Apple Intelligence now features Image Playground, Genmoji, Writing Tools enhancements, seamless support for ChatGPT, and visual intelligence.

Apple Intelligence has also begun language expansion with localized English support for Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K. Learn more >

You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

What is the best way to clean disk space on mac ventura?

My Macbook Air starts to become a little lagging after upgrading to macOS Ventura 13.2.1. It is a M1 MBA with 250 internal storage. When I open multiple tabs in chrome and switch to other apps, it hangs on 2-3 seconds. Currently, it has only 20 GB free space left. What is the best way to clean disk space on mac ventura in 2023?

Posted on Mar 21, 2023 12:04 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 30, 2023 7:26 PM

Having limited free storage space can cause your MacBook Air to slow down. To clean up disk space on macOS Ventura 13.2.1 in 2023, you can follow these steps:


  1. Empty Trash:

Make sure to regularly empty the Trash. Right-click on the Trash icon in the Dock and select "Empty Trash." This will permanently delete items in the Trash and free up space.


2.Remove unnecessary applications:

Uninstall apps you no longer need or use. Go to Finder, click on "Applications" in the sidebar, and sort the list by size. Drag and drop unneeded apps to the Trash and empty it afterward.


3.Clear cache and temporary files:

Cache and temporary files can accumulate over time and take up storage space. To delete them:

a. Open Finder and press Shift + Command + G to open the "Go to Folder" dialog.

b. Type "~/Library/Caches" and click "Go."

c. Select all the folders and files within the "Caches" folder and drag them to the Trash. Do not delete the "Caches" folder itself.

d. Empty the Trash to permanently remove these files.


4.Delete old and large files:

Search for old and large files that you no longer need. To do this:

a. Open Finder and click on the "File" menu.

b. Select "New Smart Folder."

c. Click the "+" button below the search bar.

d. Set the criteria to "File Size" "is greater than" and enter a value (e.g., 100 MB).

e. Review the search results and delete any unneeded files by dragging them to the Trash. Don't forget to empty the Trash afterward.



Source: https://www.uubyte.com/blog/how-to-clean-up-mac-disk-space-on-macos-ventura-in-2023/


By following these steps, you should be able to free up some disk space on your MacBook Air running macOS Ventura 13.2.1 and improve its performance.

14 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 30, 2023 7:26 PM in response to Alisonzil

Having limited free storage space can cause your MacBook Air to slow down. To clean up disk space on macOS Ventura 13.2.1 in 2023, you can follow these steps:


  1. Empty Trash:

Make sure to regularly empty the Trash. Right-click on the Trash icon in the Dock and select "Empty Trash." This will permanently delete items in the Trash and free up space.


2.Remove unnecessary applications:

Uninstall apps you no longer need or use. Go to Finder, click on "Applications" in the sidebar, and sort the list by size. Drag and drop unneeded apps to the Trash and empty it afterward.


3.Clear cache and temporary files:

Cache and temporary files can accumulate over time and take up storage space. To delete them:

a. Open Finder and press Shift + Command + G to open the "Go to Folder" dialog.

b. Type "~/Library/Caches" and click "Go."

c. Select all the folders and files within the "Caches" folder and drag them to the Trash. Do not delete the "Caches" folder itself.

d. Empty the Trash to permanently remove these files.


4.Delete old and large files:

Search for old and large files that you no longer need. To do this:

a. Open Finder and click on the "File" menu.

b. Select "New Smart Folder."

c. Click the "+" button below the search bar.

d. Set the criteria to "File Size" "is greater than" and enter a value (e.g., 100 MB).

e. Review the search results and delete any unneeded files by dragging them to the Trash. Don't forget to empty the Trash afterward.



Source: https://www.uubyte.com/blog/how-to-clean-up-mac-disk-space-on-macos-ventura-in-2023/


By following these steps, you should be able to free up some disk space on your MacBook Air running macOS Ventura 13.2.1 and improve its performance.

Mar 21, 2023 10:24 PM in response to Alisonzil

Alisonzil Said:

"What is the best way to clean disk space on mac ventura?: My Macbook Air starts to become a little lagging after upgrading to macOS Ventura 13.2.1. It is a M1 MBA with 250 internal storage. When I open multiple tabs in chrome and switch to other apps, it hangs on 2-3 seconds. Currently, it has only 20 GB free space left. What is the best way to clean disk space on mac ventura in 2023?"

-------


Seems as if something is causing your Mac to lag, after login. So, perform the following...

Troubleshooting Lagging Mac:


A. Try Safe Mode:

In Safe Mode, login items do not run, and corrupt system files(i.e. caches) are intentionally reset as a way to fix issues

  1. Boot: in to Safe Mode: [Hold Down: shift key upon boot].
  2. Log in: as same user
  3. Wait: 30 seconds
  4. Restart; your Mac
  5. Log in: as same user


B. See if your Hard drive is Failing:

What to Try:

  1. Boot: into Recovery ModeGo Here:  How to Use Safe Mode on your Mac- Apple Support
  2. Select: Disk Utility
  3. Select: the Drive
  4. Click: First Aid button


C. Remove Login Items:

While in Safe Mode, remove all of your Login Items, and then restart the Mac.  Go Here: Change Users & Groups Login Items Preferences on Mac - Apple Support

Mar 21, 2023 1:50 AM in response to Alisonzil

Part 1 of 2


Do Not install any Third Party Application that claims to " Clean " or " Optimize " the Computer.


