{
  "schema": "https://storagestudio.us/schema/wiki-page.v1",
  "title": "Smart Care",
  "slug": "smart-care",
  "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/smart-care",
  "markdown_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/smart-care.md",
  "category": "Freeing up space",
  "category_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/freeing-up-space/",
  "tags": [
    "smart care",
    "free up space",
    "caches",
    "tuhi"
  ],
  "summary": "Smart Care is the one-tap tidy-up behind the Run Tuhi button on the Home screen. It looks at your Mac first, then runs only the safe steps that will actually help, and tells you afterwards what it freed.",
  "published_at": "2026-10-01T06:19:18.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:34:34.000Z",
  "headings": [
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "What happens when you tap it",
      "id": "what-happens-when-you-tap-it"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "The steps",
      "id": "the-steps"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "What Smart Care leaves alone",
      "id": "what-smart-care-leaves-alone"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Duplicate files after a run",
      "id": "duplicate-files-after-a-run"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Why the \"freed\" number can look small",
      "id": "why-the-freed-number-can-look-small"
    }
  ],
  "links_out": [
    {
      "slug": "free-up-space",
      "label": "Free Up Space",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/free-up-space"
    },
    {
      "slug": "the-trash",
      "label": "The Trash and the space it holds",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-trash"
    },
    {
      "slug": "app-caches",
      "label": "Clearing app caches safely",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/app-caches"
    },
    {
      "slug": "restore-points",
      "label": "restore point",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/restore-points"
    },
    {
      "slug": "duplicates",
      "label": "Finding and removing duplicates",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/duplicates"
    },
    {
      "slug": "why-deleting-doesnt-free-space",
      "label": "Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/why-deleting-doesnt-free-space"
    },
    {
      "slug": "freeing-up-space-overview",
      "label": "Freeing up space: the options",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/freeing-up-space-overview"
    },
    {
      "slug": "tuhi",
      "label": "Meet Tuhi",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi"
    },
    {
      "slug": "local-snapshots",
      "label": "Local snapshots",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/local-snapshots"
    },
    {
      "slug": "optimise-cloud-storage-locally",
      "label": "Optimise Cloud Storage Locally",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/optimise-cloud-storage-locally"
    },
    {
      "slug": "reviewing-a-clear-up",
      "label": "Reviewing, stopping and checking a clear-up",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/reviewing-a-clear-up"
    }
  ],
  "links_in": [
    {
      "slug": "auto-rules",
      "title": "Auto Rules",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/auto-rules"
    },
    {
      "slug": "background-duplicate-scans",
      "title": "Background duplicate scans",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/background-duplicate-scans"
    },
    {
      "slug": "app-caches",
      "title": "Clearing app caches safely",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/app-caches"
    },
    {
      "slug": "developer-storage",
      "title": "Developer caches and build folders",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/developer-storage"
    },
    {
      "slug": "duplicates",
      "title": "Finding and removing duplicates",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/duplicates"
    },
    {
      "slug": "free-up-space",
      "title": "Free Up Space",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/free-up-space"
    },
    {
      "slug": "freeing-up-space-overview",
      "title": "Freeing up space: the options",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/freeing-up-space-overview"
    },
    {
      "slug": "how-deletions-work",
      "title": "How Storage Studio deletes things",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/how-deletions-work"
    },
    {
      "slug": "local-snapshots",
      "title": "Local snapshots",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/local-snapshots"
    },
    {
      "slug": "tuhi",
      "title": "Meet Tuhi, your storage assistant",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi"
    },
    {
      "slug": "missing-moved-apps",
      "title": "Missing moved apps: hide, recover or remove",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/missing-moved-apps"
