Mac storage guides
Running out of space? These guides explain where the gigabytes on a Mac usually go — System Data, Xcode, Docker, backups, snapshots, Spotlight — and how to get them back safely.
Free up space on your Mac
Find what's using your disk, where big files hide, and how to clear them safely.
What is System Data?
What macOS counts as System Data, why it grows so large, and how to shrink it.
Why macOS takes so much space
The system volume, Recovery, swap, downloaded assets and updates — and what you can reclaim.
Find large files
Storage settings, a Finder size search, and a map of every folder at once.
Clean up Xcode
DerivedData, simulator runtimes, device support and archives — and how to clean them.
Docker taking up space
Why Docker.raw grows, how to see its real size, and how to reclaim the space.
Old iPhone backups
Find and delete old device backups — and what to keep before you do.
Time Machine local snapshots
What local snapshots are, how to list them, and when to delete them.
Purgeable space
Why the disk can look full even when macOS calls space purgeable.
Spotlight's index
How big the Spotlight index is, why it balloons, and how to rebuild it.
Apple Intelligence storage
How much space the on-device models need, and how to get it back.
Do you need a Mac cleaner?
What cleaners really remove, why the space comes back, and what works better.
Clear caches safely
Which caches are safe to delete, which to leave alone, and how much they free.
Using DiskGarden?
The user guide covers scanning, reading the map, the Waste bin, scanning as administrator and shortcuts.