Why a brand new Mac already shows 40 GB or more in use
macOS, recovery data, bundled apps and asset packs occupy space before you do anything. What each part is and what you can change.
582 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.
Importing photos filled the disk, and the originals are still on the camera
An import doubles your photos temporarily and triggers background work. What is safe to remove and what to wait for.
What is safe to delete on a Mac, in one list
A verdict on every category, from definitely safe to never touch, with the reason for each and where to read more.
Reinstalling macOS does not free space, and here is what does
A reinstall keeps your data by design. What actually reclaims space, and when erasing and restoring is genuinely the right move.
How to archive a finished project so it takes 5 percent of the space
Most of a finished project is derived data. What to strip, what to keep, and how to make the archive still usable in three years.
When compressing saves space on a Mac, and when it saves nothing
Zip helps with text and hurts with media. Which formats compress, which do not, and the macOS aware way to do it.
Nine things people believe about Mac storage that are not true
Cleaning does not speed up a Mac, more RAM does not free disk, and other claims worth retiring, each with what is actually true.
AirDrop puts everything in Downloads and nothing ever removes it
Received files, screenshots and shared photos accumulate in one folder. Where they go and how to find them by date.
DaisyDisk against WhatSize, both prices checked
Two paid one time disk tools with different interfaces and different strengths. Which suits which way of working.
A bootable clone or Time Machine: which backup suits which problem
Two different jobs sold as one category. What each protects you from, what each costs, and why many people want both.
Hazel does the cleanup you keep forgetting, on a schedule
Rules that watch folders and act on them. What it is genuinely good at for storage, what it costs, and where it does not help.
The storage tools worth having on a developer Mac
Which tools actually help with the folders a developer machine accumulates, and the commands that replace most of them.