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How to Check Hard Drive Space on Mac
Are you worried about how much disk space you have left on your Mac? In this blog post, we’ll discuss the 4 best ways to check hard drive space on your Mac. From using the Finder to accessing About This Mac, we’ll guide you through the process of checking your disk’s capacity and used space.By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly how much space is left on your drive and what is taking up all that room. So, let’s get started!
4 Best Ways to Check Hard Drive Space on Mac
Method 1: Using Finder
1. Open the Finder app & click on "Go" at the menu bar & click on the "Computer" option.
2. It will show your drive & network here. So Right click on the drive & select the "Get info" option.
3. In the Pop-up window it'll show the all information about your drive space, including full capacity, available space & used space, etc.
You can use this trick to check any drive connected to your Mac - just click on the drive name & follow the above steps and peek at the "available" space.
If you're running low, with only a few gigs of space left, it's probably time for a digital cleanse. Deleting or moving files to an external drive can free up precious space on your Mac and keep it running smoothly as butter.
Method 2: About This Mac
For a quick look at storage info, use the About This Mac window.
1. Click the Apple menu in the top left and choose About This Mac.
2. Now in the popup window, click on the "More info" button.
3. This opens a new window with general information about your Mac. Here scroll down to the bottom & here you will see Storage.
4. Click on the Storage tab to see a visual representation of used and available space. It also shows a breakdown of what types of files are using storage, like Apps, Photos, Mail, and more.
The About This Mac storage view provides an easy snapshot of free space versus used space. Check it regularly to make sure available space isn't getting too low. This can help identify if certain categories like Applications or Documents are gradually occupying more and more space over time.
Method 3: Disk Utility
1. Go to apps & search for "Disk Utility" & Open Disk Utility.
2. Then click on the disk name in the left sidebar to examine utilization and available free space.
Disk Utility also shows disk health details like total write/read errors. If your drive displays errors, Disk Utility can attempt repairs as well. This is useful for diagnosing and fixing any underlying disk problems that could be affecting performance. Even without errors, Disk Utility gives power users more technical data about disk status and activity.
Method 4: Use a third-party app.
There are many third-party apps that provide additional ways to analyze disk usage and free space. Apps like OmniDiskSweeper, DaisyDisk, and Disk Inventory X offer visual maps of disk usage by file and folder. This makes it easy to identify the largest files on your drive that may be candidates for deletion or archiving. Third-party apps generally provide more robust tools for delving into storage usage details. If the built-in Mac tools don't provide enough insights, one of these apps may offer the advanced analytics you need.
Here are a few tips for freeing up storage space:
- Get rid of old files you no longer use. Scrap files that are just gathering dust on your device.
- Move stuff over to an external hard drive or cloud storage. That'll keep the files handy if you ever need them again, but get them off your main computer to open up space.
- Compress big files like photos and videos. Compressing makes the files smaller so they take up less room. Just right-click and look for the compress option.
- Remove apps you do not actually need. Uninstall any apps from your device that you rarely or never use to clear up app-related storage usage.
Conclusion
In short, there are several ways to check the hard drive space on your Mac. From using Finder and About This Mac to Disk Utility and third-party apps, you have plenty of options to keep an eye on your storage usage. Remember to regularly check your available space and take action if it starts getting low. By following the tips we’ve shared, you can free up space and keep your Mac running smoothly. We hope this post has been helpful in guiding you through the process of checking hard drive space on your Mac.
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