A cluttered desktop can be an eye sore, making it difficult for you to find what you need. However, junk is not always visible, and hidden files might occupy completely irrelevant space. It can be an uphill task to clean your system manually, but it will be worthwhile. Clearing space can make your Mac work faster and smoother. It can also improve the visual appeal of the desktop. So, keep scrolling to know some tricks to clear your system.
Hide Folders and Files
You can hide it if you wish to declutter your desktop, but you cannot delete the files. You are removing them from view and keeping your desktop clean by hiding them. Also, you can hide sensitive files that you don’t want anyone to access. You can easily find and access those files when you need them. Therefore, hiding files and folders are easy to protect your data and clean your system. You can learn how to hide folders and files by visiting https://setapp.com/how-to/hide-files-and-folders-on-mac.
Remove the Applications You don’t Need
When downloading and installing apps on Mac, they take storage space. With time, your system might get filled with varied applications. As a result, your system might start to run slowly. You can clean your Mac by removing the applications you no longer use. You can do this by right-clicking on the application you wish to remove and selecting Move to Bin. You can also head to the App Store and select the apps you wish to remove. Then, click Uninstall.
If you are sending the apps to Trash, it is crucial to remember that the files remain on your system. Therefore, you must empty the Trash to eliminate the apps and clear space on your device. Also, you need to properly uninstall the apps because simply sending the app’s icon to Trash will not remove it from your system.
Clear the Cache
Removing cache is a top web browser troubleshooting hack, but it also works brilliantly to clear your system. Mac stores information in files, and these are called caches. These provide users with easy access to the data and reduce the need to get the information from the original source. But these files can take up a lot of storage space on your device and slow things. So you can give your system a boost by clearing cache files.
You can manually clean up the cache or download a cleaning app and let the cleaner do the job on your behalf.
Reduce the Login Items
The applications automatically run on switching on your computer are called login items. These apps are automatically launched when your computer starts up, and they can take up a lot of memory and space. So you need to ensure these apps are necessary, and you need them to run on their own.
If there are a lot of login items and you don’t need them all, navigate to System Preferences > click Users & Groups > click on your nickname on the left > click on the Login Items tab > browse through the list of login items and find the programs you wish to remove > press the minus option.
You can click on the plus icon if you want to add them again.
Clear the Trash
So, you have gotten rid of many files, folders, and images on your device. You have deleted them. But do you know they are still on your system and taking up space? To completely remove them and reclaim your hard drive space, you need to clear the Trash. In the Dock, click and hold the Trash can icon and click on the Empty option. The process is effortless, and you can remove all the junk files. Also, you can use cleaner apps to clean the Trash automatically.
Get rid of all the Old and Large Files you don’t Need Anymore
Your hard drive must have enough space to run applications and programs smoothly. If your system has slowed down or lagged, there might be a lack of space. First, you need to scan your device and look for the old and large files you don’t use anymore. Then, you can delete those files and clear the space. Also, you need to go through the Downloads folder to check if there are duplicate files or attachments.
You can even install a third party application to automatically scan your system for duplicate files and get rid of them. It will save you a lot of time and effort.
The Bottom Line
These are some tricks to clear your Mac system and boost its productivity. When the junk and old files and apps are removed, your system will run faster, and you can complete your tasks effortlessly. So, keep these in mind if your system has slowed down.
