Clean up cache files on your Mac Cache files are files that help your Mac run programs a bit more smoothly. Think of them like blueprints for a house: your Mac has the blueprints for how a program is supposed to load/run/look, so it loads it faster; without them, it’d be like building it from scratch.

A full startup disk is something that every Mac user will experience. This problem used to be known as “Startup disk full” notification. However, on newer macOS versions this message has been changed to “Your disk is almost full.”

• To uninstall Avast Security from your Mac. Open the Avast Security user interface using one of the following methods: Click the Avast Security icon in the menu bar, then select Open Avast Security.; Click Go in the menu bar, select Applications, then double-click the Avast icon.; Ensure the Avast Security window is active, then click Avast on the left side of the menu bar, and select.
• Mac cleanup free download - CleanUp, Complete Cleanup, MSConfig Cleanup, and many more programs. Microsoft Windows Installer Cleanup Utility.
• The AMD Cleanup Utility is designed to thoroughly remove any previously installed AMD driver files, registries, and driver store from systems running Microsoft Windows ® 7 and later. The cleanup process includes removing AMD display and audio drivers as well as AMD software components but does not remove AMD chipset driver components such as GPIO, SATA, USB, etc.
• May 26, 2020 The Storage pane of About This Mac is the best way to determine the amount of storage space available on your Mac. Disk Utility and other apps might show storage categories such as Not Mounted, VM, Recovery, Other Volumes, Free, or Purgeable.

But luckily, it’s a problem that has many solutions. And in this article, we’ll go over:

• What is startup disk full?
• What's causing 'Your disk is almost full' alert?
• How to fix startup disk full?
• How to prevent 'Your disk is almost full' problem?

However, we also understand that some people are short on time and just want to fix startup disk full. So, if you’re not really interested in what it is and why it happens, just skip the next two sections and head to “How to Clean Your Startup Disk”.

Or, even better, if you’re looking how to clear space on Mac, we’d highly recommend a utility called CleanMyMac X. It'll help you clean up gigabytes of disk space in just minutes (you can download it here).

Note: if you’re running macOS Sierra (or higher), it has a built-in option of Optimized Storage that is supposed to solve the problem of the full hard drive by moving files into the cloud.

By clicking 'Manage' you can open the menu and see what Optimized storage offers. However, it moves junk and useless files to the cloud together with your files, and eventually, you end up paying for iCloud storage to store junk. So we still recommend getting CleanMyMac and actually dealing with extra files rather than simply moving them.

Now, with all that said, let’s get into what exactly “Your disk is almost full” means.

Understanding What “Your Disk is Almost Full” Means

What is a startup disk?

A startup disk, as taken from Apple Support article, is a volume or partition of a drive that contains a usable operating system. Still confused? Let’s break it down for you.

Your Mac hard drive consists of disks (or partitions). Each disk (or partition) has your Mac data on it, which consists of your operating system, applications, etc. Most Mac users have just one disk but power users may have two or more.

Let’s look at an example of a Mac with only one hard disk:

• Your Mac's hard drive is 500GB.
• It has one 'disk' on it, so all 500GB of storage is on that disk.
• The disk has an operating system (OS X El Capitan), and user data (apps, etc).
• And since you only have one disk, this is your startup disk: all 500GB.

Mac Disk Cleanup Utility

A Mac with two disks will have the storage divided between them. The Mac drive with the OS on it is the startup disk while the other drive is just used for storage of files. It’s possible to have multiple startup disks, but most Macs will only have one.

Why your disk is almost full?

This is easy. It’s a lot like why is your fridge full? There is no more space! Your disk is almost full and this is very bad news for any drive. A hard disk should never get beyond 85% capacity (especially a startup disk) as you will experience slowness and errors the further you get above that mark.

If your startup disk is full and you get a message of warning from your Mac, this is a serious indication that you need to clear up storage immediately.

What to do when your disk is almost full?

