How to free up space on your Mac
Updated 2026-10-15
The fastest way to free space is to find the few categories that hold most of it, then clear the safe ones: large files you no longer need, apps you never open, installers left in Downloads, and old screenshots.
See what is using space
- Open the Apple menu, then System Settings.
- Choose General, then Storage.
- Wait for the bar to finish calculating, then read the categories.
- Click the info button next to a category to review what is inside.
Under Documents, the Large Files list puts your biggest items first.
Remove apps you do not use
Open the Applications folder in Finder, switch to list view, and turn on the Last Opened column in View, Show View Options. Apps you have not opened in a year are usually safe to drag to the Trash. Check first that you do not need the data they hold.
Clear installers and old screenshots
Disk images (.dmg) and installers (.pkg) pile up in Downloads after you install an app, and screenshots collect on the Desktop. Both are safe to remove once you have what you need. See how to clean up Downloads and how to delete old screenshots.
Let Clean Up do the sorting
FileSift's Clean Up screen lists unused apps, duplicates, old screenshots and installers together, with the space each group could free. It confirms the file count and size before it moves anything, and removals go to the Trash first.
Empty the Trash
Space is not returned until the Trash is emptied. In Finder, open Settings, then Advanced, to remove items from the Trash automatically after 30 days.
Common questions
Is it safe to delete System Data by hand?
No. System Data is managed by macOS and clears itself. Focus on your own files, apps and downloads.
How much free space should a Mac have?
As a common rule of thumb, keep 10 to 15 percent of the disk free so macOS has room to work.