Without even noticing it, almost the whole year of the 2020 year has passed. The year has brought us a lot of new experiences and challenges, such as the worldwide pandemic.
Even though a global pandemic doesn’t sound too well, it has challenged humanity to be more flexible and learn to communicate online efficiently, also to become more familiar with digital tools and technology devices, including computers.
The end of the year and the beginning of a new one is a great time to declutter. Therefore, as Mac computers are a good boost for efficiency, here we want to share some tips about decluttering your Mac before the New Year. Greet a new year with a clean mindset and a clean computer to accomplish even more of your personal and work-related goals.
Tip #1: Start With the Desktop
When you start your computer, the first thing you see is the desktop, so let’s start decluttering from here. If you have many folders, icons, images, audio files, and whatnot on your desktop, there are a few ways to clean it all up. It’s important because each icon uses Mac’s resources, thus making it slower.
The smartest way to clean a desktop is by doing it manually so that you can determine which files you can delete and which ones need to be sorted out into themed folders. After you do so, make it a healthy habit and clean your desktop every time you finish working on your computer.
Tip #2: Remove Unneeded Files
If you know you have old files you no longer need, like watched movies or old college concepts and presentations, go through those folders and get rid of those files.
They only take up valuable disk space and make it harder to find needed files in a pile of other files, especially if the files’ names are inaccurate.
Tip #3: Manage Storage
To check how much storage is taken up by different types of files, like documents or photos, click the Apple icon at the top of the screen, click About This Mac, and choose the storage tab.
Here, you will see the storage distribution. You can also click the Manage button on the right that will show you a couple more storage management options, like Reduce Clutter, that will help you sort out what is no longer needed.
Tip #4: Move Files to Cloud Storage
If you still see that you don’t have a lot of free storage space left after deleting all the unneeded files, you might want to start using a cloud storage service like iCloud or Google Drive. More to it, there are free plans that these services offer, and they will let you share your files easily.
Tip #5: Move Files to External Devices
Surely, for graphic designers or video creators, the free cloud service plan may be far from enough. And if you think that paying for the extra storage space every month is not worth it, you can purchase an external storage device for a fixed price.
Also, with an external storage device, you will be able to access your files independently from the fact if you have an internet connection or not.
Tip #6: Review Your Downloads Folder
Downloads folder is such a place that a lot of people forget about, but as a matter of fact, it may be storing quite a few one-time-use installation files that have been gathering dust there for months or even years.
Deleting these files will leave a cleaner Downloads folder that is easier to navigate and a less cluttered computer.
Tip #7: Go Through your Photo Gallery
Photos can take up a lot of space nowadays, especially if you own a new iPhone 12 Pro that takes high-quality pictures. And it is very likely that if you were to go through your photo gallery, you would find photos you no longer need.
Also, if you have been taking a lot of selfies or family pictures on vacations to upload to social media platforms like Facebook, there is a high chance that you have piles of similar photos when it’s more than enough to keep one or two of them.
Tip #8: Delete Files From the Trash Bin
After you are done deleting unneeded files from various folders, do not forget to empty the Trash Bin. Because if you do not, the whole free disk space you tried to make while decluttering will go to waste.
Remember that as long as the Trash Bin is not empty, the files are still taking up space on your Mac.
Tip #9: Uninstall Unneeded Apps
Apps can take a lot of space, too, especially if you are one of those people that like to experiment with free apps and never use them again. While checking the storage distribution on your Mac, as explained in tip #2 of this article, you will be able to see how much space is taken up by apps. To really declutter your Mac, review and uninstall unneeded apps.