So how do you fix your almost full startup disk? The same way you solve the problem of a packed fridge - you need to clear up storage, of course. To make more space on your startup disk you will need to:

1. Delete files from your Mac.
2. Move files to an external hard drive or cloud storage.
3. Or install a second internal hard drive on your Mac.

So, now that we know what a startup disk is, we need to talk about how to fix it. Let’s take a closer look at your disk space to see exactly what is causing your disk to be almost full.

What’s Causing 'Your Disk Is Almost Full' Alert?

Short version: Take a look under-the-hood of your Mac.

Before we can see what is taking up space on your startup disk, first we have to find it:

1. Hover on the Dock at the bottom of your screen and open Finder.
2. Click on “Finder” in the menu bar at the top of your screen.
3. Then select “Preferences…”
4. In the window that opens, checkmark the “Hard disks” checkbox.

After selecting this box, your desktop should now show the hard disks on your mac, in the form of icon(s), like this:

These are disks on your Mac that you can “startup”, this is because they have operating systems on them. If there is more than one of these hard disk icons that show up on your desktop, it means you’ve got multiple hard disks on your Mac. If you only have one, skip the down to “What is taking up all of my startup disk space?” section.

If you have more than one, continue with the next step:

Click on the Apple icon at the top left of your screen System Preferences > Startup Disk.
Here, again, you’ll find your hard disk(s); they’re probably named something like MainSSD or MainHD. It will also display “OS” and the version number of that OS. If you have more than one OS drive, your startup disk should be the one with the latest version of macOS running on it, but we’re going to make sure of that in the next step.

I only have one and it looks like this:

To make 100% sure that you know what drive is your startup disk, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Apple Icon in the menu at the top-left of your screen.
2. Select “About This Mac.”
3. Under macOS, you’ll find a version number. Mine is 10.15.1, like so:

See how my version number in the “About This Mac” window matches the number in my Startup Disk section? Yep — That’s my startup disk. Found yours? Good.

What is taking up all of my startup disk space?

Now that we’ve identified our startup disk, let’s take a closer look at how to clear up space on Mac:

1. Click the Apple Icon in the menu at the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Choose “About This Mac.”
3. Click Storage.
   Note: If you are running an older version of OS X you may have to first click “More Info…” and then “Storage”.

Take a look at my hard drive disk:

I’ve got 500GB of storage, and about 275GB of it is free.

So, how big is your hard disk? How much free space do you have (if any — *gulp*)? And what’s taking up the most space? It is important to consider drive capacity and data storage needs for future storage plans — we’re not just here to fix the problem, for now, we’re going to make sure you never have this problem in the future as well.

Now that we have the knowledge, it’s time to take action and fix your Mac’s “Startup Disk Full” problem.

Let’s go over 11 things you can do to help fix 'your disk is almost full.' These should also give you other ideas as to how else to fix it — You know your Mac better than we do!

1. Clear system storage on Mac

System storage cleanup sounds like a serious undertaking. But, technically, it boils down to just one thing: having the courage to scrap the old files.

1. Search for large ZIP/RAR archives in Downloads
2. Open your Desktop (Command + F3) and delete screenshots
3. In Applications, sort your apps by size. Delete the largest ones
4. Get rid of system junk files with a free version of CleanMyMac X
5. Restart your Mac to free up RAM.

2. Clean up cache files on your Mac

Cache files are files that help your Mac run programs a bit more smoothly. Think of them like blueprints for a house: your Mac has the blueprints for how a program is supposed to load/run/look, so it loads it faster; without them, it’d be like building it from scratch. However, over time, these caches can start to take up some serious space. Periodically, removing them can help clear storage. And don’t worry, your Mac will create fresh, new ones after you restart your Mac. To remove caches:

1. Open a Finder window and select Go in the menu bar.
2. Click on “Go to Folder…”
3. Type in ~/Library/Caches
   Delete the files/folders that are taking up the most space.
4. Now click on “Go to Folder…”
5. Type in /Library/Caches (simply lose the ~ symbol)
   And, again, delete the folders that take up the most space.

