Is your mac running out of space running mac os Big sur? How to Free Up Space on macOS Big Sur ? At the Special Event keynote of the Worldwide Developer Conference 2020, the Apple CTO presented the new name of macOS which succeeds the very controversial Catalina edition: it is Big Sur, a title predicted a few hours earlier and referring to the sunny beaches of this Californian coastline located not far from the Apple Park. This year, the most remarkable is probably on the design side, with significant improvements that quickly overshadow the departure of Jony Ive .

1. How To Free Up Disk Space On Macbook Air
2. How To Free Up Disk Space On Mac Laptop
3. How To Free Up Disk Space On Mac Probook
4. How To Free Up Disk Space On Mac For Imovie
5. How To Free Up Disk Space On Mac Manually
6. How To Free Up Disk Space On Mac Os X

1. Remove App Junk

App junk are those programs that tend to remain hidden on your macOS even after dropping them on Trash. However, it is worth understanding that deleting unwanted app manually increases your chances of completely removing some critical programs. Therefore, carefully check the filename before deleting it to ensure that it’s for the intended app.

The most basic way to check free disk space on a Mac is by using Finder. Open a new Finder window by pressing Command+N or selecting File New Finder Window in the menu bar. (You can also use a little-known shortcut to open one from anywhere.) In the window that opens, click on the drive you’d like to check in the sidebar. Jun 17, 2021 How to check the free space on your startup disk. Even if your Mac hasn’t warned you that the startup disk is almost full, you should regularly check how much free space you’ve got left so you can fix any problems as they develop. Here’s the easiest way to check the free space on your Mac: Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of.

If you want to ensure that you delete all the program junk from your macOS Big Sur, follow the following steps:

Step 1. Take note of the apps you’ve sent to Trash and jot them down. Afterward, find the app junk and the files they are related to.

Step 2. Visit the app location to find the associated programs. Open Finder, Select “Go” and choose “Go to Folder”.
Type “/Library/Application Support” and click “Go”.Go to the folder in macOS Big Sur

If you want to locate a particular program for a specific app, follow the following commands:

• Library apps – /Library/Application Support/
• File Support Cache – /Library/Caches/
• Launch Agents – /Library/Launch Agents/
• Preference Files – /Library/Preferences/
• Application Support Files – /Library/ Application/
• Binary and Dock Items – /Application/
• Start-Up Items – /Library/Startup Items/
• Saved App States – ~/Library/Saved Application State/

2. Clean Your Download Folder

Are you still puzzled on how to get rid of all those PDF files you obtained from the internet or the images you opened after reception from friends or relative? All these files end up in the Downloads folder on your macOS. Without wiping them off, they end up taking up a considerable chunk of your hard drive space. To get rid of file junk from your downloads,

follow the following steps: Clean Download Folder

1. Visit the Downloads folder near the Trash Can icon to reveal downloaded items.
2. Click the “Open In Finder” button to find the “Downloads” folder, which contains all your downloads.
3. Once here, you can either press Command + A to select all files or choose each file one at a time.
4. Once you’re done highlighting the intended files for deletion, drag and drop them in the Trash Can.

3. Use Storage Optimization Tool on macOS Big Sur

The new macOS Big Sur has a new storage optimization tool that ensures the device has an optimized storage usage at all times by avoiding space wastage. Also referred to as the “Storage Tool”, this feature offers additional space in your hard drive for you to store other programs and files.

To activate the storage optimization tool in your macOS Big Sur, follow the following procedure: Visit the “Apple Menu” located on the top-left of your screen.
Click on About This Mac > Storage > ManageUse New Storage Optimization Tool on macOS Big Sur

You’ll see a pop-up message with several options. Click on the “Optimize Storage” button. Once activated, the optimizer will automatically arrange your files, removing any program junk to free up space. The reason why the storage optimization feature excels in the macOS Big Sur is that the device has an enhanced space for additional storage.

4. Clean Cache on your Mac

In simple terms, a cache is a type of temporary files that enable the macOS Big Sur to operate efficiently. There are various types of cache files. They include Browser cache, System cache; and User cache. Although these caches are helpful, they are temporary and can usurp a large space on your macOS disk.

