Managing Storage Space on macOS Tahoe
Running out of disk space can slow down your Mac and prevent you from installing updates or new apps. macOS Tahoe includes a built-in storage management tool to help you visualize usage and free up space efficiently.
Checking Storage Usage
To see a breakdown of what is taking up space on your drive:
- Open System Settings.
- Go to General > Storage.
You will see a colored bar representing your disk usage, categorized by file type (e.g., Apps, Photos, System Data, Documents).
Storage Management Tools
Below the usage bar, macOS provides "Recommendations" to help you optimize storage automatically.
1. Store in iCloud
This moves your Desktop, Documents, and Photos to iCloud.
- How it works: When space is low, full-resolution photos and old documents are kept in the cloud, while recent files remain on your Mac.
- Note: This requires an iCloud subscription with sufficient space.
2. Optimize Storage
This removes movies and TV shows that you have already watched from the Apple TV app. It also keeps only recent email attachments on your Mac.
3. Empty Trash Automatically
Turning this on will permanently delete items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.
Manual Cleanup
Below the recommendations, you will see a list of categories (Applications, Documents, Mail, etc.). Clicking the "i" (Info) button next to a category allows you to manage files directly.
Applications
- Lists all installed apps and their size.
- Action: Select an app you no longer use and click Delete.
Documents
This is often the most useful section. It has three tabs:
- Large Files: Shows the biggest files on your system, regardless of where they are hidden.
- Downloads: Shows the contents of your Downloads folder.
- File Browser: Lets you navigate your folders sorted by size.
System Data
You might see a large gray section called "System Data" (formerly "Other"). This includes:
- Time Machine local snapshots.
- Caches (browser cache, app cache).
- Swap files (virtual memory).
- Fix: Usually, restarting your Mac will clear temporary caches and swap files, reducing this size significantly.