Pre-preparations Before You Make more Space on Your Startup Disk. Before you start to free up drive space on Mac, there are two things to do: 1. Check the used/available disk space - Click the Apple menu Select 'About This Mac' Click on the 'More Info' button Choose the 'Storage' tab to check the disk storage overview and capacity. You can check out how much free space remains on your MacBook's drive by clicking the Apple logo in the top left, select About This Mac and then click the Storage tab. How to free up space on your mac os and Speed Up Your Mac by deleting other storages and other space from your MacBook or iMac for macOS Mojave 2020 OmniDisk. Another good way to free up disk space on Mac is to uninstall any Mac applications you don't use any longer. Generally, you can go to the /Applications/folder and uninstall apps you just don't need, or you are able to optionally delete from Launchpad the apps that have come from the App Store, much like you do in iOS.
The full startup disk error on the MacBook Air is something that you will probably encounter at some point as someone that owns or works with this laptop. The 128 and 256 GB versions of the Air are really easy to max out, and a full hard drive on my MacBook Air is something that I have been living with since only a short while after I started using one.
You can mitigate this problem by saving files to a cloud storage platform or an external hard drive, but you might find those options either impractical or cumbersome. In that case, you are going to need to clean the full startup disk on your MacBook Air by deleting some of the files that you aren’t using, or don’t need.
What is the Startup Disk on a MacBook Air?
The best way to understand the problem that you are having is to identify the actual issue. The startup disk on your MacBook Air is the hard drive that is storing all of your operating system files. Unless you have made some changes to your computer, this should be the hard drive that was in the laptop when you first bought it. Unless you have created additional disk partitions on your MacBook (this is fairly uncommon, and you would probably know if you had done it), then your startup disk is basically your hard drive.
You can view the current startup disk usage on your laptop by clicking the Apple icon at the top-left of the screen, clicking the About this Mac option, then clicking the Storage tab. This displays a breakdown of the storage usage on the computer.
You will note that there is a Manage option next to your hard drive on that screen. If you click that you will see another screen with some options for ways to clear space on the startup disk.
How Did My Startup Disk Get Full?
Can i download google chrome on macbook air. All of the files and programs that you use are saved to the startup disk. This changed a little bit in macOS Sierra if you have an iCloud account where you are able to save files on your desktop and documents folder, but basically any application, picture, song, or video is stored on your startup disk.
MacBook Airs typically have a small amount of storage space so, if you use it as your primary computer and aren’t using an external hard drive or cloud storage, then it is completely realistic that you could have a full startup disk just through normal usage. The smaller your hard drive, the more likely it is for you to get the “Your startup disk is almost full” message that likely led you to this page.
How Do I Fix a Full Startup Disk on My MacBook Air?
If you are almost out of room on your startup disk, then you need to start deleting stuff. The exact way to do this is going to vary from person to person, as not everyone has the same files, can delete the same stuff, or needs to free up the same amount of space.
Some common areas to look include:
- Your trash can. Click here to see how to empty trash in macOS Sierra.
- Desktop
- Documents folder
- Old apps
- Browser cache
- Old pictures, videos, songs, etc.
The exact files to delete are going to vary, so you will need to manually move the files to your trash, then complete the steps in the linked article to empty that trash.
Is There a Better Way to Clean the Startup Disk on a MacBook Air?
Cleaning the areas of your hard drive described above can take a while, especially if your hard drive is nearing capacity and you don’t have 5 GB movie files that you can delete to quickly reclaim some of that space.
My favorite, and by far the easiest, way to fix a full startup disk on a Mac is with a program called CleanMyMac. You download it to your computer, run it, then it determines how much space you can free up by deleting files that you don’t need, and which are taking up a lot of your storage space.
We have written a step-by-step guide previously on how to delete junk files from your MacBook Air, but, basically, it can be broken down like this:
- Download CleanMyMac.
- Click the Scan button and wait for the program to scan your startup disk.
- Uncheck any of the areas where you don’t want to delete files.
