MacPorts keeps build sources and inactive versions until you clean them
The ports tree, distfiles and inactive ports all accumulate. The two commands that reclaim most of it safely.
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.
Building desktop apps downloads a runtime per version, and keeps them
Electron, Node headers and packaged builds accumulate outside your project. Where each cache is and what prunes it.
Machine learning libraries download weights into a cache you never see
Pretrained weights, datasets and compiled kernels land in hidden cache folders. Where each framework puts them and what is safe.
A build machine accumulates every branch anyone has ever pushed
Workspaces, caches and container images pile up on a self hosted runner. What to prune automatically rather than by hand.
Instruments trace files are huge, and nothing ever deletes them
A profiling session can produce a multi gigabyte trace. Where they are saved and which ones are worth keeping.
CapCut keeps every draft, and drafts hold copies of your footage
Mobile style editors copy media into the project rather than referencing it. Where drafts live and what deleting one removes.
Photo editors keep a cache per image, and it outlives the edit
Affinity, Pixelmator and similar tools cache previews, history and scratch data. What each keeps and which folders are safe.
Secure Empty Trash is gone, and on an SSD you do not need it
Why Apple removed the option, what encryption does instead, and the one case where overwriting still matters.
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.
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.