    },
    {
      "slug": "optimise-cloud-storage-locally",
      "title": "Optimise Cloud Storage Locally",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/optimise-cloud-storage-locally"
    },
    {
      "slug": "reviewing-a-clear-up",
      "title": "Reviewing, stopping and checking a clear-up",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/reviewing-a-clear-up"
    },
    {
      "slug": "rules-and-automatic-moves",
      "title": "Rules: moving folders automatically",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/rules-and-automatic-moves"
    },
    {
      "slug": "compared-with-macos-storage-settings",
      "title": "Storage Studio and macOS Storage settings",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-macos-storage-settings"
    },
    {
      "slug": "the-home-screen",
      "title": "The Home screen",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-home-screen"
    },
    {
      "slug": "recycle-vault",
      "title": "The Recycle Vault",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/recycle-vault"
    },
    {
      "slug": "the-trash",
      "title": "The Trash and the space it holds",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-trash"
    },
    {
      "slug": "tuhi-without-apple-intelligence",
      "title": "Tuhi on a Mac without Apple Intelligence",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi-without-apple-intelligence"
    },
    {
      "slug": "what-storage-studio-does",
      "title": "What Storage Studio does",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-storage-studio-does"
    },
    {
      "slug": "where-to-start",
      "title": "Where to start: pick your goal",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/where-to-start"
    },
    {
      "slug": "which-copy-is-kept",
      "title": "Which copy Storage Studio keeps",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/which-copy-is-kept"
    },
    {
      "slug": "why-deleting-doesnt-free-space",
      "title": "Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/why-deleting-doesnt-free-space"
    }
  ],
  "diagrams": [
    {
      "kind": "flowchart",
      "caption": "How a Smart Care run decides which steps to include",
      "outline": "- You tap Run Tuhi\n  - leads to Planning: measure what each step could free\n- Planning: measure what each step could free\n  - leads to Would the step free at least 50 MB, or is it always needed?\n- Would the step free at least 50 MB, or is it always needed?\n  - Yes: leads to Step joins the run\n  - No: leads to Shown as Not needed\n- Step joins the run\n  - leads to Steps run one at a time\n- Steps run one at a time\n  - leads to Free space measured again\n- Free space measured again\n  - leads to Summary of what was moved and freed\n",
      "source": "%% caption: How a Smart Care run decides which steps to include\nflowchart TD\n  A[You tap Run Tuhi] --> B[Planning: measure what each step could free]\n  B --> C{Would the step free at least 50 MB, or is it always needed?}\n  C -->|Yes| D[Step joins the run]\n  C -->|No| E[Shown as Not needed]\n  D --> F[Steps run one at a time]\n  F --> G[Free space measured again]\n  G --> H[Summary of what was moved and freed]"
    }
  ],
  "images": [],
  "screenshots_pending": [
    {
      "alt": "The Smart Care progress window in Demo Mode part-way through a run, with the step checklist showing one step done, one running and two marked Not needed",
      "caption": "A Smart Care run in progress"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "What's the best app to free up space on a Mac?",
      "answer": "If you want space back without losing files, the best approach is \"move, don't delete.\" Storage Studio relocates big apps and folders to an external drive (with a shortcut left in place so they still open), reclaims space macOS is holding in old snapshots, and keeps cloud files online-only — all…",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/faq"
    },
    {
      "question": "How do I free up space on my Mac?",
      "answer": "Empty the Trash, clear app caches, remove old downloads, and move large apps and folders you rarely use to an external drive. Storage Studio does all of this in one tap with Tuhi — it clears caches and rarely-used files, reclaims old local backups, and keeps cloud files online-only, previewed…",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/faq"
    },
    {
      "question": "How do I get more storage on my Mac without deleting my files?",
      "answer": "Pair your Mac with an external SSD and offload what you don't need on the startup disk. Storage Studio moves large apps, folders, and media to the external drive and leaves a shortcut in the original spot, so you reclaim space while keeping every file — nothing is deleted.",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/faq"
    },