Deleting cache files is generally safe for your Mac. And once you delete them, the applications and processes you run on your Mac will generate fresh, new ones. But, when deleting, worry more about removing them based on size rather than just removing all of them.

Also, you can check the /System/Library/Caches folder as well, but it might be better not to touch this folder without knowing what the items are. A utility that correctly cleans up these files (and pretty much everything else on this list) is, you guessed it, CleanMyMac X. It cleans up even your system caches with just a few clicks.

Oh, and once you’re done with this list, restart your Mac so it can create these new cache files.

Read more: How to Clear Cache on a Mac?

3. Get rid of localization files

Localization files are also known as “language packs.” Lots of apps come with other languages that you probably don’t need. To clear up space on your Mac, delete the ones you don’t need:

1. Open a Finder window.
2. Go to Applications.
3. Ctrl+click on an application.
4. Select “Show Package Contents.”

From here, go to Contents > Resources and look for files ending in .lproj. These are the languages your app has just in case you want to use it in another language, like Spanish (es.lproj). Drag the ones you’ll never use to the Trash.

Again, a safer alternative to this would be to use CleanMyMac X. It gets rid of all of them with a click. No digging through application folders, just a cleaner Mac.

Read more: How to Delete Language Files from macOS?

4. Delete duplicate files

Even if you have the most organized Mac on a planet, duplicates happen one way or another. It can be a file you’ve mistakenly downloaded twice or a mail attachment you’ve opened several times. Regardless of how they appeared, those files sit on your Mac and gobble up storage.

But finding and deleting them is a time-consuming process if you do it one by one. So here’s what you can do to save up time:

1. Open the Finder app on your Mac
2. Move cursor over File and click New Smart Folder
3. Click the “+” button in the upper right corner and choose the type of files you want to see
4. Now sort them by name to quickly spot duplicates.

Remember to pay attention to the date of creation to make sure you keep the true original, not the copy.

While this is the best way to remove duplicates manually, it takes lots of your time and dedication. It’d be much easier to leave this to Gemini 2: The Duplicate Finder.

This app quickly scans your Mac for duplicate and similar files and allows you to delete them within minutes. It keeps your originals safe and helps you easily retrieve files deleted by accident.

5. Remove old iOS backups

Backups can tend to take up a lot of space. You can find and remove them by:

1. Launching a Finder window.
2. Clicking “Go” in the menu bar.
3. Selecting “Go to Folder…”
4. Then, type in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

Get rid of all the old, outdated backups your Mac has been storing for a bit more extra space.

6. Remove iOS software updates

You can find all the unnecessary data for your devices by:

1. Opening Finder.
2. Selecting “Go” in the menu bar.
3. Clicking on “Go to Folder…”
4. And entering for iPad ~/Library/iTunes/iPad Software Updates
   or entering for iPhone ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates

Delete downloaded files for any of the devices that you are not using anymore, or ones which software just already updated. Remember that after any of your devices have been updated, you don’t need those files.

Read more: How to Delete iOS Software Updates from Mac?

7. Remove unnecessary applications

This isn’t often overlooked, but definitely under-appreciated. Removing old, unused applications is a great way to get some extra space on your startup disk. Go through your applications folder and get rid of all the apps you rarely use. But make sure you remove them correctly, don’t just drag them to the Trash. If you do, you’ll leave behind tons of leftover parts and pieces, and we’re trying to get back startup disk space — It’ll kinda defeat the purpose, no?

This is another place we’d suggest using CleanMyMac X. To completely remove any application, just launch CleanMyMac X, click Uninstaller, select your application, and then click Uninstall. You won’t have to search all over for development junk that’s left behind when Trash’ing an application. It’s incredibly easy and saves you tons of time.

