How To Check The Disk Space In Macbook Pro

Disk Utility gives you access to a bunch of critical information about your MacBook Pro so it is good to know how to access it. This is not the fastest method to check your storage but is good to know so you can also access the utility for any other reason. Jun 19, 2018 Check Your Disk to See What is Taking Up Space and Find Large Files To free up disk space, it’s helpful to know exactly what is using disk space on your Mac. A hard disk analysis tool like Disk Inventory X will scan your Mac’s hard disk and display which folders and files are using up the most space.

If you have been using your Mac for a long time, then it’s time to clean up the mess to get more disk space. macOS includes several ways to help you find out how much disk space you have left on your computer, without the need for a third-party app to be installed on your device.

In reality, photos, videos, and files tend to build up over time, taking up a large amount of your computer’s disk space. If you are looking for a simple way to check your Mac’s free hard drive space, then we are here to help.

How to check Mac’s hard drive space

  1. Using the Finder

The Finder has been an essential part of macOS since the launch day, allowing you to locate and organize your documents, folders, and media. The macOS Finder also gives you an overview of your Mac’s hard drive space. The process is pretty simple and here is how.

Step one: First off, select the storage device on your Mac and then hit the spacebar button (if you don’t see your storage device, head to the Finder, then select Preferences from the pull-down menu and select Show these items on the Desktop option

Step two: Once you press the spacebar button, you should see a window that gives you an overview of your disk’s storage space

MacOS also allows you to get a status of your disk’s storage space right from your Finder. This comes in handy, as it eliminates the need to go into the Settings on your Mac.

To turn on the Finder’s status bar, open the Finder window on your Mac > View > Show Status bar. Once you are done, you should see how much storage space you have left at the bottom of the Finder window.

  1. Get Info

If you find the above-mentioned method annoying, then you can use the Get Info window to check how much disk space you have left. However, the process might be unknown to many folks. With that in mind, we are here to help.

Step one: Locate your hard drive in the Finder and then select it

Step two: Click the File menu at the top and then select Get Info from the pull-down menu

Step three: Once you are done, a window should show up and gives you all information about your disk, including kind, date of creation, version, and capacity.

  1. About box

With a modern version of macOS, you can use the About box to check your Mac’s disk space. The process is pretty simple and we will show you how in the section below.

Step one: Click on the Apple menu at the top of the display and then select About This Mac from the drop-down menu

Step two: Once you are in, make sure you select the Storage tab. When you are in, you should see how much space you have left on your Mac.

Alternatively, you can use your Mac’s Disk Utility to check your Mac’s disk space. To do this, open Disk Utility, and then select the hard drive from the list.

Also read: How to uninstall a Mac app

Got any questions? Let us know in the comments below.

It’s recommended that you keep at least 15-20% of your Mac’s memory free to keep it running smoothly. Optimizing storage is an efficient way to do this. But there are also several other steps you can take to free up space on MacBook Air, Pro, or any other macOS device. Doing these routinely will ensure you don’t face any storage issues and are able to make the most of your system. So let’s have a look.

12 Easy Ways to Free Up Space on MacBook Air or Pro Running macOS Catalina

#1. Delete Large Files on your Mac

Instead of deleting a hundred small files and images, first of all, let us go for the big fish.

  1. Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
  2. Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
  3. Click Documents. Mostly, this is where the big files are. Here you will see the video files, ZIP/RAR files, etc. By default, the biggest files are at the top. Select one or hold the command key and select multiple files
  4. Finally, click on Delete from the bottom right and confirm.

#2. Remove iOS and iPadOS Backups

  1. Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
  2. Now Select Storage tab and click on Manage.
  3. Click iOS Files from left sidebar
  4. Select and

Related:How to Find iPhone Backup Location on Mac & Windows

#3. Delete Unwanted Applications

You can delete Mac applications in various ways. You may follow the above steps, click on Applications, and remove the large ones.

#4. Clear Cache to Free Up Space on Mac

  1. Be in Finder and click on Go from the top menu bar
  2. Click Go to Folder.
  3. Type or copy-paste ~/Library/Caches
  4. Delete the files from here that are taking the most space. You may even delete everything. With normal usages, these files and folders will be recreated by macOS.
  5. Next, click on Go again and then Go to Folder. Now type or copy-paste /Library/Caches
  6. You may delete files from here too. After this empty the trash and restart you Mac

#5. Remove Old Downloads

This comes down to what you are willing to keep and what you are happy to let go of. Nowadays everything is online in the cloud. Thus there is no point in storing too may videos, music, etc. on the local storage.

  1. Click on the Finder icon (leftmost) from the Dock
  2. Click Downloads and remove unnecessary files from here, by right-click and selecting Move to Trash.

You may also right-click and sort by size to quickly locate and delete the biggest files first.

#6. Compress Folders and Files

If you have many images and word files that you rarely use, but can not delete, then it is a handy idea to compress them. Here is how to zip and unzip files on Mac.

#7. Empty Trash Automatically

  1. Right-click on the Trash icon in the dock (the rightmost option)
  2. Click Empty Trash and confirm

To empty Trash automatically:

  1. Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
  2. Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
  3. Click on Recommendations from the top of the left sidebar
  4. Click Turn On for Empty Trash Automatically.

Many times, GBs of files pile up and are stored in the Trash, thus occupying significant space. It is better to empty it regularly.

#8. Use iCloud to Store Documents

Disk Utility User Guide For Mac - Apple Support

It is best to use iCloud to Store docs etc. on Mac if you have a paid iCloud plan that gives you more than 5 GB of online storage. Here is how to use iCloud to Store Documents.

  1. Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
  2. Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
  3. Click on Recommendations from the top of the left sidebar
  4. Click Store in iCloud.
  5. Review what all will be stored. Uncheck if you wish to exclude photos, messages, desktop, and documents. Finally, click on Store in iCloud.

You may also, enable iCloud Photos from System Preferences → Apple ID → iCloud → Photos or the Preferences of the Mac’s Photos app.

#9. Optimize Storage Automatically

  1. Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
  2. Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
  3. Click on Recommendations from the top of the left sidebar
  4. Click on Optimize next to Optimize Storage. Now, all the movies and TV shows you have watched will be automatically removed.

#10. Delete Attachments from Mac Mail App

Pro

Following these steps, you can delete the attachments that have been saved locally on the Mac from the mail app. Depending on the number of emails you receive, this data can be huge.

  1. Be in Finder and press and keep holding the Option key. Now click on Go from the top menu bar
  2. Click Library.
  3. Now, Click on Containers.
  4. Go to com.apple.mail.
  5. Click on Data.
  6. Select Library.
  7. Now, click on Mail Downloads.
  8. Select all folders and delete them. Or open the individual folders, see the content, and delete the unnecessary ones.

Even if you delete from here, the attachments are still in your email that you can view or download anytime. Further, you may also choose to stop the Mac Mail app from downloading attachments.

#11. Remove Duplicate Files using Third-Party Apps

Duplicate files are a big headache and unnecessarily occupy space. We have a list of some of the best mac cleaner apps that can help you delete duplicate files on your Mac.

#12. Use External Drives for Large Infrequently Used Files

Do you have data that you do not use much but can neither delete them nor store them in the cloud? Well, consider investing in an external drive and move infrequently used large files to it.

Signing off…

These were some of the easiest ways to free up space on your MacBook Air. It’s a good idea to do these steps every now and then to keep your system performing well. Are there any other Mac tips you’re looking for? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll help you out.

How To Check The Disk Space In Macbook Pro 2020

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