How to free up disk space on your Mac

Your Mac says storage is full, but you've already deleted apps and emptied Trash. The problem? Leftover files from uninstalled apps are still hiding in your Library folders.

The hidden cause: app leftovers

When you delete a Mac app by dragging it to Trash, macOS only removes the.app bundle. The app's caches, preferences, application support files, containers, logs, saved state, and cookies all remain in your ~/Library folder.

For apps like Docker, Xcode, Slack, and Adobe Creative Cloud, these leftovers can total tens of gigabytes. If you've installed and removed many apps over the years, the accumulated junk can be significant.

How much space are you wasting?

Here's what common apps leave behind after a standard "drag to Trash" uninstall:

Docker Desktop2 – 10 GB

VM images, containers, cached layers

Xcode5 – 30 GB

Simulators, derived data, archives

Slack500 MB – 2 GB

Cached messages, media, service workers

Adobe CC1 – 5 GB

Creative Cloud agent, cache, preferences

Spotify200 MB – 1 GB

Offline music cache, preferences

VS Code200 MB – 1 GB

Extensions, cached data, logs

Quick wins to free up space

  1. Clean up app leftovers — This is the biggest win for most people. Use Zapper to scan your Library folders and remove orphaned files from apps you've already deleted.
  2. Empty your Downloads folder — Old installers (.dmg, .pkg) and downloaded files pile up quickly.
  3. Clear browser caches — Chrome and Firefox can accumulate gigabytes of cached data. Check ~/Library/Caches/Google/Chrome.
  4. Review large files — Open Apple menu → About This Mac → Storage → Manage to find large files you no longer need.
  5. Remove old iOS backups — If you back up iPhones/iPads locally, old backups can consume tens of gigabytes in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup.

Automate cleanup with Zapper

Instead of manually hunting through 11 Library directories, Zapper does it automatically. Drop any app you want to uninstall, review the list of found leftovers, and zap them to Trash — reversible with ⌘Z.

Zapper is a native Swift app — no Electron, no bloat, no subscription. One-time purchase of $9.99 for up to 3 Macs.

Buy Zapper — $9.99Full uninstall guide