Apple Computer Clean-up 101:
Quick Tips on How to Clean Mac Hard Drive

Your trusty Macbook Air running low on disk space? The dreaded ‘Your disk is almost full’ message has popped up at the most inconvenient time? Happens to the best of us. Here is everything you need to know to easily tackle regular maintenance work and get your Mac back up and running.

Step 1: Empty Trash

The first thing you should do is empty your Trash. That is right, you might have been doing a decent job at maintaining you Mac clean, however, deleted files still take up space on your hard drive until your Trash is emptied. To do that simply navigate to your Trash, then right-click and choose ‘Empty Trash’.

Step 2: Clean up Desktop & Downloads

Once that is done, take the time to review what is going on in your Downloads folder as well as on your Desktop. Check up on all those files you have been downloading, sort away the ones you plan on keeping, and remove the unwanted rest by simply dragging-and-dropping the files to the Trash or hitting Command + Delete after selecting the files.

Step 3: Uninstall Rarely Used Apps

Follow up by sifting through the apps that you have installed on your Mac. Chances are that some of them have been sitting on your drive for a while without any use at all. Some apps tend to take up major space while other simply clutter your Apple computer with temporary files and unnecessary folders. If you want to keep your OS X cleaner, then there is no point in keeping the apps that you no longer need. Drag the out-of-use apps from the Applications folder and drop them into Trash. Make sure you Empty Trash once done.

Step 4: Delete or Move Large Media Files

Another quick disk clean-up solution is to delete or move to external drive large media files. After all, large files are the ones that take up big chunks of your Mac’s storage. Typically, those are movies, music, games, etc. For more info choose Apple Menu > About This Mac, then click Storage to see what takes up the space on your hard drive.

If you cannot set your heart on deleting that favorite TV series season that you rewatch every once in a while, but still need the disk space, then consider getting an external drive to store these kinds of files.

Disk drive cleaner apps are software solutions that take the weight of disk space management off your shoulders. These apps save your time and make sure you do not delete any important files. Tools like MacFly Pro are capable of deep cleaning and maintaining your system to make sure your hard drive is running as good as it possibly can. Even though the functionality of drive cleaners may vary, here is an example of a few issues that cleaner apps typically deal with.

Temporary Files and Folders

Temporary files, app caches, and system log files are among the most common storage clutter issues that can be easily managed using a cleaner. Most apps store temporary files and caches in order to run smoother and quicker. While on paper that sounds great, which it is, such apps tend to accumulate excessive files overtime, and unless cleaned, they take up a lot of space on your drive. Run a reliable Mac cache cleaner every few weeks, or months, depending on how you use your Mac, to get rid of outdated and corrupted cache files. On a side note, if you have made a switch from Windows, you do not need a registry cleaner on Mac.

Even uninstalling the app does not necessarily solve the problem as leftover application files, caches, and folders can still be stored on your Mac. These files may contain your

settings preferences or other miscellaneous user information, which remains preserved in case you ever choose to reinstall the app. However, let us be honest here, most of us do not get back to the old habits when it comes to the use of software. Therefore, simply getting rid of the unwanted files with the help of a disk cleaner will declutter your Mac’s storage as well as help it run smoother.

Mail Downloads

Then there is the Mail app. Email has become a necessity in present days. We all use it for work, personal communication, or updates and newsletters. If you are using Apple’s Mail app on your Mac, then every email you receive, and every attachment you open stays cached. You may be thinking now that spreadsheets, text files, and a few pictures do not take much space and there is nothing to worry about. In all honesty, you are right about the first part, however, when you consider how many emails and files you receive, the storage needed to store them may come as a surprise to you. If you have run into the ‘Your storage is almost full’ message on your Mac, consider clearing Mail cache to free up an extra bit of space.

Simply said, there is no ultimate answer to the question. Yet considering the following points will help you find that perfect hard drive cleaner for your Mac.

Functionality

First up is functionality. Functionality is king. Nobody needs a cleaner that simply Empties Trash for you. What you want to be looking for is a piece of software capable of cleaning out the clutter that you never even knew existed - caches, temporary files, outdated backups, user & system log files etc. Use free trials to test things out.

Price

Once you pick a few cleaners based on functionality, compare the price tag to find the best bang for your buck.

Design

Lastly, if you are still hitting a dead end, consider design and UI. Even though drive-cleaning software is most likely not something that you will be using on a daily, you would much rather look at something that is pleasing to the eye and lives up to Apple’s attention to detail.

After all, your Mac is an industry-leading piece of hardware that runs excellent software. To help your system deliver consistently brilliant performance, consider regular manual clean-ups or investing into quality drive cleaner to help you get rid of junk without slowing your Mac down.

Do not have to time to compare cleaning software and need your Mac’s drive clean right now? Take our word for it. Download MacFly Pro and get your disk storage back in shape.