Mac Storage Mystery Solved: Conquer the “Other” Category & Reclaim Your Space!
Does an invisible moulder of free space seem to be gnawing away at your Mac storage? It could be under the cover story in the “Other” category. Recognize this beast of burden-invisible files-and sweep away the unwanted. Give away those gigabytes and inject new life into your Mac!
What Is Other Storage on Mac?
Is your Mac almost crawling? Are you starting to get those dreaded alerts that read, “Disk Almost Full”? Particularly if you have smaller SSDs in your MacBook (128GB or 256GB), storage management is not just good practice but absolutely mandatory for ensuring a smooth performance. Don’t allow digital clutter to strangle the performance of your Mac!
That sluggish Mac could be left choking for breath-the disk space might just be getting craved away-for, sometimes, in the “About This Mac” storage panel under “Other Storage” or its shadowy cousin, “System Data,” if you will-the perpetrators might be lurking. These should be thought of as attic spaces with random stuff that doesn’t fall neatly in photos, apps, or documents. The Mac also now separately carves out its space for “System Data” (and materials similar to what “Other” contains) so you now have a more transparent picture of what is gobbling away your precious gigabytes. Time to declutter!
Maybe a better way of describing this thing would be to imagine your Mac’s storage as a concealed attic. “Other Storage” is that sidewhere curious items from application caches, system files, and everything else germane to digital clutterlargely reside in yourLibrary folder. It’s the unsung hero or villain who makes the gears turning backstage.
- Documents; screensavers; sheets like PDF, .psd, .doc, .epub, .txt, .xlsx, etc.; macOS system and temporary files; browser cookies; system logs; document versions; and application cache
- Cache files: user cache, browser cache, and system cache
- Disk images and archives files, like .zip and .dmg files
- App plugins and extensions
- Old device backups (like macOS backups)
Consider Other storage on your Mac as a digital attic for out of sight and out of mind miscellaneous files that include everything from fonts to app extensions to cached data and miscellaneous system files.
How to Locate Mac Other Storage
Finding the contents of Other Storage on your Mac is a crucial step in taking back your disk space.
Locate the Other Storage category using theLibraryfolder inFinder.
The inner MacCR explorer must be unleashed! Once Finder is summoned, head over to the Go menu, and then select the Go to Folder option. Prepare to go into the hidden depths by typing~/Libraryin the portal that appears and hit the Enter key. The secret archives of your Mac await!
The Library directory contains a good collection of subdirectories. Inside this wondrous place are files labeled by macOS asOther. Some are simply cluttering their way through the system and are ready to be deleted, likeCachesandApplication Supportfolders. But beware! Messing with the wrong files may drive your system into anarchy!
Even trickier, this “Other/System Data” type is like a secret vault; not all files are displayed for public viewing. To peer behind that curtain at those hidden files, you’ll put on your detective hat and do some extra digging along the way.
How to Clear Other Storage on Mac
Struggled enough with Mac storage problems? No more! Like humans, so is a Mac happy with a clean environment. Let your gigabytes go by unloading unwanted apps, killing duplicate files, and clearing some worthless files while at it. Reign victorious over digital clutter and regain your space.
Is “Other” taking up space in your storage? Get back that room! You may hunt for and delete hidden files manually, or, to fast track this cleaning, opt for a special disk cleanup tool. (Download required.)
By Manually Reviewing Files
That entrancing “Other” storage category gripping space on your Mac–put it in the docking station. Identify those culprits–download-able, disposable files–and reclaim your gigabytes. It’s akin to a spring cleanup in the digital world! Configure your Mac to discharge disk images that are wasting space, caches, temporary files, and ageing Time Machine backups which you do not use anymore. Ready to have a little fun decluttering? Let’s dive into our step-by-step guide to banish those greedy gremlins!
Delete Disk Images and Archives
Drowning in DMGs and suffocating in ZIPs? Reclaim those precious MBs of storage on your Mac by evicting those long-forgotten disk images and archives. Time to declutter and free up your digital workspace! Ready to bid the storage woes goodbye? Let’s clean up!
Dig out those large files that waste precious Mac storage! In Finder, use the search bar and type “dmg” or “zip.” Make sure it’s selected as “This Mac” to look across the system. Now last but not least, right-click anywhere on the window and hit “Group By ->Size.” Then the giant files shall come towering over their brethren!
Time for a little digital spring cleaning! Sift through your Finder, sending those forgotten files down to the Trash. Once you finish decluttering, free your Mac’s memory: Empty your Trash, and let your system rejuvenate!
Delete Cache Files
Mac’s Cache: An armed force that can turn against you. Supposed to fasten speed, these space hogging pixelated files can fill up and render your performance into a crawl. Time for a cleanup? Hip-hop, hip-hop. Deleting the right cache files-for instance, those for applications long forgotten-can magically restore lots of space and restore a quick feeling. On the flip side, deleting cache files in areas that support system functions may be troubling to the system. So learn about caches, release your Mac, and enjoy.
Go through each folder to find files that can be safely deleted, and move them to theTrash.
Delete Temporary Files
Windows: Declutter Your Digital Attic! Those vital temporary files? They are digital dust bunnies, once so very important now just eliminating space. Evict them and take back your precious storage.
To delete temporary files, Head toGo ->Go to FolderinFinder, type~/Library, and find theApplication Supportfolder.
Go through this folder, and search for the infrequently used apps to safely delete them to free up space.
Delete Time Machine Backups
Another way of keeping your Mac’s storage in check is to manage Time Machine backups.
A Time Machine backup drive just sitting there idling? Time to visit your Mac and do some good for it. Connect the trusted external drive to your Mac. With that done, out comes a Finder window inside which, underLocations, your external disk waits to be put to use.
Step into the heart of the Time Machine theBackups.backupdbfolder to get some precious free disk space. If your trusted external drive juggles backups from more than one Mac, locate the folder named after your device. Hunt down backups that are either obsolete or unwanted. When you have found them, toss them to theTrashwhile creating space for new worthwhile things.
Once you’ve deleted the backups, it’s best to create a new backup to ensure your data is protected.
Using Third-Party Apps
Want to drown in digital clutter on your Mac? Sucking up some gigabytes (and probably sanity) with backup cleanup apps would be great. Just forget about looking for everything manually-they automatically search for useless files hidden somewhere. Looking for a particular one? Try CleanMyMac X; there’s even a free trial!
Slaying the “Other” rude storage beast on the Mac may not really require Herculean strength. Regular purges keep it at bay. Clear away clutter composed of app cache, temporary digital debris, and Time Machine backups you no longer need. Your Mac (and sanity) will appreciate it.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Anya Zhukova.
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