8. Clean up your photo library

Photos, photos, photos. Talk about tons of space! First and foremost, select only what you can get rid of, like image copies and maybe some photos that were mistakenly taken. You know, ones of the ground or something?

Ok, once your own files are taken care of, it’s time to get rid of the files your system created. In Photos for Mac, it’s cache files. In iPhoto, it’s service copies. Both are a pain to find, but here’s how you can get rid of them.

Photos cache includes iCloud local copies (created when you view pics from your iCloud photo library on a Mac), Faces cache (generated when you use Faces), and other app-related caches. You’d be surprised how much all that takes up if you regularly use Photos. For OS versions prior to macOS Sierra, here’s the path to locate the cache:

1. Open Finder and navigate to your Photos library (normally, it’s in the Pictures folder).
2. Ctrl+click your Photos library, and select “Show Package Contents.”
3. Open resources, and then modelresource.

You should now see a lot more folders in your Finder window. Photos cache sits in these folders, but the tricky thing is that it’s really hard to say what is safe to remove and what isn’t. Deleting the wrong file can compromise the performance of Photos, which is why we highly suggest you use CleanMyMac X to clear the cache and system junk. It only removes files that are safe to delete, never a critical file or important image.

You can download CleanMyMac X for free and see how it works, it’s so much safer than cleaning up system junk manually.

9. Clean up your Downloads, Movies, and Music folders

Have a closer look at these three folders. You’d be surprised at how many downloads can accumulate when you aren’t paying attention. Clean out anything you don’t need (or don’t know) and organize the rest. It’ll take a load off your mind to know that there’s nothing excess there.

The Movies folder can be a pain, not because you’re searching through tons of files, but it can be difficult to choose what to delete. Personally, I never want to get rid of Top Gun. It’s amazing. I watched it 3 times in a row last weekend. But alas, sometimes you need to make sacrifices for the health of your Mac. Though, what you can do with movies you want to keep is to archive them. So, archive what you wish to keep and remove the rest.

How to archive/compress a file

Archiving a file doesn’t mean to store deeper into the abyss of your Mac — but to turn the file into something smaller, into a compressed file (like .zip or .tar). By archiving a file, you shave off some memory. Archiving is essential for things you want to keep on your Mac, but don’t often use, and helps you clear up some space. And that’s what this is all about right? We’re essentially doing the hokey-pokey on your Mac. To archive a file, just:

1. Ctrl+click the file you want to compress (recommended for movie files).
2. Select, “Compress .”

The last place to sweep through is the Music folder. Find and remove duplicate music files first, and then clean up all the songs you downloaded on a weird Sunday afternoon cleaning the house.

10. Clean your Desktop

“Clean my desktop… but why?” Because some people’s desktops are hard to look at, that’s why. Organize your desktop and get rid of the stuff you just don’t need on there. It looks better and helps your Mac act a bit faster (I don’t know the rocket science behind this one, but it feels too good to be false). Your Mac doesn’t waste time loading all those icons and junk, just… Just clean it, please.

11. Empty out the Trash (No, we’re not joking…)

Seriously: It may sound incredibly basic, but it could clear a surprising amount of storage. I forget to do it all the time. The thing is, that when you delete something, your Mac doesn’t remove it — it just moves it to the Trash. Plus, you’ve probably deleted way more than you realize, and all that could be sitting in the Trash, wasting space. So get rid of all that junk by emptying the Trash:

1. Ctrl+click your Trash in the Dock.
2. Select “Empty Trash.”
3. And click “Empty Trash.”

And, the easiest step is done.

A few more tips to clear storage on Mac

1. Manage your Optimized Storage

This option comes with your operating system starting macOS Sierra. Go to the Apple menu > About this Mac > Storage

Now, click on Manage to reveal the space-saving options:

Citrix Receiver Cleanup Utility For Mac

2. Erase your Junk Mail

Open your Mail app, and click Mailbox in the upper menu. Here you can erase spam and already deleted items.

