Macs are great computers that are valued for so many different qualities. Some value the sleek design that is updated every single year. Some appreciate the speed and effectiveness of Macs. Some like the Apple brand and are able to appreciate the benefits of syncing many devices. All reasons are fair.
Unfortunately, Macs, differently from Windows computers, have small hard-drives that can fill up very quickly. Surely, it also has a lot of advantages – thanks to that small hard drive, your computer starts up in a matter of seconds, and Macs teach you to keep your files in the cloud – which can be accessed from almost any Apple device you own.
Having your hard-drive full may lead to having a much slower Mac than you would like. To help you fix or avoid that in the future, some help you can find here, in this article.
Tip #1 – Delete the Duplicate Files
Duplicate files can easily be the ones that take up the most space on your Mac, which makes your computer run slower. Unfortunately, it is very difficult or even impossible to find, detect, and remove these files manually. Therefore this task is very tricky to accomplish if you do not have specialized apps to do it.
But luckily, you can find plenty of these kinds of apps in the App Store – some cheaper, some more expensive. And do not be afraid to invest a few dollars into an app like this. Just imagine what you are actually paying for – you are paying to remove duplicate files from your computer and to make it run faster. Once it becomes so annoyingly slow that you can not use it, a new Mac will cost way much more than an app like this.
Tip #2 – Remove Apps You Do Not Need
A lot of us like to try out new applications. And even more, if those applications are free or on a limited-time offer. Can’t resist that sense of urgency, right? And it would be all okay if we would not forget to delete those apps that we did not like afterward. And you need to be fair to yourself – some of the downloaded apps you do not even open. Ever.
To get a better understanding of how clogged up is your Mac with apps, you can check it by clicking on the Apple icon in the upper left corner. Then, choose the option About This Mac. Choose “Storage” for the upper tabs, wait until Mac calculates all of the data, and you will be able to see how much storage your apps and other types of files are taking up.
Tip #3 – Delete Files You Do Not Use
The same thing goes for files – if you want to check how much do your files take up storage space on your Mac, repeat the action explained in tip #2. Make sure you remove all of the files that you do not use and the files that create zero value. For example, if you have a bunch of 4K wallpapers downloaded to your Mac – are you ever going to use them?
But if you have a lot of photographs and videos that you do not want to delete, you could always invest in an external hard-drive or start using a cloud-based platform. This would actually give you an advantage because you could access your files anytime and anywhere – all you need would be an internet connection.
Tip #4 – Empty Mac’s Bin
After you delete all of the files you do not need, all of the wallpapers, all of the PDF books you have no intention to read, and so on, do not forget to empty your Bin too. To empty Mac’s trash, hover your cursor on the Bin icon, click Control on your Magic Keyboard and choose the option Empty Bin. You will be asked, are you sure you want to erase the items in the Bin permanently? Click Empty Bin, and you are done.
Tip #5 – Clean Your Desktop
Another great tip would be to occasionally clean your Desktop. Doing so is also very important for your Mac’s health and speed. The more thumbnails you have stacked up on your Desktop, the more memory your computer will use to display each of them.
So delete the items you do not need, place files to the folders that they belong to, and remember to do this as often as possible. This way, you will form yourself a healthy habit and will not even have to remind yourself to clean the Desktop before you turn off the computer.