Clearing Browser Cache on Your macOS
If you are a heavy internet user, you may end up clearing megabytes of cache files on your macOS Big Sur. The official MacBook browser is Safari, and you can remove the cache by following the following steps:Show Develop Menu in Safari

• Click the Safari icon to open the browser.
• Go to the menu and click on “Preferences”.
• Go to the “Advanced” feature and tick the “Show Develop” in the menu bar.
• Click the “Develop” button in the menu bar and choose the “Empty Caches.”
• Close the Safari browser for cache clearance to be complete.

Clear System Cache and User Cache

The system and user caches are the temporary files that let you use your macOS on daily operations. For example, when you listen to music or view a video on your MacBook, the information is stored in the system cache file. The device can, therefore, locate the file quicker and easier on a subsequent command. With time, these caches can occupy a large space on your macOS Big Sur. If you’d like to clear all cache from your macOS or delete a cache belonging to a particular application, here’s the procedure

Terminate the operations of all applications.Launch “Finder”.
Select “Go” on the Finder menu and choose “Go to Folder”.
Type ~/Library/Caches/ and click “Go”.
Find the cache file related to a specific app and choose the items you need deleted and drag them to the Trash Can.

5. Use Cloud Drives

Is your MacBook filled up because of storing a lot of programs and apps? Additionally, you may lose your personal data by frequent misplacement of your USB flash drive. That’s why software developers have created cloud-based storage apps to help you to free up space on your macOS. There are several cloud drives you may consider, but each operates differently with different operating systems. Below are some of the best cloud drives for you macOS Big Sur.

Google Drive. Albeit Google Drive was initially intended for storage purposes, it expanded its featured tools by incorporating an office suite that comprises Google Docs too. Fr merely having a Google Drive, users get 15GB free storage space. However, for additional space, you’ll have to incur monthly subscription fees.

iCloud Drive. This Apple cloud-based storage software works best with Apple’s latest gear on the macOS Big Sur. When you use it on any macOS device or an iDevice, you get an extra 5GB of free space. It comes with an integrated office suite, although it only contains basic features like Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. iCloud supports Windows but is still not supportive of Android.

Dropbox. Dropbox free storage is 2GB. The advantage of this cloud storage app is that it’s compatible with different platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Kindle, Android, and Fire mobile application programs. Dropbox also provides different promotional offerings such as an extra 250MB for just getting started with the tutorial or 3GB extra space for uploading images through the mobile app.

6. Find and Remove Duplicate Files

The daily utility of your macOS may mean having duplicate files. The most common reason why you may have duplicate files is because of program installations. When an essential program feels under threat from other applications, it may duplicate itself to minimize the risk of malfunctioning.Find and Remove Duplicate Files

But if you find an unimportant program with it duplicate, you can install the Gemini 2 App for macOS. Gemini helps you identify, locate, and get rid of duplicate content in whichever corner they lay concealed. Regardless of the capacity of your hard Drive, Gemini can scan it at a lightning-fast speed. Furthermore, the software also locates and removes similar files to ensure you have free space on your MacBook.

7. Use Third-Party Apps

Instead of using the manual method of clearing space, you can use automated software that performs all that work in a fraction of the time. The Clean My Mac app automatically rids your macOS system of junk file and other remnant programs that eat up space in the device. By using the Clean My Mac software, you can clear up space to revamp the speed and operations of your MacBook.

Summary :

From this MiniTool article, you can know what the startup disk on your Mac is, what is taking up space on the Mac startup disk, the influence of startup disk full, and how to clear the startup disk space when the startup disk is full or your disk is almost full on your Mac.

What Is Startup Disk on Mac?

Like a Windows startup disk, the startup disk on your Mac is the disk that saved the operating system on your Mac. It is an important disk on your computer. If the operating system on the disk is corrupted or even the startup disk is damaged, your Mac computer will not boot normally.

What Is Taking Up Space on Your Mac Startup Disk?