3. Delete system junk with CleanMyMac X
Again, this is an incredible utility when it comes to cleaning your startup disk. And this app is notarized by Apple, meaning it's safe.

To avoid the annoying “your disk is almost full” error, download the free edition of CleanMyMac X.
Once you've installed the app, click on the System Junk tab. It will clean up caches, logs, language packs, binaries, duplicate photos, outdated backups, Trashes, and more.

Full Startup Disk Prevention

We’ve cleaned up a few things on your Mac, and hopefully, it’s given you more ideas as to what else you can clean. But, let’s take a look at how much space you saved from cleaning the list above. Remember how we checked your Mac’s free space? Open that window again and see how much space you’ve cleared up:

1. Click the Apple Icon in the menu at the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Choose “About This Mac.”
3. Click Storage.
   Note - If you are running an older version of OS X you may have to first click “More Info…” and then “Storage”.

You’ve probably got a bit more space, and you’ll want to keep it that way. The only way to prevent a “your disk is almost full” is by keeping your Mac clean. We’d recommend a complete cleaning every 2–3 weeks.

Say goodbye to the 'Your startup disk is almost full” message.

So, we’ve now covered everything that we wanted to share with you. Hopefully, this has helped you fix that full startup disk problem. Your startup disk should now be quite a bit lighter (we hope). Oh, and if you liked this article, get social with it to help others in need. And if you really liked this article, subscribe to our email list — we’ve got more guides on the way. And we’ve also got a utility that’ll help you out a ton in the long run: CleanMyMac X. It helps you clean your entire Mac with just the click of a button. It’s incredibly easy to use and works like a charm.

These might also interest you:

There are tons of free Mac cleaning apps available in the market. Amongst them, CCleaner is one of the most popular. But it seems you are not happy using it, right? That’s why you are here.

So, what are you waiting for? Read the blog further and check out the best CCleaner alternatives for your macOS.

All electronics, including gadgets, automobiles, need consistent maintenance. Likewise, your PC, Mac machine also need spring cleaning for extended life and performance. Cleaning up Mac not only means free up space, but it also includes data organizations, cleaning of junk files, and other unwanted data. Hence, the tools we use to perform all these tasks should be the best and dedicated Mac cleaner apps.

What is the Need for CCleaner Alternatives?

Certainly, CCleaner does its job well. It is designed to find unnecessary files, free up disk space, and is available for Mac, Windows, and Android. Yet, Mac users look for its alternatives because CCleaner is not fast. Also, junk removal is necessary, and it rarely cleans partial downloads, lists old and large files. Hence, the need for best CCleaner alternatives arise.

Best CCleaner Alternatives For Mac OS X – Paid & Free Mac Clean Tools

Being a Mac user, I know seeing that rainbow wheel is frustrating. Therefore, I always like to keep my Mac optimized and clean. For this, I use different tools and would recommend you use them. Once you use these tools, you will see a performance boost.However, if you hate paying for those expensive Mac cleaners, we have an ultimate solution called Disk Clean Pro. It comes for $4.99 and is available at Mac App Store. So, go for it.

Note: If you are looking for more than cleaning apps for Mac. We’ve got it covered. Disk Clean Pro, as the name suggests, does complete disk maintenance and check. Using this tool, you can clean junk files, logs, crash reports, partial downloads. Moreover, it can get rid of duplicates – the biggest space hogger. Detect large files, old & unused files, clean cache, cookies, and other privacy exposing traces. It’s the one-stop solution for your Mac problems.

Get Disk Clean Pro from here.

#1. Disk Clean Pro – Best Mac Maintenance Utility

Disk Clean Pro, offered by Systweak, has been the #1 Mac cleanup and optimization utility on Mac App, and hence we recommend it. This all in one tool is designed to boost system performance and clean junk files. It offers a duplicate file cleaner and remover, partial file download remover, and more such features. It is amongst the first best CCleaner alternatives for Mac that offers comprehensive Mac cleaning and maintenance.

