How to fix Mac Says Not Enough Disk Space? [2023 Updated]

Pretty much every task you perform on a Mac requires disk space. Performing updates, installing apps, downloading files from the internet, creating documents, and even simply editing them consumes disk space. Naturally, if your storage is full, you’ll eventually encounter situations where Mac says not enough disk space. However, this kind of error message can appear even in unusual circumstances. For instance, if you don’t have that many apps and you can’t really see that many files on your computer, you can still encounter the error. This can raise many questions, but that’s why you’re here.

This article will discuss what you need to know about issues where Mac says not enough disk space. But first, how will you even know if your disk space is truly full? Well, there’s a specific solution just for that. Read on to find out how it works.

How to Check Disk Space

You can actually check whether the macOS is just malfunctioning or if the disk space is truly full. There’s a Mac feature for that, and here’s how you can access it:

1. Click the Apple icon from the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Select About This Mac from the resulting dropdown menu.
3. On the popup window, navigate to the Storage tab.

You’ll find a breakdown of your storage, including the total capacity of your computer, the available space, and the distribution of files. If the available space is no longer sufficient, then it’s time to free up disk space on your computer.

Solution #1: Empty The Trash

The Trash contains all the files you’ve deleted over the past 30 days. Though its contents are technically junk since you can’t use them unless they’re recovered, they still take up disk space on your computer. This is so that you can retrieve them later on if need be. But that’s why you must empty the Trash regularly since you probably have GBs worth of files there that you really don’t plan on retrieving, and this can go a long way to prevent the issue where Mac says not enough disk space.

Here’s how you can empty the Trash:

1. Open the Trash app. Its icon should be located at the Dock.
2. Select the files you think you no longer need and aren’t planning to recover.
3. Once all items have been selected, click on one selected item while holding the Ctrl key.
4. Select Delete from the resulting menu.
5. If you want to delete all the items at once, simply click the Empty button at the menu bar.

Note: Alternatively, you can click Trash from the Dock while holding the Ctrl key, then select Empty Trash.

Keep in mind that you must do this regularly, especially if you frequently delete files from your computer. Also, Trash has a built-in feature where it deletes files that are over 30 days old automatically, and we suggest keeping that feature enabled.

Solution #2: Reduce Clutter

macOS computers have numerous features that make things a little bit easier. Reduce Clutter is one such feature, and its main function is to find and delete possibly useless files. Hence, it’s an excellent feature for your purposes.

Below are the steps to free up storage space using Reduce Clutter:

1. Click the Apple icon at the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select About This Mac from the resulting dropdown menu.
3. A popup window will appear. There, navigate to the Storage tab.
4. Click the Manage… button which should be somewhere in the window.
5. A new window will appear, and by default, you should be in the Recommendations section. Simply click the Review Files beside the Reduce Clutter option, which should be the last of the four options.
6. You’ll get a list of files that you can safely delete. Just sort through all of them to see which are necessary and which are no longer needed. To delete a file, hover over the item and click the trash icon that appears on its side.

Though the list should mostly contain unnecessary files, there are actually instances where the Reduce Clutter feature has managed to dig up important files. For that reason, you must double-check the list thoroughly since you might end up deleting useful files. It might be a bit of a hassle since you have to do it manually, but it’s more often than not worthwhile.

Solution #3: Uninstall Unused Apps

Just like files, there are apps currently installed on your computer that you probably no longer need. These are unused apps and if you used them a while back, chances are they]’re taking up a considerable amount of space. After all, certain apps can consume GBs’ worth of space, and they may be contributing to the issue where Mac says not enough disk space. And much like files, you can very easily delete, or rather, uninstall these files from your computer. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Click the Launchpad icon at the Dock. It should look like a rocket, or in some macOS versions, a white square with nine other colored squares inside it. The Launchpad icon should be next to the Finder icon.
2. You’ll then find a list of apps. Find the unused apps you want to uninstall.
3. Hold the Option key until apps start jiggling. This means you’ve entered edit mode where you can uninstall apps.
4. Click on the X icon at the corner of the app you want to delete.
5. Select Delete on the pop-up window to confirm your decision.

While you might’ve been able to uninstall an app, chances are its cache is still on your computer and consuming a considerable amount of disk space. Of course, you wouldn’t want that, so you must delete the app cache as well.

