How to Clean Up 'Other' Storage on Your Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you've ever looked at your Mac's storage settings and seen a mysterious category called 'Other,' you're not alone. This category is often filled with files that don't easily fit into the typical categories of Document, Photo, App, Video, Audio, etc. But what are these files, and how can you clean them up to free up more space on your Mac? In this article, we'll show you exactly how.

Step 1: Identify What's Taking Up Space

Before you start deleting anything, it's a good idea to get an idea of what's taking up space in the 'Other' category. To do this, open the About This Mac window by clicking the Apple logo in the top left corner and selecting 'About This Mac.' Then, click on the 'Storage' tab. You'll see a breakdown of how your storage is being used, including the amount of space taken up by the 'Other' category.

Step 2: Go Through the Folders

Once you have an idea of what's taking up space, it's time to go through the folders and delete anything that's no longer needed. The main folders you'll want to focus on are:

* Files not recognized by a Spotlight search, such as a virtual machine hard drive

* Cached files (user cache, browser cache, and system cache)

* Files from your library (such as Application support, iCloud files, and screensavers)

* Archives and disk images (such as ZIP, ISO, DMG)

* Common document and file types (for instance, PDF, DOC, PSD)

Step 3: Empty the Trash and Restart

After you've gone through all the folders and deleted anything that's no longer needed, it's time to empty the Trash and restart your Mac. This will ensure that any deleted files are completely removed from your system.

By following these steps, you should be able to clean up the 'Other' category on your Mac and free up more space on your hard drive. Remember to always be careful when deleting files, as it's easy to accidentally delete something important. But with a little patience and attention to detail, you should be able to get your storage under control and keep your Mac running smoothly.

Get More from Your Mac

For even more tips and tricks for getting the most out of your Mac, be sure to check out our other articles on 'mac storage cleaner free'. With these easy-to-use tools and a little bit of know-how, you can keep your Mac running at its best and get more done than ever before.

Mac storage cleaner free