    {
      "question": "Is it safe to clear the cache on a Mac?",
      "answer": "Yes — app caches rebuild automatically, so clearing them safely reclaims space; the only risk is deleting the wrong thing by hand. Storage Studio clears only known-safe caches and rarely-used files, shows a preview first, and never touches your personal files without asking.",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/faq"
    }
  ],
  "text": "Smart Care is the one-tap tidy-up on the Home screen. You start it with the big Run Tuhi - Your AI Assistant button. It clears caches, tidies large folders onto your external drive, and, when there's something to do, reclaims old local backups and keeps cloud files online-only. It looks at your Mac first and only runs the steps that will actually free space. What happens when you tap it The run starts straight away, right there on the Home screen: the button's animation and the status line underneath show how it's going. To see the details, tap the button again while it runs (it reads Working… tap to view ). That opens the progress window; it never starts a second run. Planning. For a few seconds the window says Reviewing and optimising the plan — nothing changed yet. Storage Studio measures what each step could free. Nothing on your disk changes during this part. The steps run one after another. A progress bar shows Step x of N , and each step gets a tick when it finishes. The summary. When it's done, the window shows Done with a short, plain-English summary of what was moved and what was freed. The same summary appears on the Home screen. You can close the progress window at any time: you can close this — it keeps working. How a Smart Care run decides which steps to include Flowchart outline: How a Smart Care run decides which steps to include You tap Run Tuhi leads to Planning: measure what each step could free Planning: measure what each step could free leads to Would the step free at least 50 MB, or is it always needed? Would the step free at least 50 MB, or is it always needed? Yes: leads to Step joins the run No: leads to Shown as Not needed Step joins the run leads to Steps run one at a time Steps run one at a time leads to Free space measured again Free space measured again leads to Summary of what was moved and freed The steps The checklist always shows every step, so you can see what was skipped. Steps that weren't worth doing this time are greyed out and marked Not needed . Step What it does Tidy large folders & clear caches Runs Free Up Space: moves files your rules pick out to your external drive, leaving a shortcut, and clears app caches Clear developer & package caches Clears package-manager and build caches that tools download again when needed Clear system & log clutter Clears old crash and diagnostic reports and the preview thumbnail cache Empty old Trash items Listed for completeness; Smart Care never adds this step (see below) Reclaim old local backups Asks macOS to let go of old local snapshots Keep cloud files online-only Makes large downloaded iCloud Drive files online-only Remove links to apps that no longer exist Tidies shortcuts to moved apps that are missing from your drive The first step is Free Up Space . A clearing step is only added when it would free at least 50 MB. The developer and log steps skip anything an app has open. Moving files needs your external drive to be connected; without it, Smart Care can still clear caches. What Smart Care leaves alone Your Trash. The Empty old Trash items step is never added to a run, because emptying the Trash can't be undone. One thing to know: the first step runs your Free Up Space rules, and the default rules include one that clears items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days. If you'd rather that never happens, turn on Never delete personal files — only move them in Settings → Rules . See The Trash and the space it holds . Your personal files are never deleted. Downloads, Desktop and Documents are only ever moved (with a shortcut left behind), never cleared. Settings, sign-ins and history. Only the parts of an app's data that rebuild by themselves are cleared. See Clearing app caches safely . Every move a run makes is recorded together as one restore point , so you can put the whole run back in one go. Duplicate files after a run If a background duplicate scan has found exact copies, Smart Care can offer to clean them up at the end of a run. It never does this on its own: you see Duplicate files found , with how much it would free and which copy it keeps, and you choose Move extras to Trash , Review first… or Skip . This offer is controlled by Let Smart Care clean duplicate files in Settings → Rules , which is on by default. See Finding and removing duplicates . Why the \"freed\" number can look small The figure in the summary is the change in the same free-space number your storage chart shows, measured just before the first step and just after the last. Space reclaimed from local snapshots is reported on its own line, because macOS already counts that space as available. Right after a big move, your Mac may also hold on to the freed space for a while in its automatic backups; the summary says so when that's happening. See Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back . Common questions What's the best app to free up space on a Mac? If you want space back without losing files, the best approach is \"move, don't delete.