Aug 14, 2018 Delete old iOS backups to free up tons of space on your Mac. We took a spin around MacOS Mojave public. Click the Storage tab to see a graph of the various categories of files taking up. There are a few ways to delete a file on a Mac: Drag and drop it on to the the trash icon in the dock. Right-click on it and choose Move to Trash from the options. Click on the file and press. Aug 17, 2018 So if you notice that system log files are taking up lots of space on your Mac, it is totally safe to delete the log files, especially when you have a MacBook or iMac with small SSD and is running out of space. Aug 09, 2019 But when you do decide to replace your Mac, you’ll want to make sure to securely delete all your personal files before recycling it or selling it. This ensures that your deleted files can’t be. How to Uncover and Delete Hidden Files Cluttering Your Mac. Posted on May 31st, 2016 by Kirk McElhearn. I recently looked at how you can get rid of duplicate files on your Mac. This is the first step toward cleaning out your Mac, and freeing up space on your drive.
FonePaw - Solution - Eraser - Clear System Storage on Mac
'When I went to About this Mac > Storage, I noticed my mac system storage is taking up too much space - over 80GB! Then I clicked on the content of system storage on the left side but it was greyed out. Why is my mac system storage so high? And how to clear them?'
Dose the problem sound familiar to you? There are a certain number of MacBook or iMac users that are complaining 'why System takes so much space on Mac' and want to know 'how to delete system storage on Mac'. If your MacBook or iMac has a relatively small storage space, the huge system storage can be quite troublesome. This article will tell you what is System in Mac storage and how to clear System storage on Mac.
What Is System Files
You May Need:
Part 1. What is System Storage on Mac?
Before we go to the solution, it is better to know well about the system storage on Mac. In About this Mac > Storage, we can see Mac storage are categoried into different groups: Photos, Apps, iOS Files, Audio, System, etc. And the System storage is confusing, makes it harder to know what is in the System storage. Generally, the files in the System storage can be anything that cannot be categorized into app, movie, picture, music or document, such as:
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The operating system (macOS) that was used to start up the computer and launch applications;
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Important files for correctly functioning of macOS operating system;
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System log files and cache;
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Cache from Browsers, Mail, photos and the third party apps;
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Trash data and junk files.
Part 2. How to Clear System Storage on Mac
To ensure the system runs successfully on the computer, the macOS system and its system files CANNOT be deleted, but the rest on the list can be erased to free up the system storage. Most of the system storage files are hard to locate and the amount of this kind file are enormous. We might even delete some important files by mistake. So here recommending the program FonePaw MacMaster to clear up the files mentioned above, and it won't accidentally delete the important files.
1. Delete System Cache and Log Files
System logs record the activity of system applications and services which take up lots of space on your Mac. They are useful to the developer for the purpose of debugging but are usually useless for regular users.
To delete files first is to access/locate system log files on macOS. It usually involves the steps of typing the code on Mac, then manually removing those files into trash. It might become too complicated for users who are not familiar with macOS system. But now you can use FonePaw MacMaster to clear them up with just one click. The steps by using MacMaster to clean log files as well as the system cache are as followed:
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Download MacMaster on your MacBook or iMac, the program is totally easy to use and free to download;
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Open the program, choose System Junk and click Scan;
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Choose System Logs and System Cache in which the files have been presented in the right column;
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Click Clean to selectively delete some of the log files and cache or you might delete them all in once.
2. Delete Mail Attachments
Every email and its attachment will be cached on your mac when you received them for reviewing offline. The accumulation of the mail attachments will put great pressure on the system storage. To reduce system storage on Mac, you need to get rid of the attachements that you need no more. If there are too many attachments needed to be deleted as well as the cache generated by Mail, MacMaster is very helpful to speed up the process.
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After scanning in the program, select the Mail Junk or Mail Attachment that will be presented in the right column;
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You can selectively delete some of attachments or delete them once for all by clicking on the Clean button.
Remind you that the mail attachments deleted by FonePaw MacMaster will not be removed permanently. You are still able to re-download the files from the mail server if you want to.
