3 ways to clean disk and speed up its performance on MacBook

Use built-in tools to free up space on your Mac

Apple offers a range of convenient tools for removing unnecessary files from your computer. To begin, first, determine what is taking up space.

Click the Apple logo in the top left corner of your Mac’s screen, then go to System Preferences, General, and Storage. Wait for the loading to finish, and you'll be able to see what is consuming space on your Mac.

The "Recommendations" section offers convenient ways to clean up your Mac. Here, you can quickly unload unused apps, delete local copies of files from iCloud, automatically empty the trash of old files with one click, and access other useful features.

After completing these steps, you’ll free up some space on your disk, but you can clear even more by clicking "i" next to each item in the list under the "Recommendations" section.

For example, by clicking "i" next to "Applications," you’ll see a list of all installed programs, sorted by size, and you can quickly remove those you no longer use. Afterward, your Mac should have significantly more free space.

Built-in tools for clearing space on Mac (photo: Lifehacker)

Use DaisyDisk for deep cleaning your Mac

Apple's standard tools help free up space, but if you want to remove all unnecessary junk, try DaisyDisk ($10). This app has been around for over ten years and has established itself as a powerful tool for cleaning up storage.

After launching the app, you can perform a scan to see which files and programs are taking up space. Then, you can browse through folders and drag unnecessary files into the collection area, which works like a trash bin for deletion.

DaisyDisk sorts all folders by size and finds files that Apple's built-in tool might miss. Once all unnecessary files are gathered, simply click "Delete" to instantly erase them.

DaisyDisk app (photo: Lifehacker)

Try Hyperspace for additional cleaning

Hyperspace is the final step in the process of cleaning your Mac. It frees up space without deleting files.

Apple's file system (APFS) uses an interesting space-saving technology, allowing multiple files to share one copy of data. For example, if you duplicate a 1GB file on macOS, the copy is created instantly because APFS doesn’t make a full copy but simply adds a new file with new metadata.

Hyperspace uses this mechanism to find identical files and turn them into clones of each other. As a result, you see the same number of files in the same folders, but thanks to APFS, space is freed up on the disk.

The mechanism may seem complex, but the app works effectively. Hyperspace can be downloaded for free, and folder scanning is available without charge. If the app shows that it can free up significant space, you can purchase the full version for $10 per month, $20 per year, or a one-time purchase for $50.

With it, you can clean your Mac as efficiently as possible without losing any data.

Hyperspace (photo: Lifehacker)

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