How to Free More Storage in Your Mac for Better Performance

Are you running out of storage on your Mac? Here are some options that you can consider to reduce the clutter and have fewer performance problems with the computer.

Add a Solid State Drive

All modern Macs come with Solid State Drives (SSD) as they are ranked to be better than traditional hard disk drives (HDD). Though SSDs are expensive, they are less fragile and faster than HDDs. If you want to make your Mac feel like new, you can replace your system’s HDD with an SSD. By doing this, you can improve the performance of your Mac significantly.

If you are planning to add an SSD to your MacBook, you need to know the models that you can upgrade as the manufacturing process is modified by Apple in all new launches.

• MacBook Pro non-Retina (2016 and previous versions).

• MacBook Pro Retina (2015 and previous versions).

• MacBook Air (2017 and previous versions).

• MacBook (2010 and previous versions).

Sign up for Cloud Storage

Cloud is a good option when you are in need of extra storage space. You can get a good amount of storage without spending anything, and if you need more than the free capacity, the Cloud packages are reasonable. A major advantage is that the data you store on the Cloud is accessible right from anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

Connect to your internet connection to be able to transfer data back and forth to the Cloud. Click the Apple logo displayed in the top-left corner of your MacBook screen, and select About this Mac. Click the Storage tab and then click Manage. Now, select Store in iCloud among the options available in the window.

Get a Low Profile USB Drive

For MacBooks that have USB Type-A connectors, a low-profile USB drive is an appropriate option for increasing the space. These USB drives are compact, come at a very affordable price, and you can keep them in your pocket wherever you go. They are handy when you need to store important documents, images, or multimedia files.

USB Type-A is an ideal option as it comes with a larger port. In addition, manufacturers are imbibing all the benefits of squeezing it into compact flash drives. You can get ample storage up to as high as 256 GB, which is sufficient for home users.

Have an SD Card

If you are among the age-old MacBooks users, you must be well versed with the SD card slot that Apple used to offer in its previous devices. SD Cards can store a lot of data and make files and documents accessible on different devices.

The good thing is that even high-capacity SD-Cards are available within budget and a great way to expand storage.

You can select an appropriate SD or MicroSD card among the wide range of options available in the market. Moreover, you can get a high-speed and high-capacity SD card at any electronics store near you. Investing in a 128 GB or 256 GB SD card based on your storage requirements is a wise decision.

Buy an External Hard Drive

Whenever you need extra space, external hard drives are one of the first preferences to opt for. They are handy, affordable, portable, and allow you to carry your data with you wherever you go. Either you can back up your data to an external storage drive using Time Machine, or you can partition your backup drive and utilize it as regular storage.

Some MacBooks can support storage drives up to 2 TB, while some are restricted to 1TB only. For older Macs with optical drives, it is still possible to upgrade storage by adding one or more hard drives. However, while upgrading your MacBook storage, make sure that your device can support it and figure out if investing in external storage is worthwhile.

Invest in Network Storage

Simple, easy-to-use, and reliable network storage is all you need to store your backups. It allows you to create notes digitally on your private Cloud and share it with colleagues and friends at no additional cost. 

Most network storage devices integrate Dual-Core processors to deliver high performance. These devices store high-volume data with premium encryption and decryption capabilities.

You can map network storage using these steps. Launch Finder, click Go, and then select Connect to Server. Enter the address of your network share to map, enter login credentials, and click OK. You can see your network drive on the desktop and in the Finder sidebar too.

If you want to make more space on your MacBook without spending anything on storage devices, try to clean up junk files or delete all the temporary files. You can also remove apps that you do not need to optimize storage.