- How To Compress Files On Macbook Pro Max
- Find File On Macbook Pro
- How To Compress Files On Macbook Pro Shortcut
The zip file is simply the compressed data presented as a single archive. How to Open Zip Files on a Mac. Extracting a zip file on a Mac is super easy: Locate the Zip archive file in the Finder of the Mac; Double-click the.zip archive file to begin extracting the zip archive. Compressing a file is ideal when you want to make a file smaller or if you need to compress multiple files into a single packet. For instance, if you need to email a 12mb file but your limit is 10mb, you can compress it down to 7mb. Then, the other person can decompress the file to open it.
It’s recommended that you keep at least 15-20% of your Mac’s memory free to keep it running smoothly. Optimizing storage is an efficient way to do this. But there are also several other steps you can take to free up space on MacBook Air, Pro, or any other macOS device. Doing these routinely will ensure you don’t face any storage issues and are able to make the most of your system. So let’s have a look.
12 Easy Ways to Free Up Space on MacBook Air or Pro Running macOS Catalina
#1. Delete Large Files on your Mac
Instead of deleting a hundred small files and images, first of all, let us go for the big fish.
- Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
- Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
- Click Documents. Mostly, this is where the big files are. Here you will see the video files, ZIP/RAR files, etc. By default, the biggest files are at the top. Select one or hold the command key and select multiple files
- Finally, click on Delete from the bottom right and confirm.
#2. Remove iOS and iPadOS Backups
- Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
- Now Select Storage tab and click on Manage.
- Click iOS Files from left sidebar
- Select and
Related:How to Find iPhone Backup Location on Mac & Windows
#3. Delete Unwanted Applications
You can delete Mac applications in various ways. You may follow the above steps, click on Applications, and remove the large ones.
#4. Clear Cache to Free Up Space on Mac
- Be in Finder and click on Go from the top menu bar
- Click Go to Folder.
- Type or copy-paste ~/Library/Caches
- Delete the files from here that are taking the most space. You may even delete everything. With normal usages, these files and folders will be recreated by macOS.
- Next, click on Go again and then Go to Folder. Now type or copy-paste /Library/Caches
- You may delete files from here too. After this empty the trash and restart you Mac
#5. Remove Old Downloads
This comes down to what you are willing to keep and what you are happy to let go of. Nowadays everything is online in the cloud. Thus there is no point in storing too may videos, music, etc. on the local storage. Desktop maker software.
- Click on the Finder icon (leftmost) from the Dock
- Click Downloads and remove unnecessary files from here, by right-click and selecting Move to Trash.
You may also right-click and sort by size to quickly locate and delete the biggest files first.
#6. Compress Folders and Files
If you have many images and word files that you rarely use, but can not delete, then it is a handy idea to compress them. Here is how to zip and unzip files on Mac.
#7. Empty Trash Automatically
![How To Compress Files On Macbook Pro How To Compress Files On Macbook Pro](https://cdn.osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/how-to-zip-files-archive-mac-os-x.jpg)
- Right-click on the Trash icon in the dock (the rightmost option)
- Click Empty Trash and confirm
To empty Trash automatically:
- Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
- Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
- Click on Recommendations from the top of the left sidebar
- Click Turn On for Empty Trash Automatically.
Many times, GBs of files pile up and are stored in the Trash, thus occupying significant space. It is better to empty it regularly.
#8. Use iCloud to Store Documents
It is best to use iCloud to Store docs etc. on Mac if you have a paid iCloud plan that gives you more than 5 GB of online storage. Here is how to use iCloud to Store Documents.
- Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
- Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
- Click on Recommendations from the top of the left sidebar
- Click Store in iCloud.
- Review what all will be stored. Uncheck if you wish to exclude photos, messages, desktop, and documents. Finally, click on Store in iCloud.
You may also, enable iCloud Photos from System Preferences → Apple ID → iCloud → Photos or the Preferences of the Mac’s Photos app.
#9. Optimize Storage Automatically
- Click on the Apple logo from the upper left and select About This Mac.
- Now, click on Storage and then click on Manage.
- Click on Recommendations from the top of the left sidebar
- Click on Optimize next to Optimize Storage. Now, all the movies and TV shows you have watched will be automatically removed.
#10. Delete Attachments from Mac Mail App
Following these steps, you can delete the attachments that have been saved locally on the Mac from the mail app. Depending on the number of emails you receive, this data can be huge.
- Be in Finder and press and keep holding the Option key. Now click on Go from the top menu bar
- Click Library.
- Now, Click on Containers.
- Go to com.apple.mail.
- Click on Data.
- Select Library.
- Now, click on Mail Downloads.
- Select all folders and delete them. Or open the individual folders, see the content, and delete the unnecessary ones.
Even if you delete from here, the attachments are still in your email that you can view or download anytime. Further, you may also choose to stop the Mac Mail app from downloading attachments.
