By secondary clicking on the file, then choosing Get Info, you see this file is 72.6 MB in size. I’ve downloaded a video tutorial file and placed it on my desktop. For this example, I will demonstrate on a single file, but keep in mind that this will work on a folder containing multiple files as well. Empty the TrashĪrchiving, or zipping, if you will, is a technique in which you can take one or many files and convert them into a single compressed file called an archive. You will be prompted for a confirmation that you wish to permanently erase all the items in Trash. To empty your trash, move your cursor down to the trash can icon on your dock and secondary click on it. You must permanently remove it by emptying your trash. I will show you how to offload it to the cloud later on in this tutorial.ĭeleting the file won’t free up the space on your hard drive. Trash any file that is either a duplicate or no longer needed. Start going through the files in the largest file group.

Example groups are 1-100 MB or 100 MB-10 GB.

In fact, Finder will even group these files. You will be presented with a list of files already sorted by size. Finding and removing large files or duplicates is a great way to create and maintain free space on your hard drive.Ĭlick the Finder icon on your dock.

How to clear up mac hard drive space