MacMonitor / Guides
Mac guides.
Storage, order and performance.
Step-by-step answers that work with the tools already on your Mac, and what MacMonitor does for the same job. For ongoing readings, explore the MacMonitor Activity view.
System Data
Why is System Data so big on Mac?Why System Data is huge on your Mac and how to clear it safely: browser copies, app data, simulators, device support, snapshots and what macOS manages.Chrome code_sign_clone is hugecom.google.Chrome.code_sign_clone can add 20 GB or more to System Data. What the folder is, how to measure it, and how to remove old copies safely.Application Support is hugeWhy ~/Library/Application Support grows so large on a Mac, which folders inside an app's data are rebuildable caches, and what to keep.Time Machine local snapshotsWhat Time Machine local snapshots are, why deleted files may not free space, how to list them with tmutil, and when to delete them yourself.iOS DeviceSupport in XcodeXcode's iOS DeviceSupport folder can reach 50 GB. What it holds, which version folders are safe to delete, and how Xcode copies them back.
Storage & Cleanup
Free up space on your MacTwelve safe ways to free up storage on a Mac, from the Trash and old installers to System Data, iOS backups and developer caches. Biggest wins first.Find large files on your MacThree ways to find the largest files on a Mac: Storage settings, Finder search and Terminal, plus why some files look bigger than the space they take.Find duplicate files on your MacHow to find duplicate files on a Mac with Photos, Finder and Terminal, why matching names is not enough, and how to remove copies safely.Uninstall apps completelyDragging an app to the Trash leaves caches, preferences and support files behind. Here is where they live on a Mac and how to remove them safely.Clear cache on Mac?Learn which Mac caches may be removable, why they return, and when clearing cache can remove offline data or make apps rebuild work.
Developer Storage
Xcode DerivedDataWhere Xcode DerivedData lives on a Mac, whether it is safe to delete, and how to clear it, plus Archives and iOS DeviceSupport that also grow large.Delete iOS simulatorsHow to delete unavailable iOS simulators, erase simulator data and remove old simulator runtimes on a Mac with Xcode and simctl, and what each frees.Docker.raw is hugeWhy Docker.raw shows 60 GB or more on a Mac, how to see the space it really uses, and how to shrink Docker Desktop's disk image safely.Where local AI models liveModel folder locations for Ollama, LM Studio and the Hugging Face cache on a Mac, how to see their size, remove models safely and move them to another drive.
File Organization
Mac Performance
Mac memory pressureUnderstand green, yellow and red memory pressure, swap and compressed memory on Mac. Find memory-heavy apps and decide when action is needed.High CPU usage on MacUse Activity Monitor to identify high CPU usage on Mac, distinguish short bursts from persistent load, and investigate apps before stopping them.
Comparing cleaners? Read how MacMonitor compares as a CleanMyMac alternative.