As you know, a Mac computer’s disk is usually not as large as a Windows computer’s disk. As of 2020, Apple has improved the disk capacity and the maximum disk size can reach up to 8TB. But they are the Pro series, which are not widely used.

Most of the time, you should not worry about the disk space issue because macOS always do work online. This will not take up much disk space. However, what’s going on if you see a pop-up alert saying Your startup disk is almost full?

At this time, you should know what is taking up space on the startup disk of your Mac and then take some measures to clear the startup disk.

The hidden website cache takes much space on the startup disk. For example, statistics show that Google Chrome can create numerous cache folders after you visit some web sites. The size of the cache for one site can even reach up to 9 GB. This is quite surprising, but it is true.

As time goes on, the free space on the startup disk becomes less and less. One day, you may receive the startup disk full alert.

Besides, when a warning of Your disk is almost full pops up, it also means that there is not enough space on your Mac. It is equal to startup disk full. Likewise, you need to remove some files to free up disk space on your Mac computer.

What Does It Mean When Your Startup Disk Is Full?

When does it mean when you receive your startup disk is almost full alert?

It has two main influences:

1. You will soon run out of space on the startup disk.

Your startup disk is almost full is an early warning for you. It reminds you of cleaning up the startup disk. However, if you continue to use your Mac without cleaning up disk space, more and more data will be saved to the startup disk. One day, your Mac will run out of space and you will not use the machine as normal.

2. Your Mac computer will run slowly.

Some of you may think that your Mac computer will not be affected when there is space in the startup disk no matter it is much or less. It is wrong.

A Mac computer can convert the available free space on the startup disk into virtual memory that you use for day-to-day operations. In theory, there should be at least 10% of free disk space for your Mac to operate. If not, your Mac computer will run slowly and even face big trouble like Mac frozen.

When the machine detects that the available space on the startup disk is insufficient, it will give you a warning. This aims to remind you it’s time to clear the startup disk on your Mac.

What should you do when your startup disk is full on your Mac? In the following part, we will show you some solutions.

How to Clear the startup Disk?

If you want to clear your Mac startup disk, you need to delete the unnecessary files on it. Before doing this, you can check the storage space on your Mac.

How to Check the Storage Space on Your Mac?

1. Click the Apple menu from the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Click About This Mac from the drop-down list.
3. Switch to the Storage section.

After these three steps, you can see the storage information of your Mac disk, including the files’ types, the free space on the drive, and more.

If your Mac Startup disk is full, you can do these things to free up disk space:

How to Clean the Startup Disk on Your Mac?

1. Remove the App Cache from your Mac.
2. Empty Trash.
3. Delete the unnecessary Time Machine backup snapshots.
4. Delete browser cache.
5. Remove language packs.
6. Use Startup Disk Full Fixer.

Tip 1: Remove the App Cache from Your Mac

The app cache files are necessary when you want to speed up processes. Once you complete the process, the cache files become useless. But these cache files will stay on the startup disk for a long time unless you manually delete them. When they are useless, they are junk files. To clean up your Mac startup disk, you need to remove them from the machine.

1. Go to Finder > Go > Go to Folder.
2. Type ~/Library/Caches.
3. Go into each folder and then delete the files in it. You can also choose to only delete the files that take up the most space.
4. You can repeat the above three steps for /Library/Caches to remove the App cache.

Tip 2: Empty Trash

When you delete files from your Mac, they will be moved to Trash. The files on Trash also occupy space on your Mac startup disk. As long as you are sure that you don’t need to use these files anymore, you can empty Trash to free up disk space.

To do this job, you just need to open Trash and then click the Empty button on the top-right side to remove files from your Mac. Since then, there will be more available disk space on your Mac.

Tip 3: Delete the Unnecessary Time Machine Backup Snapshots

How To Free Up Disk Space On Macbook Air

Most people would like to use Time Machine to back up their Mac files to an external hard drive. You may think that the backup files are save to the external hard drive. But that’s not all. During the Mac data process, the local snapshots also automatically start once every 24 hours. That’s right. The snapshots are saved to your Mac, taking up disk space.

You can delete the unnecessary Time Machine backup snapshots to release space on the startup disk.

