There are plenty of challenges that come with having a family computer, from limiting kids’ screen time to making sure that no one is using it to access inappropriate content. However, another problem that can sneak up on you is a hard drive that is nearly full — that makes the computer all but impossible to use. So, how do you clear some of the junk that has been collected over the years and free up some space on your computer?
The tips below are specific to macOS computers, but if you have a Windows machine, you might find many of the solutions have their equivalents for your operating system, too.
Why a full hard drive is bad news
If you’ve started getting messages like “your disk is almost full” then it should be cause for some concern. At least enough to take action now. For one, it does mean that you can’t save new files or download new apps. However, it may also stop the computer from downloading the mandatory updates that keep your applications running smoothly and even security updates to prevent exploits that could put your computer at risk. What’s more, hard drives start to run a lot more slowly as they become more full, meaning that it will take longer for your computer to load just about everything.
Clear all those temporary storage folders
There are a lot of us who use folders on the computer to temporarily store files that we might not have that much use for. The Downloads folder tends to fill up very quickly with all manner of images, installation files, and other files. If there are any in there that would be better off in a different, more organized part of the computer, then move them there. Otherwise, you should clear everything from it. Similarly, go through your other folders and make sure that everything is either categorized into a useful folder or cleared away. Don’t forget to empty your Trash Folder, as seen here, either.
Start migrating some to the Cloud
All Mac devices come with access to the iCloud. This is a remote server that can act as a backup for the files on your computer. Often, people have it synced up with their hard drive so that it copies their hard drive as it is. However, you can use it as separate storage, as well, to free up space. Look here for guides on how to migrate desktop folders, documents, and photos that you don’t need to the Cloud. So long as you can access the net, you can access your iCloud folder. You can even access it from other devices so long as you have the right credentials, meaning you can redownload those files to another computer or phone with more space for it.
Get rid of the items you don’t need
There might be plenty of files on the computer that haven’t been used in quite some time. Macs have a few built-in functions that can help you get rid of some of them. The Optimize Storage and Reduce Clutter functions can help you identify files that haven’t been used in some time, or that have been used once and never again, as well as larger files that you might not need any longer. Run both of these functions to see what files are doing little more than taking up space. You should also take a moment to run through all the installed applications to see the ones taking up the most space.
Get rid of the duplicates
Even if they might be accessed regularly, there are some files that you are definitely not going to need. This is going to include the pictures, music files, videos, and other files that you have more than one copy of saved at any moment. Sometimes, you might want to keep multiple copies of a file that you have been editing. However, you might have synced with the Cloud as well as your phone, getting two versions of many files from both of them. To that end, look here for the tools that can quickly find all the duplicates on your computer. Once you’ve got them, it doesn’t take a lot of work at all to delete them and free up that space.
Make sure you’re not backing up files that you don’t want
Your Mac makes it easy to sync your drive with a host of data that you might store in different places. Syncing with the Cloud is one example,.but it might also be automatically backing up your entire iTunes library from your iPhone or iPad. If you don’t use your computer to listen to music but you have quite the collection on your other devices, this can mean literal gigs of data that are being taken up for no purpose. Desync your iTunes and clear your library and you might be surprised by just how much space is being taken up by music files alone, especially high-quality FLAC files.
Add some storage
Sometimes, you might find that your hard drive is full but you don’t really want to remove too much that’s currently on it. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to keep the files that are important to you, but you should still try and create some space. To that end, you might want to look at external hard drives for macOS devices. This can be a somewhat expensive option, but the cost of hard drives is decreasing thanks to the growing popularity of the faster and more reliable solid-state drives that are replacing them. You can move folders and entire applications to other drives and still use them just as easily.
It’s easy for any family to fill a computer up with a deluge of files, folders, and apps that it doesn’t need. Hopefully, the tips featured above help you make some space so you can actually make some use of the device for yourself.
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