Xcode needs far more space than the download, and keeps needing it
How much space Xcode takes, why it keeps growing, and what to delete when it is too much, with the folders and commands to check your own Mac.
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.
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.
Audio projects keep every take, and the freeze files on top
Multitrack recordings, frozen tracks and sample libraries fill a drive quickly. What is safe to remove from a finished project.
Ebooks are tiny until the library manager converts them
Kindle and Calibre both keep local copies and generated formats. Where each stores them and what is worth keeping.
Voice Memos syncs every recording to your Mac, in full quality
Recordings made on a phone land on the Mac and stay there. Where they are, what the quality setting costs, and the second bin holding deleted ones.
Installed web apps each keep their own browser profile
A site installed as an app gets its own storage, separate from the browser it came from. Where it is and how to clear it.