3. Delete Useless Files from iTunes
Some of you might use MacBook or iMac to backup iPhone's or iPad's data by iTunes. The updates of the iOS system can also be completed through iTunes, and the updated files as well as iTunes backup could make system storage huge. The iPhone backups and iOS updates files can deplete the storage up to 10+GB on Mac without knowing it. So removing iTunes files is a great to clean up system storage on Mac.
The backup files can be removed through iTunes, while the update files are a little bit tricky to locate. But with the help of MacMaster, it will become much easier to remove.
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In FonePaw MacMaster, choose scanning 'iTunes Junk' to scan out the unwanted backups and updates.
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The filtered files will be presented in the right column. Click Clean to remove them easily.
4. Empty Trash
Dragging the files you don't need into the Trash doesn't mean the complete deletion from you Mac, but emptying the Trash does. We usually forget the files in Trash, and it's very easy to pile up, thus becoming a large part of system storage. So if you clear System storage, follow the steps below to empty your Trash:
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Click and hold the Trash icon on the Dock (or pressing the right bottom with your mouse).
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A pop-up will appear that says Empty Trash. Choose it.
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Or you can also empty the Trash by opening 'Finder' by holding down the Command and Shift, then selecting Delete.
5. Manage Time Machine Backup
Time Machine works through using both remote storage devices and the local disk for backups if you are making a backup via Wi-Fi. And the local backups will increase your computer's system storage anyway. Although macOS will automatically purge the local Time Machine backup if there is 'not enough storage disk' on Mac, the deletion sometimes lags behind the storage change.
Therefore, it's critical to manage Time Machine backup. Here we will recommend a workaroung to help you delete the Time Machine backup files on Mac manually. But note that, though this method can help you remove the backup files on Mac and release more system storage space, if you are afraid of deleting some important backups on your own, you can also choose to wait for the macOS to delete them.
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Launch Terminal from the Spotlight.In terminal, type in tmutil listlocalsnapshotdates. And then hit the Enter key.
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Here you can check the list of all the Time Machine backup files stored on the local disk. You are free to delete anyone of them according to the date.
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Back to the terminal and type in tmutil deletelocalsnapshots.The backup files will be presents by the snapshot dates. Delete them by hitting the Enter key.
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Repeat the same steps till the system storage space is acceptable to you. (Tip: During the process, you can check the System Information to see whether the disk space is large enough.)
Hopefully this guide will help you to reduce system storage on Mac. Any idea about cleaning system storage on Mac is welcome! If you find the guide is useful, please share with your friends!
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Securely clean up the junk files, big files, unneeded files on your Mac to speed it up.
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Optimized Storage in macOS Sierra and later* can save space by storing your content in iCloud and making it available on demand. When storage space is needed, files, photos, movies, email attachments, and other files that you seldom use are stored in iCloud automatically. Each file stays right where you last saved it, and downloads when you open it. Files that you’ve used recently remain on your Mac, along with optimized versions of your photos.
* If you haven't yet upgraded to macOS Sierra or later, learn about other ways to free up storage space.
Find out how much storage is available on your Mac
Choose Apple menu > About This Mac, then click Storage. This is an overview of available storage space on your Mac, as well as the space used by different categories of files:
Click the Manage button to open the Storage Management window, pictured below. (The Manage button is available only in macOS Sierra or later.)
Manage storage on your Mac
The Storage Management window offers recommendations for optimizing your storage. If some recommendations are already turned on, you will see fewer recommendations.
Store in iCloud
Click the Store in iCloud button, then choose from these options:
How To Delete All System Files Ableton Mac Mojave Free
- Desktop and Documents. Store all files from these two locations in iCloud Drive. When storage space is needed, only the files you recently opened are kept on your Mac, so that you can easily work offline. Files stored only in iCloud show a download icon , which you can double-click to download the original file. Learn more about this feature.
- Photos. Store all original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Photos. When storage space is needed, only space-saving (optimized) versions of photos are kept on your Mac. To download the original photo or video, just open it.
- Messages. Store all messages and attachments in iCloud. When storage space is needed, only the messages and attachments you recently opened are kept on your Mac. Learn more about Messages in iCloud.
