Find big files and downloads to delete on your Mac

Why it happens

A handful of big files often take up most of the space: videos, disk images, old installers and zip files. They tend to sit in folders you rarely open, especially Downloads. Storage settings find them for you and sort them by size.

How to fix it

1. Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, click General, then Storage. Give the bar at the top a moment to fill in.

2. Click the Info button next to Documents.

   General›Storage›Documents

3. Click Large Files to see your biggest files first. Then click Downloads for things you've already used, like installers and zip files.

4. Select anything you don't need and use the Delete button. Check each file first: deleting here happens at once and can't be undone, because the file doesn't go to the Trash.

5. Want to keep a big file but free the space? Move it to an external drive or iCloud Drive, then delete it from the Mac.

Still not fixed?

1. Look at the other categories in Storage too, such as Applications, Photos and Messages. Each has an Info button that shows what's large inside it.

   General›Storage

2. Open your Downloads folder in Finder with Go > Downloads. Choose View > as List and click the Size column to sort by size.

   Go›Downloads

3. Empty the Trash. Files you dragged there still use space until it's emptied, and Empty Trash Automatically in Storage clears old items for you.

4. If System Data looks huge, restart your Mac and check again later. macOS clears some of it, like old caches, by itself.

5. If the disk still says it's almost full after you've freed plenty, or the numbers never change, contact Apple Support. They can check the disk with you.