- Click the Clean button.
The amount of space that you will free up on your startup disk will vary depending upon what CleanMyMac finds and what you choose to delete, but it is very likely that you will get multiple GB of space back just from deleting iTunes files and system files. For example, the first time that I did it, I was able to free up about 7 GB of space from my startup disk without deleting anything of actual importance.
Find out more about CleanMyMac or download it from MacPaw’s website if you want to see if it is the right solution for fixing your startup disk problems.
Note that CleanMyMac also has a number of additional utilities included that can help you delete programs, perform maintenance, deal with privacy issues, securely delete files, and more. It’s a really useful tool that can help you solve a lot of the problems you might currently be experiencing with your MacBook Air.
The makers of CleanMyMac also have another program called Gemini that you can use to remove duplicate files from your Mac, too. The combination of these programs can really help you to keep your Mac clean, and you get a 30% discount on Gemini if you already have CleanMyMac. You can check out the CleanMyMac and Gemini bundle here.
Disclaimer: Most of the pages on the internet include affiliate links, including some on this site.
Are you getting a disk full warning on your MacBook Pro? It says you need to make more space available on your startup disk and urges you to delete files or save space by optimizing storage.
Like this – “Your disk is almost full” (for macOS Sierra or later).
Or this – “Your startup disk is almost full” (for earlier macOS versions).
How can you actually “optimize storage”? Apple has some hints on freeing up storage space, but let’s be honest — the tips are fairly generic! For example, one of them is a recommendation to use iCloud, a subscription service that we’re not really a fan of because it isn’t cheap and the file sync process can be time-consuming.
That’s why we decide to write this post, offering a number of better ways to reclaim more space when MacBook startup disk is full. The best part? We’ll make it as detailed as possible so you won’t feel lost.
Let’s get started, but first…
What’s Filling up My MacBook Startup Disk?
So what exactly is your startup disk? Well, your startup disk is the partition on which your Mac operating system runs. It has a set amount of space (say, 500GB) that you can use to store applications and files. You can’t get rid of that disk because it’s what your Mac uses to function. However, as time goes on the files and apps you add to the MacBook drive will begin to accumulate and limit the space remaining on that disk.
Note: most MacBook users have just one disk named “Macintosh HD” by default, but power users may have two or more.
You’ll get a message from Apple system when your disk is almost full, and if it fills all the way up you won’t be able to download new files, open attachments, or install new programs. An overfilled startup disk will also cause your MacBook to run slower since it won’t be able to use RAM as effectively. This means keeping your disk clean is extremely important for daily operations.
To check what’s taking up space on your mac, you can choose “Manage” on the startup disk warning notification. If you’re ahead of the curve and trying to clean up your Mac before being warned, you can access the management screen by going to About This Mac from the Apple menu (top left of your screen), and then choosing Storage.
You can also use CleanMyMac (via the Quick Menu shown below) to get a quick overview of how much storage space are taken. By the way, the app does more than just that. You can easily use it to clean up gigabytes of system junk and unnecessary files in minutes.
Regardless of which methods you use, these tools will help you see what’s taking up the most space and guide you towards where to start trimming down.
How Do I Free up More Space on My MacBook?
Now that you know what’s stealing your storage, how can you fix the problem? Aside from the obvious solutions like clearing the trash and downloads folder, there a few different methods you can use.
Tip: Before using any of these methods, backup important files! Time Machine is the built-in app you could use and it’s free. You may also use advanced backup software Get Backup Pro, which offers more powerful and convenient backup options.
1. Erase Duplicate or Similar Files
These days we all are used to back up phone/camera photos to our computer, and believe it or not, identical or similar files can quickly add up and occupy lots of space. They can be duplicate documents, images taken twice (or more times), redundant backups, and several other formats. The tricky part is those files are usually not easy to be found.
Free Up Space On Macbook Air
Fortunately, you can use a handy app like Gemini to quickly locate them.