Solution #4: Delete App Cache

Whenever an application opens, it often creates files so it can boot properly. These files are what they call the cache, and though it’s necessary to boot the app, it doesn’t have any other use. Hence, deleting the app cache won’t uninstall that particular application. That means if you think you need an app in the future but aren’t planning on using it any time soon, you can delete the app cache instead. This is yet another reason why deleting the app cache is an excellent solution for your problem—it can free up disk space without the possibility of data loss. Here’s how you can clear the app cache on Mac:

1. Open a session of Finder on your computer.
2. Click Go from the top menu bar.
3. Select Go to Folder… from the dropdown menu.
4. A popup window should appear. In the text field, type in /Users/[YourUserName]/Library/Caches.
5. You’ll then get a list of folders that correspond to all your apps. Find the folders of the apps you want to delete the cache of. Once you find them, drag them into the Trash.

Once you’ve deleted the app cache folder, make sure you go to Trash and empty it so all the folders you deleted don’t take up disk space needlessly. Do this regularly and you won’t have to deal with your issue where Mac says not enough disk space.

Solution #5: Run Mac Cleaner

If the previous solutions didn’t work, you may have to rely on a third-party software called Mac Cleaner—a modular software with various features that aim to free up space on your computer. It can detect and delete unnecessary files, making it the perfect tool if your Mac says not enough disk space. It scans every nook and cranny of your computer, so it can even find files that you wouldn’t be able to find otherwise. Moreover, it only scans unnecessary files, so data loss is most likely not going to happen if you decide to use the software. Below is a step-by-step guide to using Mac Cleaner.

Step #1: Download, Install, and Set up Mac Cleaner

To begin with, you need to gain access to the cleaner software. You can do so by opening a browser and visiting the Mac Cleaner download page. That’s where you can download the software by clicking the Download Now button. It should download a DMG file, which you must then open to run the installer. Follow the onscreen instructions as they appear on your computer. The software will open automatically once the installation is complete.

Step #2: Select a Cleaner Module

If you look at the left side of the interface, you’ll find six different options. These are the modules that you can use in the software. It should include  (1) Clean Up Junk, (2) Delete Large Files, (3) Delete Duplicate Files, (4) Erase Private Data, (5) Speed Up Your Mac, and (6) Manage Apps & Extensions. Each module has its own functionality, but to fix the problem where Mac says not enough disk space, you’ll only need the first three modules, which we like to call the cleaner modules.

Here’s what each of these modules can do:

• Clean Up Junk scours the computer for junk files, or any unnecessary file, for that matter. It can scan for System Junk, Unused Disk Images, Trash Bin, and App Junk making it easier to free up space on your computer.
• Delete Large Files scans the computer for any file with a size of 50MB or larger, regardless of file type. It only detects unnecessary files, so you can delete all the files without worrying about erasing important stuff.
• Delete Duplicate Files looks at every file within a directory and sees whether it has an extra copy outside of the directory. It then creates a list of all the items that do and allows you to delete them accordingly.

To proceed to the next step, you need to select a module by clicking on the option from the left-hand side of the software.

Step #3: Scan Your Mac for Files

The next step is to scan for files. What you need to do will vary according to the module you chose. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Clean Up Junk: There will be two sides to the interface: Quick Clean and Deep Clean. Quick Clean scans for System Junk, App Junk, Trash Bin, and iTunes Junk. Deep Clean includes all that in addition to Downloads, iOS Junk, and Unused Disk Images. Choose between the two and click the Scan button once you’re done choosing.
• Delete Large Files: Click the Scan button immediately.
• Delete Duplicate Files: Specify the directory you want to scan. You can do so by clicking the Browse button at the center of the interface. Then, navigate to and select the folder you want to scan. Click the Scan button afterward.

Step #4: Pick a File/s

After the scan is complete, you’ll get a list of files that the software has successfully scanned. What you need to do now will also differ according to the module. For Delete Large Files and Delete Duplicate Files, you simply have to click the checkbox of an item to select them. But for Clean Up Junk, you must select a file category first, and the options may include System Junk, App Junk, Trash Bin, Downloads, Unused Disk Images, and more. The file category list is found on the left side. Upon selecting a category, a new list appears to the right, and that’s where you can select the files you wish to delete.

Step #5: Delete the File/s

Finally, you need to delete the selected files by clicking the blue button in the upper-right corner of the window. It should either say Clean or Delete.  It’ll then initiate the deletion process, which may take a couple of seconds or minutes.

This should solve the issue where Mac says not enough disk space. However, keep in mind that it’s not a permanent fix, so you’ll have to do it regularly. Thankfully, you can easily use Mac Cleaner repeatedly without repercussions.

Wrapping up

Along with GPU, CPU, and RAM, disk space is one of the essential resources of a computer. It’s a contributing factor to your computer’s performance and it’s necessary for certain operations. And just like the aforementioned resources, disk space is finite, so you’ll eventually run out of it. That’s why it’s important to check your disk space every now and then before Mac says not enough disk space. You must also perform cleanups and other file management practices to make sure your computer has enough space. This article should be able to cover all that, and more, so you shouldn’t have this issue again.