Signal Desktop keeps its own encrypted copy of everything you receive
Attachments arrive on the Mac as well as the phone and stay there. Where the database is, and the setting that stops it growing forever.
830 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.
Figma caches every file you open, and design tools cache fonts and previews
Desktop design apps keep local copies of documents, thumbnails and font previews. Where each stores them and which are safe to clear.
Postman keeps every response you have ever received
Response history, collections and installed runtimes accumulate in an app that feels stateless. Where the data is and what is safe to clear.
Note apps download every attachment you have ever added, on every device
Cloud note services keep a full local copy by default. Which offer an on demand option, and what to check before switching it on.
Arc keeps a profile per space, and archived tabs never really leave
Arc stores profiles, spaces and an archive of every tab you have closed. Where the data is and which parts are safe to clear.
Every Chromium browser stores the same six things, in the same folders
Brave, Edge, Vivaldi and Opera share one storage layout. Learn it once and you can clean any of them, including the ones you forgot you installed.
Resolve's cache folder outgrows your footage, and it is set to Local by default
Optimised media, render cache and gallery stills live in one folder that grows per project. Where it is and how to point it somewhere else.
Lightroom's previews can be larger than the photos they preview
Standard and 1:1 previews, plus Smart Previews, are stored beside the catalog. What each is for and which to discard.
OBS writes uncompressed by default, and an hour is a lot of gigabytes
Screen recordings are the largest files most Macs ever create. Where OBS puts them, the settings that halve the size, and what to keep.
The sound library is bigger than the app, and most of it is optional
Loops, instruments and legacy content are downloaded in full by default. What each part is, and how to remove what you do not play.
An extension can store more than the browser it runs in
Extensions keep their own local storage, and it is not cleared when you clear browsing data. How to see which one is large.
A media server stores artwork and thumbnails for everything, including what you deleted
Plex builds a metadata library that grows with every item scanned. Where it lives, what generating thumbnails costs, and how to trim it.