\" Storage Studio relocates big apps and folders to an external drive (with a shortcut left in place so they still open), reclaims space macOS is holding in old snapshots, and keeps cloud files online-only — all… How do I free up space on my Mac? Empty the Trash, clear app caches, remove old downloads, and move large apps and folders you rarely use to an external drive. Storage Studio does all of this in one tap with Tuhi — it clears caches and rarely-used files, reclaims old local backups, and keeps cloud files online-only, previewed… How do I get more storage on my Mac without deleting my files? Pair your Mac with an external SSD and offload what you don't need on the startup disk. Storage Studio moves large apps, folders, and media to the external drive and leaves a shortcut in the original spot, so you reclaim space while keeping every file — nothing is deleted. Is it safe to clear the cache on a Mac? Yes — app caches rebuild automatically, so clearing them safely reclaims space; the only risk is deleting the wrong thing by hand. Storage Studio clears only known-safe caches and rarely-used files, shows a preview first, and never touches your personal files without asking. See also: Freeing up space: the options · Meet Tuhi · Local snapshots · Optimise Cloud Storage Locally · Reviewing, stopping and checking a clear-up",
  "markdown": "**Smart Care** is the one-tap tidy-up on the Home screen. You start it with the big **Run Tuhi - Your AI Assistant** button. It clears caches, tidies large folders onto your external drive, and, when there's something to do, reclaims old local backups and keeps cloud files online-only. It looks at your Mac first and only runs the steps that will actually free space.\n\n## What happens when you tap it\n\nThe run starts straight away, right there on the Home screen: the button's animation and the status line underneath show how it's going. To see the details, tap the button again while it runs (it reads **Working… tap to view**). That opens the progress window; it never starts a second run.\n\n1. **Planning.** For a few seconds the window says *Reviewing and optimising the plan — nothing changed yet.* Storage Studio measures what each step could free. Nothing on your disk changes during this part.\n2. **The steps run one after another.** A progress bar shows *Step x of N*, and each step gets a tick when it finishes.\n3. **The summary.** When it's done, the window shows **Done** with a short, plain-English summary of what was moved and what was freed. The same summary appears on the Home screen.\n\nYou can close the progress window at any time: *you can close this — it keeps working.*\n\n```mermaid\n%% caption: How a Smart Care run decides which steps to include\nflowchart TD\n  A[You tap Run Tuhi] --> B[Planning: measure what each step could free]\n  B --> C{Would the step free at least 50 MB, or is it always needed?}\n  C -->|Yes| D[Step joins the run]\n  C -->|No| E[Shown as Not needed]\n  D --> F[Steps run one at a time]\n  F --> G[Free space measured again]\n  G --> H[Summary of what was moved and freed]\n```\n\n*Flowchart — How a Smart Care run decides which steps to include. Outline:*\n\n- You tap Run Tuhi\n  - leads to Planning: measure what each step could free\n- Planning: measure what each step could free\n  - leads to Would the step free at least 50 MB, or is it always needed?\n- Would the step free at least 50 MB, or is it always needed?\n  - Yes: leads to Step joins the run\n  - No: leads to Shown as Not needed\n- Step joins the run\n  - leads to Steps run one at a time\n- Steps run one at a time\n  - leads to Free space measured again\n- Free space measured again\n  - leads to Summary of what was moved and freed\n\n## The steps\n\nThe checklist always shows every step, so you can see what was skipped. Steps that weren't worth doing this time are greyed out and marked **Not needed**.