Apple devices today are really thin, thanks to Solid State Drives or SSDs. But SSDs are really expensive and drive sizes that you’d get with HDDs aren’t cheap to include in MacBooks and iPhones. This makes it hard to store a lot of data in your Apple device and clearing up space becomes important every now and then. Here are five ways to clear up space on your Mac and iPhone.
Use the Storage Manager
Mac has a storage manager that lets you look at the space occupied by different file formats (videos, photos, documents, etc) and deletes any files that aren’t of use to you. If you’re looking to clean your Mac, you should use the best Mac cleaner. If you need a quick fix, go to the storage manager and use it to find files that can be deleted to free up more space.
The feature also recommends different files that aren’t used often and can be deleted, making the entire process a lot easier. If you have any files in your recycle bin or old cache files, the storage manager will highlight them for you to delete. This feature is great if you don’t have separate software to manage your device storage.
Use the iCloud
Using iCloud is one of the best ways to free up your storage as well as keep it from filling up. You can keep frequently used files on your physical drive and upload the rest of your data to iCloud. Whenever you need any of these files, you can search them through your iCloud data and retrieve them whenever you want.
Also, it’s really easy to manage files in iCloud and store more data than what you could on your device. Sync your device to iCloud and it will automatically upload your documents, photos, and videos. Once all the files are uploaded, you can delete them from your device.
Use sorting and finder tool
The sorting tool is a great way to look for large files that are hidden within a pile of files. All you need to do is go to your drive and look for the sorting tool on the top right. When you click on it, a drop-down menu will allow you to sort your files according to a variety of aspects. Look for ‘Size’ and click on it. Once all the files are sorted accordingly, start from the top and look for files that are the biggest in size.
If they aren’t useful to you, permanently delete them from your storage or upload them to your iCloud. Another method is to look for files by using the search or finder tool. This is useful when you know the names of the files that you don’t need anymore and can be removed.
Use cleaning software.
Getting cleaning software can be great for your Mac or iPhone as it becomes a one-stop place for all storage management. A cleaning software gives you a detailed report of your storage along with ways to optimize your drives.
You can also delete cache and junk files through this software, which can be hard to find manually. If you get cleaning software for your Mac or iPhone, regular checking can eliminate the possibility of your drives filling up more than 70%. There are plenty of cleaning software online but ensure you get one that provides the maximum amount of benefit at the lowest possible cost.
Clean your downloads folder
The Downloads folder is often the biggest source of storage problems. This is because they are only accessed when a new file is downloaded. Otherwise, they are not checked or cleaned. If you download a lot of files, check your Downloads folder regularly and delete files as soon as you are done using them. Another way of reducing downloaded junk files is by changing the download location to the Desktop.
Since the files are on your Desktop, you are more likely to delete the files once you don’t need them anymore. If you don’t wish the downloads to crowd your desktop, change the location to a file that you visit regularly. By using such ways to optimize storage, you won’t ever fill up your storage drive.
Conclusion
Keep these five efficient ways to clean your devices in mind and look for your own ways to optimize your storage. Use cleaning software and regularly check on your storage and cache files. It’s only by staying on top of your storage space and by being conscious of your downloads that you can maintain the health of your storage drive. Plus, you won’t ever have to worry about reaching a point where you have to delete necessary data just to have space for one extra photo or video.
