macOS storage
macOS storage
System Data, snapshots, Photos, Mail — what fills a Mac and how macOS accounts for it.
Final Cut Pro Libraries: Why .fcpbundle Files Get So Large
Final Cut Pro libraries mix camera media with render files, optimized media, and proxies — most of it regeneratable, with a built-in menu to clean it up safely.
August 9, 2026·Read →
GarageBand and Logic Pro's Sound Libraries: Where the Gigabytes Go
GarageBand and Logic Pro share large sound content libraries stored outside the app, and the supported way to trim them is the Sound Library manager, not Finder.
August 6, 2026·Read →
Why Apple Podcasts Downloads Quietly Fill Up Your Mac's Storage
Apple Podcasts downloads episodes for offline playback into its own storage container, and heavy subscriptions can add up to gigabytes without you noticing.
August 1, 2026·Read →
Cleaning up your Music library on Mac without losing anything you can't replace
A large Apple Music or legacy iTunes library can quietly hold tens of gigabytes in ~/Music. Here's what Optimise Storage can safely remove, and what it can't get back for you.
July 28, 2026·Read →
Old iPhone backups eating space on your Mac: how to find and clean them up
Local iPhone and iPad backups can quietly stack up to tens of gigabytes in MobileSync/Backup. Here's how to find them in Finder, what's actually in a backup, and how to delete the ones you no longer need.
July 26, 2026·Read →
Rebuilding the Spotlight index on Mac: when and how to do it safely
Spotlight search gone stale or mds eating CPU for hours? Here's what the Spotlight index actually is, when a rebuild is the right fix, and how to run it without guessing.
July 23, 2026·Read →
Where Mac screenshots actually go, and how to stop them piling up
macOS saves screenshots to the Desktop by default — here's how to check or change that, and why hundreds of small PNGs still add up to a real storage and clutter problem.
July 17, 2026·Read →
How to Clean Up Firefox's Profile and Cache Folders on Mac
Firefox keeps each profile under Application Support with a cache2 folder and per-site storage. Here is how to clear it safely, and what you'll lose if you clear the wrong thing.
July 10, 2026·Read →
Where Chrome Stores Its Cache on a Mac and How to Clear It Safely
Chrome keeps cache, Service Worker data, and SQLite databases under a profile folder in Application Support. Here is how it is laid out, and the safe way to clear it.
July 7, 2026·Read →
How to Clear Safari Cache and Website Data on Mac the Right Way
Safari's Manage Website Data panel lists every site storing data on your Mac, from cookies to cached Service Worker files. Here is how to read it and clear it safely.
July 5, 2026·Read →
Cleaning up iMessage attachments on Mac without losing your conversations
Messages stores every photo, video, and voice memo you've sent or received under ~/Library/Messages/Attachments. Here's how to reclaim that space safely, from inside the app.
June 30, 2026·Read →
iCloud Drive's Optimise Mac Storage: what it actually does to your files
Optimise Mac Storage evicts iCloud Drive files to placeholders to save disk space, trading it for network dependency. Here's how that works and why storage tools can misread it.
June 28, 2026·Read →
Apple Mail is quietly filling your disk: cleaning up ~/Library/Mail
Apple Mail stores every downloaded message and attachment locally under ~/Library/Mail. Here's how that folder grows, what's safe to delete, and why you should do it from inside Mail.
June 25, 2026·Read →
How to Clean Up the Photos Library on Mac Without Losing Anything
The Photos library at ~/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary can look enormous even with iCloud Photos on. Here is why, and the correct way to free space without touching the package.
June 21, 2026·Read →
Why Time Machine's Local Snapshots Make Your Mac Look Full
Time Machine takes hourly local snapshots on your internal disk even with no backup drive attached. Here is why that makes storage suddenly look full, and how to check and clear it.
June 17, 2026·Read →
APFS Snapshots on Mac: What They Are and How to Remove Them
APFS snapshots quietly hold onto disk space macOS reports as used, not free. Here is what a snapshot actually is, where they come from, and how to list and remove one safely.
June 9, 2026·Read →
System Data on Mac: what's inside that mystery slab
A calm breakdown of the System Data category on macOS: what Apple actually puts in it, why it grows, and how to enumerate its contents without guessing.
June 8, 2026·Read →
Purgeable space on Mac: what it is and why it counts as used
A plain-language explanation of purgeable space in APFS: what makes it purgeable, why macOS holds onto it, and why df and Finder disagree.
June 4, 2026·Read →
Why screen recordings quietly fill up your Mac's storage
macOS saves screen recordings as large, lightly compressed .mov files to the Desktop by default — here's where they actually go and how to stop them piling up.
June 2, 2026·Read →
The QuickLook thumbnail cache: a safe, easy win on a full Mac
macOS caches a thumbnail for nearly everything you preview at ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.QuickLook.thumbnailcache — here's what it is, why it grows, and how to clear it safely.
May 29, 2026·Read →