Free Up Storage Space on a Mac: Apple's Steps When the Disk Is Full
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How we wrote this: A plain-English summary of Apple Support's article on freeing up storage space on Mac, checked October 29, 2026. iCloud pricing varies by region.
Check what's using space
On macOS Ventura 13 or later, go to Apple menu, then System Settings, then General, then Storage. On earlier versions, use Apple menu, then About This Mac, then Storage. Click More Info beside a category for options. System Data (or Other) covers files that don't fit a specific category.
Optimize storage
macOS can use iCloud to free up space automatically when needed, and has built-in tools to find large files. Storing files in iCloud uses your iCloud plan. Apple notes plans start at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a month.
Move or delete files
- Move big libraries to an external drive, such as your Photos or iMovie library.
- Delete media you can stream or download again: music, movies and podcasts.
- Clear your Downloads folder.
- In Mail, choose Mailbox, then Erase Junk Mail and Erase Deleted Items.
- Delete old iPhone or iPad backups stored on the Mac.
- Remove user accounts that no longer need the Mac. Then check the Users folder for leftover files and shared files.
- Compress files you want to keep but rarely use.
- Empty the Trash. Space isn't freed until you do.
A temporary boost: safe mode
Starting up in safe mode clears certain system caches, which rebuild later. That can free enough space to finish a task such as a macOS update. Restart normally to leave safe mode.
Back up first with Time Machine before deleting anything you might need. If local AI models are eating space, see where Ollama stores models.
Related: 3-2-1 backups, FileVault and BitLocker, Windows Storage Sense.