Best Tips and Tricks for Storage Optimization on your Mac

Meta – Mac is powerful but every computer has its limitations in terms of storage. This leads to slowing down of the system which in turn negatively impacts your productivity. Optimizing the storage is the perfect way to stay on top of your work.

Mac computers have great performance but they can be slowed by overworked storage. Storage organization helps your Mac to run better and smoother. This requires you to clean your storage often to create room for additional files. Mac storage optimization is important in this digital age. Here are tips and tricks to help optimize your Mac. 

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1. Send Files to iCloud Storage 

iCloud is the default storage solution for Apple devices. You can sync it without Mac and other Apple devices. This lets you store your files in iCloud instead of your hard disk. This storage stores any file from music to pictures and documents. You may store all your files on the iCloud solution or save a few locally. 

iCloud provides you with 5 GB of free storage. You can upgrade at any time to iCloud+ if you need extra storage. This subscription automatically renews every month. Apple does not limit you from canceling subscriptions. You can cancel your iCloud subscription at any time. To store files in iCloud, open the Apple menu on your screen. Next, open the System Preferences button on the drop-down menu. Scroll down to the Apple ID icon and open the iCloud button. Check the ‘Next’ box to allow automated transfer of files into the cloud. 

2. Clean out unused apps

Macs may collect apps that you don’t need. You may install apps that become obsolete soon. Many people leave their unwanted apps on the system. This limits the space available on your computer. They can affect the performance of your computer unless you get rid of them. Here is a simple way of removing unused apps on a Mac. 

• Open the Apple menu on the top right corner of your screen.
• Open the Applications app (folder) under the drop-down menu.
• Check all the apps that you no longer need.
• Select the apps and drag them to the Trash bin. You can also use the Launchpad to delete the apps.

3. Automatically Empty the Trash

All the apps you delete, including files like pictures, and documents go to the Trash. These files continue piling up until your Trash folder fills up. They occupy a large space in your computer and affect performance. Ensure you empty Trash whenever you delete files or applications. This helps your computer storage to stay optimized. 

To open Trash, use the keyboard shortcut Cmd – Shift – G. This will open a search Bar. Type the word Trash in the bar. Scroll the list and open the Recycle bin icon. Choose all the trash you want to delete and click Delete. You can also right-click on the Trash app and click Open on the menu. Select the files to delete and click Delete. Click Empty Trash to delete everything.

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4. Remove resource-hungry programs

Resource-hungry programs use a large amount of RAM, CPU, and hard disk. This overworks these components and makes your Mac run slow. Apps like chat, readers, weather, and streaming use more resources. The same applies to photo management software for Mac, so it is better to keep only the most efficient universal tool instead of storing several apps with slightly varying functionalities. They prolong loading times and cause sudden crashes often. These apps may cause Mac to perform poorly. 

To check resource-hungry apps on Mac, open the Apple menu and scroll to the Applications button. Scroll down to the Activity Monitor folder and open the CPU. Rearrange processes by CPU usage. Remove the programs with the highest CPU usage percentage. Removing them increases Mac speed and helps programs to run smoothly. 

5. Tidy up your storage disk

Your Mac hard disk may store many unwanted files. It stores files from browsers, design apps, and more. Filling up the hard disk with such files makes your computer run slow. A full disk affects the speed of an ecommerce store, creative work, running software or any other thing that needs memory. Cleaning the disk creates more free space. It improves computer speed and health. Tidying up involves deleting files like movies, music, and other media files. 

Check for duplicate items in the storage and remove them. Duplicates include things like pictures, contacts, and images. You can clean your disk better when you use a disk-cleaning app. Clean the disk physically to remove dust. You may use a gadget that can blow the dust off. 

6. Delete Downloaded Files

Downloaded files go to the downloads folder. This folder can hold large chunks of files and take up storage space. Open Mac Dock in the Settings folder. Scroll the Dock and open the Finder app. Scroll down to the Users folder. Open the downloads file to check your downloads. You may select all the files there and delete them. You can also select the large files only and delete them. This plays a big role in ensuring workflow optimization for designers and other professionals who create a lot of junk files due to the nature of work.

Conclusion

Mac generates a lot of files from your online, design, photography, and typesetting activities. These files fill your storage quickly and affect your computer performance. Optimize your storage by effectively managing your files. Remove files from the Trash and downloads folder. Clear cache, unwanted apps, and resource-hungry programs.