That backup on your computer is probably out of date anyway. If you’re still using the device and use iCloud to back it up, you can save some extra space by deleting the local backup. Right-click on the backup and select Show in Finder. Then, take that folder and move it to the external drive. I’d even dare to say do this without moving the backup to external, but play it safe and do that. If you’ve replaced the device, go ahead and delete the old backup. There you’ll see every device you’ve backed up. In iTunes, go to Preferences and then Devices. When you replace your device, it still remembers the old backup. ITunes kindly remembers all your iOS device backups. I can always reinstall it if I have a change of heart. Both programs are available from Apple’s App Store, so I can download them again. I’ve never used iMovie either, so it’s out of there. Xcode is for programming, and I used it to get screenshots from an AppleTV. In the previous example, after the installers were Xcode and iMovie.

Remember we told you about that? Unused Mac Programs In the rare case you need an old version, you’ve got it on that external. If you need to reinstall the program, your old installer will probably be out of date anyways. I’ve got a copy on my backup drive just in case Apple pulls it from the store.Īny installer, not just the OS ones, is a good candidate for removal. If I need one again, I can always download it from Apple. After moving them to an external drive, I can delete them and get that space back. I don’t need those again, so they’re an obvious candidate to get rid of. In my example, the big files are the OS installers. What Can you Delete On Your Mac? Mac Installers Mechanical external hard drives are cheap, while some files are priceless. Even after testing, I’d move these files to an external hard drive for extra peace of mind. The next steps are destructive, so you’ll need to make sure your backup is up to date and working. Clicking the categories drills down to specific files. If you keep having space issues, it’s worth the investment.ĭaisy Disk puts the largest files at the top of the list. After the trial, it has a time delay that encourages you to buy it. My go-to utility to analyze space issues is Daisy Disk. Its purpose is to give you a basic idea of how much space you have left. It doesn’t give you enough details to act upon. Skip Apple’s About This Mac storage section.

How to make disk space on mac