how to free up hard drive space on macbook air

So here we are yet again with our storage filling up. iPhone 4K videos can easily be multiple gigabytes in size, and we’re all storing more photos than we were seven years ago.

Of course, as SSD capacity has increased, so has the amount of data many of us are storing. Now most people can afford the storage they need in Apple’s base models, and those with the means and the need can go as far as dropping an extra $2,200 to upgrade their 16″ MacBook Pro to a previously unimaginable 8TB of storage. In is nascent years, abundant flash storage was prohibitively expensive. Since this post was first written in 2013, solid-state storage has become ubiquitous in all of Apple’s laptops and a relatively affordable option in their iMacs.

If it's a large application you'd like to uninstall, follow these steps.This post was originally written in 2013, it’s updated here to reflect new apps, new settings and services.

Once you identify the data hog, right-click the file or folder and send it to the trash.

On the right, you can identify the storage hogs by file type, sorted by size.

Alternatively, click the large blocks of color to find out which files are taking the most space.

If you click on a folder or file, the corresponding color block will be highlighted below. The left sidebar organizes files and folders sorted by file size.

When the scan is complete, you'll be presented with the summary screen.

To evaluate a folder (instead of an entire drive), choose 'Select Folder' in the start screen.

Launch the app, and select the drive you want to evaluate, and allow 5-10 minutes for the app to scan your drive.

Download and install Disk Inventory X.

This free program scans your hard drive and creates a graphical and textual summary of your disk space use, organizing your data by location and file type. Worry no more, because below is a free Mac OS X program, Disk Inventory X, to help you analyze and evaluate your disk space, and determine exactly what should be deleted. Identifying exactly what's taking up space can be annoying and time-consuming, possibly ending with you in an upset fit, hands thrown in the air, and hollering 'I should've purchased the bigger hard drive!' If you're inching toward a full disk, it's time to take out the trash.ĭoing so isn't always a simple task, though.

Head to your hard drive and check your storage capacity. If you are experiencing symptoms of or related to extremely slow applications, perpetual spinning beach balls, issues burning CDs, problems installing software, and random freezing, you're most likely dealing with a case of low storage space.

How to free up hard drive space on macbook air