\n\n| Step | What it does |\n|---|---|\n| Tidy large folders & clear caches | Runs Free Up Space: moves files your rules pick out to your external drive, leaving a shortcut, and clears app caches |\n| Clear developer & package caches | Clears package-manager and build caches that tools download again when needed |\n| Clear system & log clutter | Clears old crash and diagnostic reports and the preview thumbnail cache |\n| Empty old Trash items | Listed for completeness; Smart Care never adds this step (see below) |\n| Reclaim old local backups | Asks macOS to let go of old local snapshots |\n| Keep cloud files online-only | Makes large downloaded iCloud Drive files online-only |\n| Remove links to apps that no longer exist | Tidies shortcuts to moved apps that are missing from your drive |\n\nThe first step is [Free Up Space](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/free-up-space). A clearing step is only added when it would free at least 50 MB. The developer and log steps skip anything an app has open. Moving files needs your external drive to be connected; without it, Smart Care can still clear caches.\n\n## What Smart Care leaves alone\n\n- **Your Trash.** The **Empty old Trash items** step is never added to a run, because emptying the Trash can't be undone. One thing to know: the first step runs your Free Up Space rules, and the default rules include one that clears items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days. If you'd rather that never happens, turn on **Never delete personal files — only move them** in **Settings** → **Rules**. See [The Trash and the space it holds](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-trash).\n- **Your personal files are never deleted.** Downloads, Desktop and Documents are only ever *moved* (with a shortcut left behind), never cleared.\n- **Settings, sign-ins and history.** Only the parts of an app's data that rebuild by themselves are cleared. See [Clearing app caches safely](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/app-caches).\n\nEvery move a run makes is recorded together as one [restore point](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/restore-points), so you can put the whole run back in one go.\n\n## Duplicate files after a run\n\nIf a background duplicate scan has found exact copies, Smart Care can offer to clean them up at the end of a run. It never does this on its own: you see **Duplicate files found**, with how much it would free and which copy it keeps, and you choose **Move extras to Trash**, **Review first…** or **Skip**. This offer is controlled by **Let Smart Care clean duplicate files** in **Settings** → **Rules**, which is on by default. See [Finding and removing duplicates](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/duplicates).\n\n## Why the \"freed\" number can look small\n\nThe figure in the summary is the change in the same free-space number your storage chart shows, measured just before the first step and just after the last. Space reclaimed from local snapshots is reported on its own line, because macOS already counts that space as available. Right after a big move, your Mac may also hold on to the freed space for a while in its automatic backups; the summary says so when that's happening. See [Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/why-deleting-doesnt-free-space).\n\n- **What's the best app to free up space on a Mac?** If you want space back without losing files, the best approach is \"move, don't delete.\" Storage Studio relocates big apps and folders to an external drive (with a shortcut left in place so they still open), reclaims space macOS is holding in old snapshots, and keeps cloud files online-only — all… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)\n- **How do I free up space on my Mac?** Empty the Trash, clear app caches, remove old downloads, and move large apps and folders you rarely use to an external drive. Storage Studio does all of this in one tap with Tuhi — it clears caches and rarely-used files, reclaims old local backups, and keeps cloud files online-only, previewed… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)\n- **How do I get more storage on my Mac without deleting my files?** Pair your Mac with an external SSD and offload what you don't need on the startup disk. Storage Studio moves large apps, folders, and media to the external drive and leaves a shortcut in the original spot, so you reclaim space while keeping every file — nothing is deleted. (https://storagestudio.us/faq)\n- **Is it safe to clear the cache on a Mac?** Yes — app caches rebuild automatically, so clearing them safely reclaims space; the only risk is deleting the wrong thing by hand. Storage Studio clears only known-safe caches and rarely-used files, shows a preview first, and never touches your personal files without asking. (https://storagestudio.us/faq)\n\nSee also: [Freeing up space: the options](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/freeing-up-space-overview) · [Meet Tuhi](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi) · [Local snapshots](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/local-snapshots) · [Optimise Cloud Storage Locally](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/optimise-cloud-storage-locally) · [Reviewing, stopping and checking a clear-up](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/reviewing-a-clear-up)\n"
}