VS Code's own folder grows with every workspace you ever opened
Extensions, per workspace state and cached data build up in three folders. Which is safe to clear and what you lose from each.
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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.
JetBrains IDEs keep a cache folder per version, forever
Caches, indexes and logs live outside the app, in a folder per IDE per version. Where they are and which ones belong to versions you removed.
Maven's local repository keeps every version of every dependency
The .m2 folder grows with every build and nothing removes old versions. What is safe to delete, and the plugin that does it precisely.
Conda keeps a package cache and a full copy per environment
Each environment can be gigabytes, and the package cache holds every tarball ever downloaded. What conda clean removes and what it does not.
Ruby keeps every gem version, and every Ruby you installed
Gems accumulate per Ruby version, and version managers keep each Ruby in full. The commands that clean both, and what breaks if you get it wrong.
A git repository can be larger than the code it holds
History, packfiles and old branches accumulate in .git. How to find the heavy repositories, shrink them safely, and spot a large file in history.
A virtual machine keeps growing even when the guest is empty
VM disk files expand as the guest writes and rarely shrink back. Where each app stores them, how to reclaim the space, and what snapshots cost.
Logs and crash reports: usually small, occasionally enormous
macOS keeps logs in four places and rotates most of them. When one grows to gigabytes it means something specific, and that is the useful signal.
The Spotlight index is a few gigabytes, and rebuilding it costs a day
Every volume carries a hidden index proportional to its contents. When it is worth rebuilding, when to exclude a folder, and what it costs you.
Your external drive has hidden folders on it, and one is a second Trash
Copied 400 GB and the drive says 430 GB used. Where the difference goes, including the Trash that empties separately, and how to clear each part.
Sparse bundles grow to fit and do not shrink when you delete
A disk image keeps the space it once used, even after you empty it. How to compact one, and how to find images you mounted once and forgot.
A migrated Mac often carries a second home folder nobody uses
Migration Assistant and old accounts leave complete home folders on the disk, invisible from your own Finder. How to find and remove them safely.