Troubleshooting & messages · Free space and clean-up messages

Storage Studio warned my startup disk is almost full — what should I do first?

Short answer: Your internal disk is nearly full. Run Free Up Space, move big items with What's Using Space, release space held in local snapshots, then empty the Trash when you're sure.

Your Mac's internal disk is running out of room, which can slow it down and stop updates installing. Start with the quickest safe wins:

  1. Run Free Up Space from the menu bar — it clears rebuildable caches and old files after showing you what it will do.
  2. Check What's Using Space for big folders and apps you can move to your fast drive.
  3. Release space held in automatic backups from the Local Snapshots section.
  4. Empty the Trash yourself once you're sure — Storage Studio leaves that to you because it can't be undone.

See freeing up space.

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