Our resident Mac Help guru, Peter Cohen, previously told us about the 'Other' storage category on Mac computers and what it catalogs: In short, you're seeing space taken up by plug-ins, documents, and caches stored by OS X.
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- To rename a file or folder in Windows, select it and press F2. To rename a file or folder on a Mac, select it and press the 'return' key. Some organizations don't yet support # and% in names. If you're a global admin or SharePoint admin in Microsoft 365, see Enabling # and% Support on the SharePoint blog to learn how to allow these characters.
- Apr 28, 2016 Rather than use a Mac-formatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exFAT-formatted drives for moving data between Macs and PCs. To format the drive in Windows, right-click it in the File Explorer window and select “Format.” Choose the “exFAT” file.
It's worth noting that these files aren't normally harmful or wasteful to your computer's system; most are intended to help your Mac run efficiently, and ideally, you shouldn't ever have to clear out your Other files. Unfortunately, they can quickly clog up a computer low on storage — especially if you're storing a large number of iPhone or iPad backups.
Whether you're looking to free up space on your hard drive or just want to do some spring cleaning, here are some simple steps to get your Mac free and clear.
A note on what happened to 'Other' space in macOS Sierra and higher
When Apple added its storage management feature to macOS Sierra, called Optimize Storage, it reorganized what 'other' storage is and where it's located on the Mac. Much of it has been divided out through other categories so it's easier to find and remove.
The 100GB of Other storage I used to carry on my iMac is whittled down to just 5GB. You can still clean out old and unnecessary content from your Mac with macOS Sierra and High Sierra by using Optimized Storage. It's just a little easier to find those unused files than it was before.
A free app from OmniGroup, OmniDiskSweeper lets you view your file storage in a much more powerful way than Finder. After scanning a drive for several minutes, the program returns a file tree complete with content sizes for all of the folders. When using this on my own Mac, it. How do I view files on my hard drive? First, open Windows File Explorer and check if your files are in the hard drive. If not, go to the View tab and tick 'Hidden files'. Recheck files in your hard drive again. Next, if no files show up, run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to scan and find all missing files on your hard drive.
A lot of the features of Optimized Storage remove content from your Mac and store them in iCloud. If you're concerned with how much storage you're using up in iCloud, you can customize or disable some Optimized Storage features to keep a balance between what's on your Mac and what's in iCloud.
What's this 'Purgeable' category all about?
If you check your system storage graph in macOS, you'll probably discover a category called Purgeable. This is part of Apple's Optimized Storage service. When you move your Documents into iCloud (part of the Store in iCloud component) and your hard drive gets low on storage, only recently opened files are kept on your Mac. Older documents are stored in iCloud, while a shortcut icon is kept on your Mac (files are automatically re-downloaded to your Mac as soon as you open them). The Purgeable files are what Optimized Storage will move to iCloud and delete from your hard drive only if your hard drive starts to get full. Purgeable files also include caches and temporary files that used to fit into the Other category, which will also be deleted as your hard drive starts to fill up.
Though your Other storage might have been spread out across categories in macOS Sierra and higher, you can still follow the below steps to manually clean up your Mac and get rid of unnecessary files.
How to check your storage space on your Mac
If you are concerned with how much storage space you have remaining on your Mac computer, you can check its usage folder to see how much space each category is taking up, including Other.
- Click on your desktop or the Finder icon from the Dock.
- Select the Apple Menu icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
- Click on About This Mac.
- Select Storage.
Your Mac breaks down its storage categories as follows: Apps, Movies, Photos, Audio, Backups, and — that annoying, undescriptive category — Other.
How to remove cached files
Now that you know how much space your Other files are taking up, it's time to reduce their footprint on your Mac. You can start by removing items you don't need, including caches for your web browser, saved Apple Music streams, and photo previews.
A note on deleting cache folders: You only want to delete old and unnecessary files, as current cache files store your preferences. We strongly recommend only deleting cache files from old apps.
- Click on your desktop or select the Finder icon from the Dock.
- Select the Go menu in the upper left corner of the screen.
- Click on Go to Folder.
- Type ~/Library/caches into the text box. A list of caches from active apps will appear on your desktop.