How To Compress Files On Macbook Pro Max
#11. Remove Duplicate Files using Third-Party Apps
Duplicate files are a big headache and unnecessarily occupy space. Adobe photoshop cs download free, software. We have a list of some of the best mac cleaner apps that can help you delete duplicate files on your Mac.
#12. Use External Drives for Large Infrequently Used Files
Do you have data that you do not use much but can neither delete them nor store them in the cloud? Well, consider investing in an external drive and move infrequently used large files to it.
Signing off…
These were some of the easiest ways to free up space on your MacBook Air. It’s a good idea to do these steps every now and then to keep your system performing well. Are there any other Mac tips you’re looking for? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll help you out.
You may also like to take a peek at:
The founder of iGeeksBlog, Dhvanesh, is an Apple aficionado, who cannot stand even a slight innuendo about Apple products. He dons the cap of editor-in-chief to make sure that articles match the quality standard before they are published.
- https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/dhvanesh/
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If you’re like most of us, you can never have too much space on your Mac. That’s why many people like the idea of saving space on their Mac by zipping it up in a neat little file via compression. Compressing, or zipping files, makes them take up less room so you can store them on your computer using as little space as possible. It also makes it possible for you to send a large number of files to someone else via an email without having to send over one or two items at a time.
I like to compare compressing files to handing someone a load of freshly washed towels. You can hand them the towels in one big jumble. They’ll take up a lot of space and you possibly might not be able to hand them very many at all because they’re in such a jumble. Or, you can neatly fold the towels so they take up less space and can be easily handed off. Does that example work for you? Well, now that you know what it means to zip a file, let’s learn how you can do it.
How to zip a file using your Mac
Find File On Macbook Pro
It’s so easy to turn a file into a zip file on your Mac that you’ll be wondering why you never did it before. To zip your file, right click on the file or folder that the file is in. Click on “Compress ____ (the blank is where the name of your file will be). Be patient while your file compresses and a zip file will show up in the same place where your original file was. There will be a little alert noise to let you know when the process is complete. You will then be able to share the file via email or just keep the file on your Mac. You can delete the original file if you want, but you will need to unzip the file you just compressed if you want to view it or edit it.
How to compress multiple files
Here’s the part where you really will benefit from zipping: compressing lots of files. You may have a lot of files you want to send through email to a friend or colleague. If you’ve tried to do this by attaching them to email, you know it takes several emails if you have a lot of files. The easiest way to send a lot of files at one time is to compress them. To do this, create a new folder for all your files or folders that you want to compress. Click on Shift, command, and N when you’re inside of the folder. Name it whatever you want. Drag and drop the files you want included into your zipped folder, but make sure you are holding down the Alt key before you release the mouse button so the files are copied inside the folder. Next, press down on the Control key and select the folder. Click on Compress on the menu that comes up. After you’ve zipped the folder, you can get rid of the original files if you want.
Saving zip files in a different location
It’s easy to change the destination of the compressed file. All you have to do is open the app used to do the compression. You can find it using the Spotlight search, and it’s called Archive Utility. Once you open it, click the dropdown menu at the top of the screen and choose Preferences. Click on the Save archive menu and then click ‘into’. You can then choose the destination that you want. It will default to saving the zipped file in the place where it was originally, so if you want it to save to a different place, you must use this method.
Opening a zipped file on your Mac
Now that you have zipped your file, you will need to know how to unzip it. All you have to do is double click the zipped file and it will open. You will see the zipped file, but you will also see the unzipped copy beside it.
Extracting files from your zips
There are some web browsers that will unzip files for you. They unzip files that they consider to be harmless to your computer. You may not always want this to happen, so you can stop it by going to the Safari dropdown menu. Click on the preferences and choose the General tab. You can then select or deselect the Open safe files after downloading checkbox.
Opening password protected zip files
If you are on the receiving end of a zip file, you may discover that you need a password to access the contents. This may be something a user chooses to do to make sure the contents don’t get into the hands of just any one. They can encrypt the file, and this would require a user to have a password. To open this type of file is easy. Just double click the zip file and enter the password. It will then unzip just like it always does.
Password protecting your zip file
Since the last section was about opening password protected zip files, you’ve probably already figured out that it’s possible for you to password protect your zips as well. You will need to open Terminal to do so. Open Terminal, which you can find by searching Spotlight. Terminal will prompt you to enter a password. Enter your password, and then verify your password when prompted. This is the password you will share with the person you’re sending the file to or what you’ll need to remember for yourself if you’re not sharing the file.
How To Compress Files On Macbook Pro Shortcut
Zipping a file up might sound a little scary at first, but there’s really nothing to it once you get started. You will find that it takes next to no time to do it, and you will have your files nicely organized and compressed.