iMovie copies each clip into its library and adds render files on top. How to measure the library, clear what is safe, and move it off your Mac.
Imported your iPhone photos to your Mac? You may have them twice
Image Capture, Photos and AirDrop each keep their own copy, and a transfer setting can double file sizes. How to spot duplicates and keep one copy.
The file is too large for the volume's format: why a 5 GB video will not copy to your USB stick
Your Mac refuses to copy a big file to a USB stick that has plenty of room. The cause is a 4 GB limit in the drive's format, and the fix takes two minutes.
One drive for a Mac and a Windows PC: which format to choose and how to set it up
ExFAT works on both, APFS is Mac only, NTFS is read only on a Mac. Which to pick for a shared drive, how to format it, and the one setting that matters.
Your Windows drive opens on the Mac but will not let you copy anything to it
A Mac reads NTFS drives but cannot write to them. Why, what your options are, and the safest way to get files onto a drive that came from a Windows PC.
Your 64 GB USB stick shows 200 MB on the Mac: getting the full size back
A USB drive or SD card that shows far less space than it should usually has a leftover partition. How to see it in Disk Utility and restore the full size.
The ._ files your Mac leaves on USB drives, and how to stop them showing up on the TV
Copy files from a Mac to a USB stick and a Windows PC or TV shows a ._ file beside each one. What they are, whether they matter, and how to clean them up.
Your 2 TB Time Machine drive is half empty: using the rest for files without breaking backups
Time Machine will fill a whole drive if you let it. How to split one drive so part holds backups and part holds files, without erasing the backups you have.
The SD card is full mid-shoot: getting photos onto the Mac and the card clear
Copy a camera card to your Mac without filling the Mac, check the copy, then clear the card the right way. Includes where the photos should go.
A NAS for your Mac: when network storage solves a full disk, and when an external drive is better
A network drive gives every Mac in the house shared space, but it is slower and costs more than a USB drive. What belongs on one and what should stay local.