How to fix 'Your disk is almost full' alerts and manage macOS storage

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix 'Your disk is almost full' alerts and manage macOS storage. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Running low on disk space can significantly slow down your Mac, cause applications to crash, and prevent critical system updates from installing. This guide will help you identify what is consuming your storage and provide a structured approach to reclaiming space on your macOS device.

Quick Fix Steps

If you need to free up a few gigabytes immediately to get your system stable, try these rapid actions:

• Empty the Trash: Right-click the Trash icon in your Dock and select Empty Trash.
• Clear Downloads: Open Finder > Downloads and delete old installers (.dmg or .pkg files) that you no longer need.
• Restart your Mac: A simple reboot can clear temporary swap files and system caches that may be bloating your storage.

Using Built-in macOS Storage Management

Apple provides a native tool to analyse your disk usage and suggest optimisations.

1. Click the Apple Menu () in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Settings (or About This Mac on older macOS versions).
3. Navigate to General > Storage.
4. Review the colour-coded bar to see which categories (e.g., Applications, Documents, macOS) are using the most space.
5. Look at the Recommendations section below the graph. Here you can enable Store in iCloud or Optimise Storage to automatically remove watched movies and TV shows.

Managing Large Files and Folders

To find the specific files causing the issue:

1. In the Storage menu mentioned above, click the (i) icon next to Documents.
2. Select the Large Files tab. This lists every file on your drive from largest to smallest.
3. Select the files you no longer need and click Delete.

Advanced Cleanup Methods

Clearing User Caches

Over time, applications store temporary data in cache folders. While these usually speed up performance, they can become corrupted or excessively large.

1. Open Finder.
2. Press Command + Shift + G on your keyboard to open the Go to Folder window.
3. Type ~/Library/Caches and press Enter.
4. Review the folders. You can delete the contents of these folders, but do not delete the folders themselves.
5. Repeat the process for the system-level cache by navigating to /Library/Caches.

Removing Old iOS Backups

If you back up your iPhone or iPad to your Mac, these backups can take up tens of gigabytes.

1. Connect your iOS device to your Mac.
2. Open Finder and select your device from the sidebar.
3. In the General tab, click Manage Backups....
4. Right-click any outdated backups and select Delete Backup.

Troubleshooting Persistent Storage Issues

The "System Data" or "Other" Category

If you see a large amount of space taken up by System Data, this often includes Time Machine local snapshots, plugin data, and virtual machine disks.

• Time Machine Snapshots: If your external backup drive isn't connected, macOS saves "local snapshots." These are automatically deleted when space is needed, but you can force a cleanup by connecting your backup drive and allowing a full backup to complete.
• Application Support: Check ~/Library/Application Support for folders belonging to software you have already uninstalled.

If you have followed these steps and your disk remains full despite deleting large files, there may be a deeper file system error or a hidden process creating runaway log files. Please Open a Ticket and our team will analyse your system logs remotely.

Still Having Issues?