They are harmful and will introduce new issues


Example of the Do Not User are below


Any of the below should be removed as per Developers Instructions 


1 - Disk Cleaner 


This will include CleanMyMac , aka “ BrickMyMac “


MacKeeper,


Dr Cleaner Pro Plus


Open Cleaner one Pro


Macmechanic


Part 2 of 2


It is generally a good computer practice to alway keep at least 15% to 20% of the Total Drive Capacity’s as Empty Space. Allowing the computer to drop below these guidelines may eventually, cause unintended consequences.


The links below will assist in identifying what is taking up space on the Internal Drive and provide possible ways to remove data that is under the direct control of the User ( Home Folder ) . 


Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac


What is “Other” storage on a Mac, and how can I clean it out?


Free up storage space on your Mac


OmniDiskSweeper Safe to use


GrandPerspective 


How to delete Time Machine snapshots on your Mac


See used and available storage space on your Mac


Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch


Notation - If the user is using a cloning software like Carbon Copy Cloner - suggest tweaking the Safety Net Feature in this software. It may be making additional Snap Shots that are not being Cloned to the Eternal Drive. If this should be the case, these Snap Shot could be using additional space on the drive 


The final word from Apple on Managing the " Other/ System Data “ Category


Other / System Data: Contains files that don’t fall into the categories listed here. This category primarily includes files and data used by the system, such as log files, caches, VM files, and other runtime system resources. Also included are temporary files, fonts, app support files, and plug-ins. You can't manage the contents of this category. The contents are managed by macOS, and the category varies in size depending on the current state of your Mac.

Mar 21, 2023 3:40 AM in response to Alisonzil

Deleting caches slows your Mac down. The point of cache is to have regularly used material available easily to the OS. If you delete the caches then you will lose time as they are recreated. Free and easy way to delete them: Start up in Safe Mode:


Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support


Note that both starting and restarting will take longer... as caches are rebuilt.

Mar 21, 2023 4:31 AM in response to Alisonzil

Follow the very good advice from previous Contributor as it related to Clearing Cache files.


The Other Category is beyond the control of us ( you and me ) the " mirror mortals "


This begs the question -how may upGrades has this computer experienced in its' lifetime ?


The M1 MBA may have started with macOS 11 Big Sur as new and upgraded to macOS 12 Monterey and is presently struggling for Empty Space in macOS 13 Ventura


To compare, have a M1 Mac Mini with a 256 GB Soldered SSD Drive that started in Big Sur and progressed all the way through and including macOS 12 Monterey to macOS 13.2.1. Ventura


Right now and refer to below image of Used Space versions Empty Space





There remains the semi Nuke Option but that would be a Last Resort and to be considered very carefully Before attempting



EDITED - Spelling errors again 😔



Mar 21, 2023 12:26 AM in response to Alisonzil

There's no great secret to this. You can move material to external disks - your music and photo libraries are excellent candidates for this - and you can delete unwanted material. As only you know what can be moved off to externals, and only you know what material can be dumped, only you can do this work. There is no app that can do this for you magically.


Never install any app that claims to "tune up", "speed up" or "clean up" your Mac. These apps exist for one reason: to separate the unwary and inexperienced user from their hard-earned money. At best they do very little, at worst, they can damage your OS installation and cause far more problems than they "solve".

Mar 21, 2023 1:40 AM in response to Alisonzil

You can try the below ways to clean up disk space on a Mac:

 

1. Delete unnecessary files: Go through your files and delete any that you no longer need. This could include old documents, downloads, and media files that you've already backed up.

 

2. Uninstall unused applications: If you have apps that you rarely or never use, uninstall them to free up disk space.

 

3. Clear out temporary files: Temporary files can accumulate and take up disk space over time.

 

4. Delete large files: Identify large files and folders that you no longer need, and delete them.

 

5. Move files to external storage: If you have large media files that you don't need to access regularly, consider moving them to an external hard drive to free up disk space on your Mac.

 

Further, there are many clean-up tools, however, I will recommend you to try the Speed Up Mac tool that will help user to free their disk space and also boost the performance of their Mac system.


Hope it helps!

Mar 21, 2023 1:48 AM in response to sunny_mike

Steps 1, 2, and 4 are the same. A restart will do step 3, but bear in mind they'll be recreated again as needed. Under no circumstances install that app - standard warning against junk apps applies. All it promises to do is... steps 1, 2 and 4, this time without user supervision, and so risking dataloss and issues with the OS.

Mar 21, 2023 10:09 PM in response to Alisonzil

Usually, users are more accustomed to delete cache from the settings on the web browser (Safari or Chrome). The simple method cannot delete cache permanently. Over time, the more cache accumulates, the more it slows down your Mac.

I personally think that only professional tools can faset and permanently delete the cache, you can check Google for good recommendations.

What is the best way to clean disk space on mac ventura?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.