Storing files in iCloud uses the storage space in your iCloud storage plan. If you reach or exceed your iCloud storage limit, you can either buy more iCloud storage or make more iCloud storage available. iCloud storage starts at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a month, and you can purchase additional storage directly from your Apple device. Learn more about prices in your region.
Optimize Storage
Click the Optimize button, then choose from these options.
- Automatically remove watched movies and TV shows. When storage space is needed, movies or TV shows that you purchased from the iTunes Store and already watched are removed from your Mac. Click the download icon next to a movie or TV show to download it again.
- Download only recent attachments. Mail automatically downloads only the attachments that you recently received. You can manually download any attachments at any time by opening the email or attachment, or saving the attachment to your Mac.
- Don't automatically download attachments. Mail downloads an attachment only when you open the email or attachment, or save the attachment to your Mac.
Optimizing storage for movies, TV shows, and email attachments doesn't require iCloud storage space.
Empty Trash Automatically
Empty Trash Automatically permanently deletes files that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.
Reduce Clutter
Reduce Clutter helps you to identify large files and files you might no longer need. Click the Review Files button, then choose any of the file categories in the sidebar, such as Applications, Documents, Music Creation, or Trash.
You can delete the files in some categories directly from this window. Other categories show the total storage space used by the files in each app. You can then open the app and decide whether to delete files from within it.
Learn how to redownload apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books.
Where to find the settings for each feature
The button for each recommendation in the Storage Management window affects one or more settings in other apps. You can also control those settings directly within each app.
- If you're using macOS Catalina, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Apple ID, then select iCloud in the sidebar: Store in iCloud turns on the Optimize Mac Storage setting on the right. Then click Options next to iCloud Drive: Store in iCloud turns on the Desktop & Documents Folders setting. To turn off iCloud Drive entirely, deselect iCloud Drive.
In macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, then click Options next to iCloud Drive. Store in iCloud turns on the Desktop & Documents Folders and Optimize Mac Storage settings. - In Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud. Store in iCloud selects iCloud Photos and Optimize Mac Storage.
- In Messages, choose Messages > Preferences, then click iMessage. Store in iCloud selects Enable Messages in iCloud.
- If you're using macOS Catalina, open the Apple TV app, choose TV > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Files. Optimize Storage selects “Automatically delete watched movies and TV shows.”
In macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes, choose iTunes > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Advanced. Optimize Storage selects “Automatically delete watched movies and TV shows.” - In Mail, choose Mail > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Accounts. In the Account Information section on the right, Optimize Storage sets the Download Attachments menu to either Recent or None.
Empty Trash Automatically: From the Finder, choose Finder > Preferences, then click Advanced. Empty Trash Automatically selects “Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.”
Other ways that macOS helps automatically save space
With macOS Sierra or later, your Mac automatically takes these additional steps to save storage space:
- Detects duplicate downloads in Safari, keeping only the most recent version of the download
- Reminds you to delete used app installers
- Removes old fonts, languages, and dictionaries that aren't being used
- Clears caches, logs, and other unnecessary data when storage space is needed
How to free up storage space manually
Even without using the Optimized Storage features of Sierra or later, you can take other steps to make more storage space available:
- Music, movies, and other media can use a lot of storage space. Learn how to delete music, movies, and TV shows from your device.
- Delete other files that you no longer need by moving them to the Trash, then emptying the Trash. The Downloads folder is good place to look for files that you might no longer need.
- Move files to an external storage device.
- Compress files.
- Delete unneeded email: In the Mail app, choose Mailbox > Erase Junk Mail. If you no longer need the email in your Trash mailbox, choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items.
Learn more
- When you duplicate a file on an APFS-formatted volume, that file doesn't use additional storage space on the volume. Deleting a duplicate file frees up only the space required by any data you might have added to the duplicate. If you no longer need any copies of the file, you can recover all of the storage space by deleting both the duplicate and the original file.
- If you're using a pro app and Optimize Mac Storage, learn how to make sure that your projects are always on your Mac and able to access their files.