1. Open Finder.
2. Go to Go > Utilities.
3. Double-click Terminal to open it.
4. Type sudo tmutil disablelocal into Terminal, and press Enter.

Do you know how to delete Time Machine backups on your Mac computer? In this post, we will show you different cases and different methods.

Tip 4: Delete Browser Cache

Every time you visit a new web site using your web browser, some cache files will be created and saved to your Mac disk. This can help you to quickly a previous page again. But these files can also use up your disk space. So, you can delete these browser cache files to release more space on your Mac:

How To Free Up Disk Space On Mac Laptop

1. Open your web browser.
2. Click the History tab and then select Clear browsing data.
3. Select the cache files you want to delete like Cookies, site data, Cached images and files.
4. Choose how far back you want to delete
5. Click the Clear browsing data button to delete the selected cache files.

Tip 5: Remove Language Packs

Most apps contain language packs (which are also known as localization files). These packs allow you to switch between languages when using the app. They are useful, but you need to admit that you only need one or two languages. The rest language packs just waste your disk space. You can choose to delete them:

1. Open Applications.
2. Right-click an app and then select Show Package Contents.
3. Click Contents.
4. Click Resources.
5. Delete the language packs you don’t need to use. The pack files are ending in .Iproj.
6. Repeat these steps for all other apps on your Mac.

Tip 6: Use Startup Disk Full Fixer

Startup Disk Full Fixer is the best free app for you to perform a quick Mac disk cleanup. It can help you to get more free storage space in less than a minute. You can go to the Mac App Store to free download this application. Then, you can open it and use it to clean up your startup disk to get rid of the low disk space warning. It is a safe program. You can feel free to use it.

How to Free up Disk Space on Your Mac?

Your disk is almost full is another alert that prompts you to clear disk space on your Mac computer. We have published a related article to free up disk space on Mac: How to Clear Disk Space on Mac and Recover Mac Data?

If you have some other good ideas to release disk space on Mac, you can share them with us in the comment. We will appreciate that.

If You Delete Some Important Files on Your Mac by Mistake

As you can see, it is a file deletion process when you clear the startup disk on your Mac. During the process, you may delete some of your important files by mistake. Once these files are permanently deleted from your Mac computer, you will be unable to restore them from Trash. If you want to retrieve them, you can try the free Mac data recovery software: Stellar Data Recovery for Mac.

This software has a trial edition. You can use it to scan the Mac disk you want to recover data from and then check whether it can find the files you want to rescue. If yes, you can upgrade it to a full edition and then use it to recover all your needed files to a suitable location. You can go to the MiniTool download center to get this trial edition.

1. Open this software.

2. Select the data types you want to restore. If you want to recover all, you can turn on the button for Recover Everything.

3. Click the Next button to continue.

4. This software will list all the drives it can detect. Then, you need to select the drive you want to recover from. If you want to perform a deep scan, you need to switch the button for Deep Scan to ON.

5. Click the Scan button to start the scanning process.

6. When the scanning process ends, you can see the scan results. By default, these files are list by Classic List. There are two other lists including File List and Deleted List. If you only need to recover the deleted files, you can switch to Deleted List and then find your needed items.

7. This software allows you to preview files. You can just double-click on one file to preview it and confirm whether it is your needed file.

How To Free Up Disk Space On Mac Probook

8. If you are sure this software finds your needed files, you can go to MiniTool official site to get a license of an advanced edition to upgrade this software. After that, you can select files and then save them to a suitable folder. Here, you need to know that the destination folder should not be the original one. Otherwise, the deleted files could be overwritten and become unrecoverable.

Bottom Line

How To Free Up Disk Space On Mac For Imovie

How To Free Up Disk Space On Mac Manually

When your startup disk is full or you see the alert of your disk is almost full on your Mac, you can just try the methods mentioned in this article to free up disk space and remove the warning. If you mistakenly delete important files, you can use Stellar Data Recovery for Mac to get them back.

Should you have any related issues, you can let us know in the comment. You can also contact us via [email protected].

Startup Disk Full FAQ

How To Free Up Disk Space On Mac Os X