A Mac that will not start because the disk is full, and how to get in
A completely full startup disk can stop macOS booting. How to get to a usable state from Recovery, and what to delete first when you do.
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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.
Six ways to free space on a Mac without deleting a single file of yours
Eviction, offloading, compaction and caches. Every technique that returns space while keeping everything you own.
The ten minute monthly routine that keeps a Mac from filling up
A short checklist that catches the categories which actually grow, with the commands for each, in the order that gives the most space soonest.
Handing back a work Mac: what to take, what to remove, what not to touch
Personal files, licences and account sessions all need dealing with, and some things are the company's to erase. A clear order for both sides.
Xcode needs far more space than the download, and keeps needing it
The installer, the simulators, the caches and the archives. Realistic numbers for setting up and living with Xcode on a small drive.
Migration copies your problems too, and some of them are 40 GB
Migration Assistant moves everything, including caches and folders from software you stopped using. What to clear first and what to leave behind.
What belongs on an external SSD, and what will make your builds slow
Simulators, archives and virtual machines move well. DerivedData and active project folders do not. The split that actually works.
The disk is full and an app will not let you save. What to do in the next minute
A save that fails on a full disk risks the document. The fastest safe space, and how to get the file out before anything else.
Restoring an iPhone leaves a 7 GB firmware file on your Mac
IPSW files are downloaded for every restore and update and never removed. Where they hide and why they are safe to delete.
Every game launcher keeps installers, shaders and updates you already applied
Epic, GOG, Battle.net and the App Store each cache downloads separately. Where each one keeps them and what is safe to remove.
Incomplete downloads and seeded files are counted twice on a Mac
A torrent client pre-allocates space, keeps partial files and often seeds a second copy. Where the space goes and how to reclaim it.
Blender caches simulations and renders beside your project, in full
Physics caches, render output and packed textures make a .blend file the smallest part of a project. Where each lives and what to clear.