macOS Big Sur Space Cleaning Guide: Freeing Clearable Space

Insufficient disk space of macOS Big Sur is a common problem, which can affect device performance, hinder the storage of important files and media, and cause slow computers to run. The first step to fixing this problem is to recycle the clearable space by identifying and deleting unnecessary files and applications on your computer.

What is clearable storage on macOS Big Sur?

Clearable space on Mac refers to the portion of disk storage that can be released when needed. This can be achieved by deleting specific files, including system junk files, caches, temporary files, backup files and other unnecessary data. You can also delete applications and documents you no longer need to free up more space and speed up macOS Big Sur.

How to find clearable files on Mac Big Sur?

A simple way to determine if unnecessary data takes up space on Mac is to check the amount of clearable space. The method is as follows:

1. Open Finder and click Applications in the left sidebar.
2. Find the Utilities folder and double-click to open it.
3. Start Disk Utility.
4. Select your drive from the left.
5. Look for clear space in brackets next to "Available".

How to delete clear space on Mac Big Sur internal drive?

There are multiple ways to delete a Mac to clear space. You can manually delete cached and temporary files, or use a cleanup application designed specifically for this purpose. Additionally, macOS Big Sur offers some built-in features that can help you get rid of unnecessary files:

1. Empty the wastebasket
2. Restart Mac
3. Use storage management to optimize storage space
4. Close local snapshots in Time Machine
5. Disable the optimized Mac storage space of iCloud Drive
6. Clear cache

1. Empty the wastebasket

First, clear the trash on your Mac. If your documents are already in the trash, you no longer need them. There are many ways to empty the wastebasket, but here is one of the most direct methods:

1. Right-click the Trash icon in the Mac Dock.
2. Select "Empty Trash" from the drop-down menu.
3. In the warning message that appears, click Empty Trash to confirm that you want to delete all items in the Trash.

Mac users are advised to clear the wastebasket on a regular basis. Although macOS will do this automatically after 30 days, you should do it more often to save disk space and protect your privacy (if you share a computer with others). Before you clear the trash, be sure to double check if you don't need the documents in the trash, because you won't be able to retrieve them after you clear it.

2. Restart Mac

As mentioned, you can easily free clear space by simply restarting your Mac. The method is as follows:

1. Click the Apple icon in the menu bar.
2. Select the "Restart..." option from the drop-down menu.
3. Click the "Restart" button to restart your Mac.

When restarting your Mac, most files that are considered to be clearable (such as temporary projects and caches) are deleted. While this method can free up space, you should not skip this step if you need to clear the storage space of your device. However, if you are running multiple important processes, you may want to try other methods in this list first.

3. Optimize storage space using storage management

macOS Big Sur comes with a built-in feature called Optimized Storage Spaces that allows you to maximize your Mac's disk space. To use it, do the following:

1. Click the Apple icon in the menu bar.
2. Select the "About Native" option from the drop-down menu.
3. Click the "Storage" tab, and then click the "Manage..." button.
4. Select the "Optimize..." button, next to "Optimize Storage Space".

"Optimize Storage Space" is an ideal tool for deleting clearable space on your Mac. When there is insufficient storage space, it deletes data that is no longer needed. This includes your email attachments, keeping only the latest attachments. It will also delete Apple TV movies and shows you have watched, or move large files to your iCloud account and delete them from your device.

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