- Select the app folder you wish to remove the cache from.
- Right-click (or control-click) on the app folder.
- Select Move to Trash.
How to remove downloaded files
Chances are, your Downloads folder is stuffed with Other-type files, including installer packages, documents, and folders you have already made copies of somewhere else. If you want to make some room on your Mac, it may be time to clean out your Downloads folder.
- Click on your desktop or select the Finder icon from the Dock.
- Select the Go menu in the upper left corner of the screen.
- Click on Downloads.
- Select the file you wish to remove.
- Right-click (or control-click) on the file.
- Select Move to Trash.
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If you want to save a file from the Downloads folder but don't want it clogging your drive, consider moving it to an external hard drive or flash drive, or uploading it to an online storage option like Dropbox.
How to delete old device backups in iTunes
If you tend to get new iOS devices fairly regularly, you may have unnecessary device backups stored on your computer via iTunes. Backups take up 4-5GB each, on average; there's no need to hold on to older device backups if you no longer have the device or have it stored in iCloud.
Third-party software that can help
While you don't need any third-party app to 'clean' your Mac, there are some very handy system access tools out there that make it easier to regularly remove unwanted files.
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126439886/628268511.png)
CleanMyMac 3
With CleanMyMac, you have easy access to a list of features that help you keep your Mac free of unnecessary junk. It scans your entire system and recommends files you should delete based on how old they are and whether they are considered unnecessary to your workflow. It's a lot like Apple's Optimized Storage, but with a few additional features. My favorite is the recommendation to delete all content related to an application. Sometimes, you'll end up with a couple of files left behind by an app when you delete it. CleanMyMac provides a one-button purge of everything associated with that app.
DaisyDisk
DaisyDisk scans your Mac and gives you a pie chart that makes it easy to see what files are using up the most space. You can identify files that are in the Other storage category and drag them to the delete box.
Onyx
Onyx is a robust Mac system access tool that, in-part, can delete caches, logs, temporary items, and other files that find their way into the Other storage category.
Cocktail
Cocktail is another useful system access tool that you can use to clear caches, purge memory, and manage hidden Apple app settings, which might be automatically sending files into the Other category abyss.
Questions?
Still having trouble with Other? Let us know in the comments.
Updated June, 2018: Updated the section on deleting iPhone and iPad backups in iTunes to direct people to the article about doing that. The rest of these steps are still correct.
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Find your files
The Files app includes files on the device you're using, as well as those in other cloud services and apps, and iCloud Drive. You can also work with zip files.* To access your files, just open the Files app and choose the location of the file you're looking for.
Save a copy of your file locally
You can find locally stored files in On My [device], under Locations. On your iPad, simply drag files into the On My iPad folder to store them directly on your device. If you want to save a file locally on your iPhone or iPod touch, follow these steps.
- Go to the file that you want to store on your device.
- Tap Select > the file name > Organize .
- Under On My [Device], choose a folder or tap New Folder to create a new one.
- Tap Copy.
You can also long press on a file, choose Move, and select which folder you want to copy it to.
On iOS 12 or earlier, tap the file and choose Move. Then, under On My [device], choose Numbers, Keynote, or Pages, and tap Copy.
Move iCloud Drive files
- Go to the file that you want to move.
- Tap Select, then choose the file.
- Tap Organize .
- Under On My [Device], choose a folder or tap New Folder to create a new one.
- Tap Move.
You can also long press on a file, choose Move, and select which folder you want to copy it to.
Look for files on your Mac or PC
- On your Mac, choose Go > iCloud Drive from the menu bar, or click iCloud Drive in the sidebar of a Finder window.
- On iCloud.com, go to the iCloud Drive app.
- On your PC with iCloud for Windows, open File Explorer, then click iCloud Drive.
* Password protected zip folders or directories are not supported in the Files app.
Organize your files
It’s easy to organize all of the files stored in iCloud Drive — including Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents. When you make changes on one device, your edits are automatically updated on every device using iCloud Drive.
You can make your own folders. Or rename the files and folders you already have when you press firmly on them.
Create new folders
- Go to Locations.
- Tap iCloud Drive, On My [device], or the name of a third-party cloud service where you want to keep your new folder.
