macOS Purgeable Space: What it is & How to Free It [2023]

The guide will show how to clear the macOS purgeable space.

It’s common practice among macOS computer users to check their storage every now and then. They do so by clicking the Apple icon on the top-left corner of their screen and selecting About This Mac. On the Storage tab of this window, you can very clearly see a breakdown of your computer’s storage. It includes the maximum storage capacity of your computer, the available storage, and the different kinds of files making up the used storage represented by different colors and bars. And among these colored bars, you’ll find one specific bar that says “Purgeable” which takes up a considerable amount of space.

Part 1: What Is The macOS Purgeable Space?

The macOS purgeable space refers to any file that the computer can freely delete or “purge” if it ever requires more disk space, hence the name. That basically means you can delete these files anytime you want rather than waiting for the system to do it for you. The purgeable space is also the group of files that cleaner software look into first. The macOS purgeable space can contain files from different locations and file types. Here’s a look at some examples of files under this category:

• Backup files
• System cache
• App cache
• Browser cache
• iTunes cache
• iCloud files
• Trash

You can delete all these files if you want, but of course, you must find them first, and that can take a long while. Thankfully, there’s a feature on Mac that allows you to find files under the macOS purgeable category automatically and delete them.

Part 2: Clear The macOS Purgeable Space With Storage Management

The Storage Management window on Mac is where you can locate all kinds of files on your computer that the operating system deems to be purgeable. Therefore, most of the files you can see there are under the purgeable category.

Here’s how you can access the Storage Management window.

1. Click the Apple logo at the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Select About This Mac from the dropdown menu.
3. A popup window will appear. On the popup window, go to the Storage tab.
4. Click the Manage… button. A new popup window will appear.

In this window, you’ll find various options on the left sidebar. You should be in the Recommendations section by default, which should consist of four options. Each of these options can help you clear the macOS purgeable space.

Let’s take a look at what each option does:

• Store in iCloud: Whenever you place a file into the iCloud, the computer actually doesn’t delete the copy on your Mac. It simply creates another copy so there are two copies, one on iCloud and one on Mac. Store in iCloud basically allows you to keep only one copy, which is the copy on the iCloud, and delete the copy found on your Mac computer. The only exception to this would be the recently opened files since the operating system assumes you need them for later use. To use the feature, simply click Store in iCloud… and follow the onscreen instructions.
• Optimise Storage: Whenever you watch a movie on your Mac, iTunes typically create a copy of it so you can watch the film more smoothly without buffering. This feature basically deletes the movies and shows you’ve already watched to save space. To use this feature, click the Optimise… button and follow the onscreen instructions.
• Empty Trash Automatically: By default, Trash deletes files that were deleted for over 30 days. This feature allows you to enable and disable that functionality. We suggest not changing this feature, but you should at least check if it’s actually enabled by clicking the Turn On… button and following the on-screen instructions.
• Reduce Clutter: This feature compiles files that the system thinks you no longer need, makes a list out of them, and gives you the option to delete them. To use the feature, click Review Files and select items to delete.

Part 3: BONUS: Free up Space on Your Computer With Mac Cleaner [RECOMMENDED]

As you may have realized through this guide, the macOS purgeable space is a portion of a computer’s disk space that the system can delete automatically if it needs free space urgently. For that reason, unless you’re experiencing issues due to insufficient space, such as slow performance or frequent errors, clearing “Purgeable” files isn’t urgent. It’s also important to keep in mind that there are actually certain files that you can delete without any issue that doesn’t belong to the Purgeable category. Though it’s not normally easy to delete them, with Mac Cleaner, it should be rather easy.

Mac Cleaner is third-party software that can scan for and delete junk files, duplicates, and other unnecessary files from your computer. Though there’s a bit of an overlap, there are certain files it can find that don’t belong to the purgeable category, making it the perfect way to free up space on your computer. Here’s how you can use the software:

Step #1: Download, Install, and Launch Mac Cleaner

To start with the process, you need access to the software. For that to happen, you need to head to the Mac Cleaner download page where you can find the software. There, click the Download Now button. It should download a DMG file which you must then open to run the installer. Follow the onscreen instructions from then on. Once the installation is complete, the Mac Cleaner software should open automatically.

Step #2: Choose a Cleaner Module

On the left-hand side of the software, you’ll find six options. These are the modules Mac Cleaner offers. The options 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. Though each module has its own functionality, you only need the first three modules, which we like to call the cleaner modules, if you want to free up storage space. Here’s what they can do:

• Clean Up Junk inspects the computer for any file it considers unnecessary or junk. Though that may seem ambiguous it should include System Junk, App Junk, Trash Bin, iOS Junk, iTunes Junk, and Unused Disk Images.
• Delete Large Files looks specifically for files with a size of 50MB or larger. It doesn’t matter what kind of file it finds. Thankfully, it only detects unnecessary files, so there’s no need to worry about deleting important stuff.
• Delete Duplicate Files checks every file inside a folder and scours the computer to see if there’s an extra copy of those files. It then creates a list of the ones that do and allows you to delete their duplicates, hence the name.

Simply select a module by clicking on the option from the left side of the interface.

Step #3: Scan Your Mac for Files

Regardless of the module you chose, you will always have to scan for files. This particular step will have varying mechanisms according to the module, and what you must do will differ. Here’s what you need to do for each cleaner module:

• Clean Up Junk: There will be two sides in the interface, one saying Quick Clean, and the other saying Deep Clean. Quick Clean scans for System Junk, App Junk, Trash Bin, and iTunes Junk. Deep Clean scans for all that as well as Downloads, iOS Junk, and Unused Disk Images. Click the Scan button after choosing between the two.
• Delete Large Files: You can click the Scan button immediately.
• Delete Duplicate Files: You must specify the directory that you want to scan. You can do so by clicking the Browse button at the center of the interface. Then, navigate and select the directory you want to scan. After doing all that, click the Scan button.

Step #4: Select a File/s

The next step is to select the files you want to delete from your computer. Again, the way this step works will vary depending on the module. For Delete Large Files and Delete Duplicate Files, you simply have to click the checkbox of an item, which can be any of the following: image, video, document, song, folders, etc. But in the case of Clean Up Junk, you must select afile category first, and the options include System Junk, Downloads, Trash Bin, Unused Disk Images, and more.

You can find the file category of Clean Up Junk on the left side of the software. Clicking a category will show a list on the right-hand side, where you can find the files and folders you can delete. Click their corresponding checkboxes to select them.

Step #5: Delete the File/s

To finalize the process, you only have to click the blue button at the top-right corner of the window. It should either say Delete or Clean, depending on the module. This should start the deletion process which may take a while to complete.

If you can do this and delete unnecessary files from your computer, there’s a good chance your macOS won’t end up having to purge the files under the “Purgeable” category.

Part 4: Parting Words

Organizing your files and monitoring your computer’s disk space is no easy task. You need knowledge of the different types of files to properly manage them. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unknown variables in Mac’s system. The macOS purgeable space is one such variable. Thankfully, it’s not as complex as it may seem, and you should know that very well after reading this guide. The only problem is managing it, but with Mac Cleaner, that shouldn’t be an issue.