If you have message Start up disk almost full. Delete some files

Ok. If all these clean up apps are not the best for your Mac , how is best way to clean off files. I see stuff under my dl I have no idea what it all means and I prob have duplicated stuff too. And if course I know I have too many photos that automatically streams over from my phone and videos also. Is there a way to go in and know what to delete? And how?

Posted on Feb 16, 2018 10:53 AM

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how do I free up space on my mac? I am trying to free up space on my computer so i can install the latest OS. It seems there is a large file of migrated photos that I can't open. Should I delete it or will I lose photos? when you run out of space like this is it just time for a new computer?
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System taking up too much space (and is variable depending on hardware used) I am using a MacBook Air, running on OS Sierra version 10.12.6 I ran into trouble with disk space, so I moved all photos to an external drive (Porsche, 2 TB), and deleted all photos from my MacBook Air. I continue to have trouble with disk space, and have been scrubbing and removing things as much as possible. I feel like I hardly have ANYTHING on my computer, but I am still getting low disk space notices.I finally discovered something very strange is happening with the system file and my external drive. Regardless of whether the external hard drive is plugged in or not, the system report suggests that I only have between 8 and 10 GB available out of a total of 120 GB available. But the report of WHERE the storage is used changes dramatically.ConditionSize of System FilesSize of Photo FilesExternal Drive NOT plugged in76 GB0 GBExternal Drive Plugged in933.9 MB54.64 GBBelow is the report I get if the external drive is NOT connected - it makes sense to me, because I (am pretty sure that I) deleted all the photos from my MacBook Air. But why is the system file so huge? I have no way to manage how much space the system file is taking up.Below is the report I get if the external drive IS connected. This is supposed to be a report of just the HD, right? Where did all of these photos come from and how can I delete them? I would be happy to delete them, but I can't find them. If I open iPhotos, it is just opening the library that is on my external drive. If I try to open photos without the external drive there, I get an error message saying it can't find my photos. If I do a search for .jpg files with the external drive not connected, I do find a few, but no way is it even 1 GB worth. I have been looking at other people who report problems similar to these, so the one thing I will add is that I do use Time Machine, and I use the external drive for the backups. But these changes in how much memory is consumed from one location to another happen in a matter of seconds (e.g. I disconnect the drive and the memory totals switch up right away). It seems very unlikely to be part of some cache from Time Machine Backups.Help would be most appreciated. Thanks so much,
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remove or delete unnecessary files to create more room Do anyone know easiest way to clean junk and unnecessary files from mac pro?
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2 replies

JimmyCMPIT

Level 7

29,306 points

Feb 16, 2018 11:06 AM in response to scarlett fromglencoe

before endeavoring on moving around or wiping out files to make space you should consider makeing a backup

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250

the only way to know what you have is to look in there and make an assessment. You can sort by date or file size or kind and determine what you have and what is the course of action for these files.

then see this link:

How to free up storage space on your Mac - Apple Support

KiltedTim

Level 10

225,732 points

Feb 16, 2018 11:05 AM in response to scarlett fromglencoe

Only you can determine what data you can safely delete. It's your data after all...

Empty the trash. If there is 'stuff' in your downloads folder that you no longer need, move it to an external drive or delete it (don't forget to empty the trash afterward).

Before you do anything, it would be wise to make sure you have a good backup.

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If you have message Start up disk almost full. Delete some files