Empty Trash Automatically is useful if you don’t often delete files by accident while Reduce clutter is okay if you don’t mind Apple deciding what documents are important or not. Optimize Storage is useful if you watch a lot of TV or movies using iTunes. When you select Manage, you have some options.

Presumably, if you’re seeing low disk space messages, you won’t have much available space. You should see a graphical representation of your disk usage where you can see how much storage you have used and how much you have free.

Open the Apple menu and select About This Mac.

Then expand them when you need to use them again.ĭid you empty the Trash? When you move a file to the Trash, its storage space doesn't become available until you empty the Trash. If you don't want to delete certain files, you might be able to save space by compressing them.

Check the Users folder on Macintosh HD for any shared files that you no longer need to share.

If your Mac is set up for multiple users, delete users that no longer need access to your Mac. Or ask them to follow the steps in this article after logging in to their user account. Also check the Users folder on Macintosh HD for any undeleted data belonging to deleted users.

If you use your Mac to back up your iPhone or iPad, you can delete old backups.Also choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items. If you use the Mail app for your email, choose Mailbox > Erase Junk Mail from the menu bar in Mail.Delete files in your Downloads folder. Open this folder from the Dock, or by choosing Go > Downloads from the menu bar in the Finder.Delete music, movies, podcasts, or other media, especially if it's media that you can stream or download again as needed.

You can also delete files that you no longer need. If you have another storage device, such as an external drive connected to your Mac, you can move files to that device. Media files such as photos and videos can use a lot of storage space, so you can take steps such as these:

How to clear disk on mac