Using the app, you can choose folders to scan and find these unneeded duplicates. Gemini then separates exact duplicates from similar files so you know exactly what you’re looking at, and you’ll be prompted before deleting anything. It can help you reclaim a lot of valuable disk space in just a few minutes.
2. Offload Important but Infrequently Used Files
How often do you watch the movies you’ve downloaded to your computer? Do your old photos need to be within reach at all times or only upon occasion? If you’re someone who keeps archives of documents, images, movies, programs, or other files but only occasionally reference them you might benefit from transferring them to an external drive.
Then start copying files from your MacBook to the external HDD. If you’re copying projects such as unfinished movies or designs, make sure you copy all assets as well or the file will not be able to load properly.
3. Beware of Mac System Files
Depending on the macOS you’re using, you might notice that “System Storage” or “Other Storage” keeps increasing and as a result, taking too much disk space. The worst part? You can’t analyze what’s stored inside as this option is greyed out by macOS by default.
Thankfully, you can use CleanMyMac X to get an “insider” look and clean those unneeded system files. Just download the app and install it on your Mac. Open it, click on Space Lens, run quick scan of your Macintosh HD, then under “System” folder, you’ll be able to see all the details.
4. Sign up for a Better Cloud Storage Program
You may have noticed that Mac’s storage manage panel prompts you to consider iCloud as a way to clear space (see the screenshot below). While we aren’t a huge fan of Apple’s subscription cloud storage program, there are plenty of alternatives available.
Two of the most popular are Google Drive and Dropbox.
Free Disk Space Macbook Air
Google drive will give you 15GB of free storage space, and the companion program Google Photos offers unlimited image and video storage at 16MP or 1080p and less. If you still don’t have enough space, you can upgrade your Google Drive to 100GB for just $2/month or a terabyte for $9.99/month.
Dropbox offers a basic account for free with 2GB of space, but upgrading to Dropbox Plus will get you a terabyte of uploads for $9.99/month. According to 9to5mac, Dropbox stands out for its file-sync speed and reliability as he put:
“For me, the crucial benefit of Dropbox is speed and reliability. I’ve tried all the main services over the years, and Dropbox has always been 100% reliable and has consistently synced within seconds.”
Both programs offer an automatic import function as well to help cut down on your work.
5. Deep Clean Your MacBook Drive
If storage space seems to be a recurring problem, you will benefit from cleaning out system junk and useless files to stay on top of any storage issues. Again, CleanMyMac is the best solution to handle this. It’s an app that provides you insightful information on what’s taking away your storage.
You can use the app to scan unnecessary files such as temporary documents, attachments, and iTunes/iMovie junk that usually require extensive searching to find buried in your Mac’s library. After the scan, it then offers a number of suggested actions you can take to reclaim more space.
6. Manually Delete Old Large Files & Apps
If you’re looking for a quick and short-term fix, manually clearing out those old large files will help you get a few extra gigabytes of space without sacrificing a great deal of time.
First, open Finder and navigate to “All My Files” from the sidebar. Make sure your files are in list view (the icon that looks like 4 stacked lines should be dark grey) and then choose “Size” from the header.
If you’re on an older macOS, you’ll need to click the settings gear in Finder and select ARRANGE BY > SIZE. This will produce a slightly different layout which groups your files by category (100MB – 10GB, 1MB – 100 MB, etc). You can find the size of each file by right-clicking and choosing “Get Info”.
Once you know which files are largest, you can start removing those you no longer need and clearing space as efficiently as possible. Some common space hogs include videos, old DMGs, creative applications, and large audio files.
A quicker way to spot out old big files on your Mac is to run CleanMyMac X (again) and navigate through the Large & Old Files feature as it will sort all those items based on file size.
How To Free Up Space On Mac
That’s all we want to share with you in this article. Did you manage to address the disk almost full issue on your MacBook Pro? Which method(s) do you find most helpful? Or you have another awesome tip to reclaim more storage quickly? Let us know by leaving a comment below.