Disk Clean Pro features –

• Helps clean junk files, unused language files, cache, cookies, etc.
• Deletes local copy of email attachments and downloads
• Performs thorough scanning to clean errors
• Offers Internet Privacy
• Looks every nook and cranny of Mac for cluttered data

Pros

• 100% safe to use
• One-click optimization tool
• Offers cleaning and privacy features
• Available at Mac App Store

Disk Cleanup Utility For Mac

User Review

Works as it claims. Disk Clean Pro is a fantastic Mac cleaning tool. Anyone, even a novice and use it efficiently.

Try Disk Clean Pro

2. CleanMyMac X

Offered by MacPaw, CleanMyMac X is an excellent cleaning tool. It provides specific great tools and has earned its name for the way it works. It is among the best CCleaner alternatives as it detects junk files, finds, and removes malware, optimizes Mac to boost performance, and helps uninstall applications without leaving traces. Moreover, it offers Shredder to delete files and more permanently. You must be wondering then why it is second, right?

Unlike Disk Clean Pro, it is not listed on the Mac App Store, and it costs $34.95. Not only this, Disk Clean Pro performs better as a cleaning program for Mac.

CleanMyMac X features –

• Multilingual
• Removed malware
• Instantly removed browsing history and online, offline activity traces
• One button does all
• It is a great performance monitor.

Pros

• Best protection tool
• Quick scanning
• Free version available
• Guides through regular disk check-ups

3. AppCleaner

The most popular free Mac cleaner and uninstaller software for macOS. This is thorough at its job. When it comes to uninstalling and deleting unwanted programs from Mac, AppCleaner leaves no stone unturned. It detects all corresponding files from every corner and removes them. Once you use AppCleaner to uninstall an app, you will never get to know it existed.

To use it, simply drag and drop the software into it. This best CCleaner alternative will look for files, be it hidden, and notify them before deleting them. AppCleaner is an ultimate tool, and most importantly, you don’t have to spend a penny to use it.

AppCleaner features –

• Free Mac cleaner tool
• Decide what action to perform.
• Uninstall apps without leaving leftovers
• Reset app preferences

Pros

• Easy installation
• Drag & drop to uninstall apps
• Multilingual
• Great space saver and performance booster

Cons

Best Clean Up For Mac

• Works only as an uninstaller. Not a multipurpose app.

So, this is what the list of 3 best CCleaner alternatives look like. You can pick any and try using them on your Mac. In addition to this, we have also got certain frequently asked questions covered.

Frequently Asked Questions – Top CCleaner Alternatives

Q1. What is wrong with CCleaner? Why look for an alternative?

Citrix Cleanup Utility For Mac

Even after being in bad publicity, CCleaner is a powerful Mac cleaning tool. But as Mac is getting advanced, we need a more advanced tool that is fast and thorough. Hence, the need to look for the best alternative for CCleaner rises.

Citrix Workspace Cleanup Utility For Mac

Q2. Are the CCleaner alternatives safe to use?

Used by millions worldwide, the CCleaner alternatives listed above are trustworthy and safe to use. On our recommendation, you can try using Disk Clean Pro, the single Best CCleaner Alternative for macOS.

Q3. Which is the best CCleaner alternative, paid, or free Paid?

The paid ones are always better. They are thoroughly tested and can be relied upon. That said, you should never trust a free product for your Mac optimization and cleanup.

Tada, with this, the list of best CCleaner alternatives comes to an end. You can use any. If you are looking for a multipurpose tool, use Disk Clean Pro. However, if you want an optimization app and a malware cleaner, CleanMyMac X is there. Besides, if you just want an uninstaller, then you know App Cleaner is the choice. If you like reading the post, do share with others, and give us an upvote.