- Swipe down on the screen.
- Tap More .
- Select New Folder.
- Enter the name of your new folder. Then tap Done.
On iOS 12 or earlier, tap New Folder . If you don't see New Folder or it's gray, then the third-party cloud service doesn't support new folders.
View your files by name, date, size, or the tags that you add. With colorful and custom labels, you can assign tags to your files any way that you like. That means you'll quickly find just the project or document you need.
Add a tag
- Tap Select.
- Tap the file that you want to tag.
- Tap Share > Add Tags .
- Choose the tag that you want to add.
Rename a tag
- Go to Locations.
- Tap More > Edit.
- Tap the name of an existing tag.
- Enter the name of your new tag.
- Tap Done.
Delete files
Select the files that you don't want anymore and tap Delete . If you delete files from the iCloud Drive folder on one device, they delete on your other devices too. iCloud Drive removes the files from every device that you're signed in to with the same Apple ID.
When you delete a file from iCloud Drive or On My [device], it goes into your Recently Deleted folder. If you change your mind or accidentally delete a file, you have 30 days to get it back. Go to Locations > Recently Deleted. Select the file that you want to keep and tap Recover. After 30 days, your files are removed from Recently Deleted.
You can also sign into iCloud.com from your Mac or PC, then go to iCloud Drive and check Recently Deleted.
Share folders and files with your friends or colleagues
Want to share with a friend or colleague? You can share any folder or file stored in iCloud Drive directly from the Files app. In iCloud Drive, tap Select, choose the file or folder that you want to share, tap Share , and select Add People. You can share a folder or file through AirDrop, Messages, Mail, and more. Learn more about how folder sharing and file sharing work in iCloud Drive.
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Or maybe you want to collaborate on a project in real time. The Files app lets you do that too with your Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents. Select the file and tap Share or > Add People . You can invite them to collaborate through Messages, Mail, or copy and paste a link. Your participants are color-coded. And you can see when they're online, actively working on your shared document.
Use third-party apps in Files
The Files app lets you add your third-party cloud services — like Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Drive, and more — so that you can access all of your files on all of your devices. The files you keep in iCloud Drive automatically appear in the Files app, but you need to set up your other cloud services to access them in the Files app too.
Add third-party apps
- Download and set up the third-party cloud app.
- Open the Files app.
- Tap the Browse tab.
- Tap More > Edit.
- Turn on the third-party apps that you want to use in the Files app.
- Tap Done.
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If you don't see one of your third-party cloud services in the Files app, check with your cloud provider.
On iOS 12 or earlier, open the Files app then tap Locations > Edit to add third-party apps.
Move third-party cloud files
- Open the file that you want to move.
- Tap Share > Copy.
- Open the folder where you want to move your file.
- Firmly press the screen.
- Tap Paste.
Do more with Files on iPadOS
If you're on iPadOS, you can access files on a USB flash drive, SD card, or hard drive through the Files app on iPadOS. Just connect the storage device, and then you can select it under Locations. You can also connect to unencrypted storage on a file server, if that storage is using the APFS, Mac OS Extended, MS-DOS (FAT), or ExFAT format. You also have the option to view your files in Column View, which is helpful if you have files nested in multiple folders. Column View lets you see previews of files and offers access to tools like markup and rotate without even opening a file.
Connect to a file server
- Open the Browse tab.
- Tap More .
- Select Connect to Server.
- Enter the SMB address.
- Tap Connect.
- The server name appears under Shared in the Browse menu.
Switch to Column View
- In landscape mode, open the Browse tab.
- Select a folder.
- Swipe down on the right side of the screen.
- Select Column View in the upper right.
- Tap a folder to expand its contents.
- Tap a file to see a preview.
To leave Column View, tap Grid View or List View , or use your iPad in portrait mode.
If you need help
- Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest iOS, or iPadOS.
- Set up iCloud on all of your devices and turn on iCloud Drive.
- Make sure that you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all of your devices.
- If you want to upload, download, or share files using cellular data, open Settings, select Cellular, scroll down to iCloud Drive and any third-party cloud services you use, and turn it on for each service.
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If you don't want to access your iCloud Drive files in the Files app, you can choose to download and add only third-party cloud services instead.