1. Start by seeing where the space went

Open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Storage. macOS splits your disk into Apps, Documents, Photos, Messages, macOS and System Data. Note which segments are largest before deleting anything — it tells you which of the steps below will actually pay off.

2. Empty the Trash — everywhere

Files in the Trash still occupy the disk. Beyond the Dock Trash, empty Recently Deleted in Photos (kept for 30 days), Notes, and Mail. On a photo-heavy Mac this alone can return several gigabytes.

3. Hunt down the largest files

In Storage, click Documents > Large Files and sort by size. Video exports, virtual machine images, disk images and old project archives are the usual offenders. A dedicated scanner such as DeleteIt maps the whole disk — including folders Finder hides — so nothing large stays invisible.

4. Remove duplicate files

Duplicates accumulate quietly: the same installer downloaded twice, photos imported from two devices, exported renders saved in several folders. Compare files by content, not by name, and keep one copy of each.

5. Clean the Downloads folder

Open ~/Downloads, sort by size, and delete the .dmg, .pkg and .zip files you already installed. Installers are never needed after setup.

6. Clear app caches and logs

In Finder, hold Option and choose Go > Library. Inside Caches and Logs, remove folders belonging to apps you no longer use. Do not delete the parent folders themselves — apps rebuild what they need.

7. Delete old iOS and iPad backups

Connect the device, open Finder, select it in the sidebar and choose Manage Backups. Each backup can be 10–50 GB, and old ones are rarely useful.

8. Remove Time Machine local snapshots

macOS keeps backup snapshots on your internal disk. List them:

tmutil listlocalsnapshots /

Then delete the old ones by date:

tmutil deletelocalsnapshots 2026-01-15-120000

9. Uninstall apps completely

Dragging an app to the Trash leaves its support files behind. Also check ~/Library/Application Support, ~/Library/Preferences and ~/Library/Containers for folders named after the app.

10. Offload media to iCloud or an external drive

Turn on Optimize Mac Storage in Photos to keep full-resolution originals in iCloud, or move finished projects to an external SSD.

11. Developers: clear build artifacts

~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData, iOS simulators, Docker images and node_modules folders in old projects routinely add up to tens of gigabytes.

12. Restart and recheck

A restart lets macOS release purgeable space and refresh the storage report. Check Storage again to confirm how much you recovered.

Do all twelve steps in one scan

DeleteIt scans your Mac, groups large files, duplicates and caches by how much space they return, and deletes only what you approve. Nothing is uploaded — everything stays on your Mac.

Scan my Mac for free

Frequently asked questions

How much free space should a Mac have?

Aim to keep at least 10–15% of the disk free. macOS uses that headroom for swap, updates and snapshots, and performance degrades when it disappears.

What is “purgeable” space?

Purgeable space is data macOS can delete automatically when the disk fills — cached iCloud files and local snapshots. It shows as used until the system needs it.

Why is my disk full when my files are small?

Usually System Data: caches, backups and snapshots. See our guide on how to clear System Data on Mac.

Is cleaning software safe?

It is when it shows exactly what will be deleted and requires your confirmation. Avoid tools that clean automatically without a review step.

Next read: how to optimize Mac storage so the space you just recovered stays free.