[Fixed] Deleting Files Not Freeing up Disk Space on Mac

Deleting files is a great way to free up space, especially deleting large-size files, like email attachments, photos, and videos. However, many people still face the issue "deleting files does not increase free space on Mac". Generally, it is caused by macOS errors. In the following, 4 ways are introduced for you to figure out what kind of files you can delete to free up space and how to fix deleting files that don’t free up space on Mac.

Method 1. Recalculate space by going to Storage

We will make use of the storage-management feature in macOS, making sure what kind of files occupy so much space.

1. On the corner of your Mac screen, choose About this Mac and then click "Storage" to view the available space at the moment.
2. Now click on the "Manage" button.
3. Here you can select from the recommendations as shown such as Reduce Clutter, Optimize Storage, and Store I iCloud. It will display clearly what kind of files occupy the storage space. And you can carry out some actions to free up space.
4. On the left side, you can click to open each type of file, checking the details. When finding the unwanted files, delete them, and empty the trash can. It will help free up space on Mac.

Method 2. Run First Aid in MacOS in Recovery Mode to Repair Tasks

If you have deleted files and find deleting files does not free up space on Mac, First Aid in MacOS is the one that might help you out. First Aid will check for the issues and will try to fix them. Let's see how we can solve this deleting files doesn't free up storage space Mac.

1. Boot your Mac into Recovery Mode.
2. From the visible options choose "Disk Utility" from MacOS "Utilities" window and click on "Continue".
3. Now click on "View" and select "View All Devices".
4. Choose the startup volume or Mac hard drive at the left sidebar.
5. On the top menu of Disk Utility click on "First Aid".
6. A popup menu will appear, click on "Run" and again click on "Continue" to run First Aid. The First Aid process will start and once it’s finished click on "Done". This will free the disk space after deleting files on Mac.

Method 3. Reboot MacOS in Safe Mode to Fix Errors

Rebooting Mac in safe mode often solves many issues including "deleted files not freeing up disk space Mac". In the below part see the step-by-step guide on how to use this technique.

1. Restart or switch on your Mac and just at the same time press and hold the Shift key while your Mac starts up.
2. Once the login screen appears, release the Shift key.
3. Enter your authentication details and log in to Mac.
4. Mac may ask you to log in again. In this second window, the Safe Boot word will appear in the upper-right corner of the screen and choose it to get into Safe Mode.

Sometimes all these methods aren't working and the user doesn't get any benefit by applying all these techniques to their Mac. So, in such a situation the last method that's the use of a tool works well.

Method 4. Run iBeesoft iClear to clean up junk and large files

This is the most reliable and working method when it comes to deleting files that don't free up space. In this method, we will use a professional tool to clean up junk and large files that will help us to clear the space on Mac. iCleaner is the tool that we will be using. It's an amazing and efficient tool for increasing the performance of Mac and making it more convent to work. Let’s have a look at some of its features:

Step by Step Guide on How to Free Up Space on Mac After Deleting Files Using iBeesoft iCleaner

1. Download and Install iCleaner on Mac

The very first step is to download the iCleaner setup and install it on your Mac. It’s virus-free. Feel free to use it to fix startup disk full on Mac.

2. Analyze Files on Mac

After installation, launch the iCleaner and click on "Start Analyze". This will look for all the junk files both created by the system and applications. You may need to wait here as this will dig out your whole hard drive.

3. Optimize Mac Using iCleaner

Once the analyzing process is complete, it will list all the files and folders including junk files that were causing troubles and were making your Mac slower. You just need click on the "Clean Junk" button that’s appearing on the bottom of your iCleaner. It will remove all those useless and junk files. Once it’s done, you will be able to see a portion of your hard drive freeing.

Frequently Asked Questions for Freeing up Space on Mac

Why does my Mac have no disk space?

Your Mac may have no disk space because it has all the trash files that are not being used stored on your hard drive. Until you don't clear them there won't be any free space. And there are large files. If you don’t need them at the moment, transfer them to an external hard drive. Otherwise, you might fail to install and use software on your Mac.

Why does my Mac not have free space even after I deleted files?

This is probably caused due to an error on your macOS. This can be resolved by applying some techniques that you can look for in this article.

How do I make more storage on my Mac?

You can easily increase disk space on your Mac by deleting all the unnecessary files and folders and trash that's created by the user and applications. Even, large files that are not being in use for a long-time do take a lot of space.

Deleting files does not free up disk space make the user frustrated. If you are facing such an issue and are not aware of how to overcome this, then you should probably try iBeesoft iCleaner. It's one of the best tools to boost the performance of your Mac.