# My startup disc is almost full? (Mac)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 23, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785 "2011-08-23T14:57:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/1 "2011-08-23T14:57:16Z")
I just got this pop-up:
> [@](#):
>
> **Your startup disk is almost full.**
>
> You need to make more space available on your startup disk by deleting files.
>
> Do not warn me about this disk again
>
> [OK]
Ar? đ
How would my startup disc become full, and what should be deleted?
---
### Author:  [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/2 "2011-08-23T15:15:55Z")
It happens. Even if you donât think youâve downloaded or installed too much to your drive, it has a way of filling up. Sometimes with behind-the-scenes files that get bloated over time.
First, download Cocktail (free):
> **[Cocktail](https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/10909/cocktail)**
>
> Download the latest version of Cocktail for Mac for free. Read 529 user reviews and compare with similar apps on MacUpdate.
Itâs a great general-purpose utility program. First, use it it (in the Files tab - Localizations) to delete all the unnecessary localization (language) files. If you only ever need English, you can save about 8gigs or so of drive space just by doing this.
Then in the same tab but in Caches, clear your caches. This can save a lot of space as well.
If you still need help, download Disk Inventory X (also free):
> **[Download Disk Inventory X for Mac | MacUpdate](https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/14393/disk-inventory-x)**
>
> Download the latest version of Disk Inventory X for Mac for free. Read 26 user reviews and compare with similar apps on MacUpdate.
Have it scan your drive, and itâll show you, in a nice, easy to understand graphical format, what files are taking up so much safe, and help you delete them easily.
---
### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/3 "2011-08-23T15:21:46Z")
On further investigation, Iâve found that the startup disc should clear after a reboot â which I only do if I get locked up, so itâs a rare occurrence. Iâll try that later. (Iâm working right now, and I want to finish what Iâm doing first.)
I also found [MacJanitor](http://personalpages.tds.net/~brian_hill/macjanitor.html):
> [@](#):
>
> MacJanitor is designed to be used on a periodic basis by Mac OS X users who donât leave their computer on (and awake) 24 hours a day. MacJanitor is provided as freeware as a service to laptop and energy-conscious home users.
>
> The Unix subsystems on Mac OS X were originally written for machines that were typically never shut off. Mac OS X inherits this assumption in version 1.x, and has many system maintenance tasks that are scheduled to run between 3 am and 5 am. In addition, there are scripts designed to run weekly on weekends, and once a month in the middle of the night.
>
> If these maintenance tasks are never run (such as on a laptop that is always shut off at night), many log files and system database will grow extremely large or fail to get backed up.
I leave my computer on, but I put it to sleep before I go to bed.
---
### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/4 "2011-08-23T15:37:14Z")
Itâs very, very unlikely to be anything that MacJanitor is going to fix.
Run Disk Inventory (or Grand Perspective), and see what enormous file you have forgotten about.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/5 "2011-08-23T16:05:45Z")
Any harm in installing MacJanitor anyway?
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### Author:  [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/6 "2011-08-23T22:39:52Z")
Well, itâll take up some disk space, which you seem to be short on.
I second the recommendation of Disk Inventory. Have you emptied the trash lately? The space isnât actually cleared until you do so.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/7 "2011-08-23T22:49:50Z")
Trash! I always forget to empty that. (Heck, I have to keep the trash/recycling schedule on the fridge so I donât forget the bi-weekly pickup.)
Thatâs done now.
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### Author:  [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/8 "2011-08-23T22:55:03Z")
Thereâs also OmniDiskSweeper, similar to Disk Inventory X:
> **[Omni Labs â OmniDiskSweeper, OmniWeb, and OmniPresence - The Omni Group](https://www.omnigroup.com/more/)**
>
> Creators of Mac, iPad, and iPhone productivity software. Proud to bring you OmniFocus, OmniOutliner, OmniGraffle, and OmniPlan.
I second beowulff, MacJanitor probably wonât help (and looks quite old).
---
### Author:  [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/9 "2011-08-24T02:09:33Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#):
>
> Have you emptied the trash lately? The space isnât actually cleared until you do so.
I had an issue with way less than 1 GB on a 160 GB HD. I found that all the photos I deleted in iPhoto were actually still in iPhoto trash. Not flushed with the regular trash. When in iPhoto and I moved to trash and deleted, I freed up about 20 GB.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/10 "2011-08-24T02:26:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> Trash! I always forget to empty that. (Heck, I have to keep the trash/recycling schedule on the fridge so I donât forget the bi-weekly pickup.)
>
> Thatâs done now.
How full is your startup disk? Generally, at least in my experience, Macs run best if you have at least 10GB of free space on your startup disk.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/11 "2011-08-24T02:36:50Z")
I donât know how to check.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/12 "2011-08-24T02:41:44Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> I donât know how to check.
Click on your boot drive and hit Command-I. What numbers do you see for âCapacityâ and âAvailableâ?
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/13 "2011-08-24T03:01:09Z")
You mean âMacintosh HDâ? 2.79 gb.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/14 "2011-08-24T03:04:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> You mean âMacintosh HDâ? 2.79 gb.
Itâs whatever you called it. But, yeah, Macintosh HD would be the default.
2.79 gb free is pretty skimpy, especially if you just emptied the trash and you have nothing else waiting to be deleted. (Whatâs the total capacity of the drive?) You need to free up that space up. Delete files you donât need. Clear your caches. If you have other hard drives with space on them, move stuff off your boot drive to those drives. The programs listed above should help you see where all the clutter is.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/15 "2011-08-24T03:08:08Z")
Itâs 93 gb.
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### Author:  [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/16 "2011-08-24T03:12:40Z")
I assume that the capacity is somewhere north of 100 GB?
Podcasts are another thing that can eat up hard drive space if youâre not careful (I had this problem earlier this year). This is doubly true if you use iTunes and tell the computer to âKeep Fileâ rather than âMove to Trashâ when you try to delete them. By default, podcasts are kept in Music \> iTunes \> iTunes Music \> Podcasts, so if youâre into podcasting you might see if that needs to be cleaned out.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/17 "2011-08-24T03:13:02Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> Itâs 93 gb.
Yeah, they say you should leave around 10-15% free space on your drive, but Iâm not convinced that the actual %age matters so much as the actual amount of disk space. The Mac needs disk space for its swap files and things of that nature. In my experience, if youâre running lightweight apps, you can pretty much run your startup disk down to the last gig, but stuff like Photoshop and the like, they donât run well at all with low startup disk space.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/18 "2011-08-24T03:16:25Z")
I donât have Photoshop. About the âheaviestâ programs I have are Word and Excel. I use this machine for browsing, and for connecting to work with RDC.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/19 "2011-08-24T03:22:02Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> I donât have Photoshop. About the âheaviestâ programs I have are Word and Excel. I use this machine for browsing, and for connecting to work with RDC.
Still, personally, Iâd clean it up to have around 10 GB free, but if youâre not noticing any performance issues, you may be fine.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-startup-disc-is-almost-full-mac/593785/20 "2011-08-24T03:58:38Z")
I downloaded Disk Inventory X, and found some movies Iâd forgotten about. I deleted four of them, and now I have 5.87 gb free.
I can clear more space by deleting emails, but thatâs a bit of a chore. (Maybe just the ones with attachments.)
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