What’s a computer without all those pesky files clogging up your hard drive? If you want to get the most out of your Mac, you need to find ways to keep it clean and free from clutter. That means clearing out everything that isn’t useful so you can focus on what’s important. While decluttering and organizing your home or office is never going to be an easy process, there are tons of simple tips you can use to start getting things organized. Here are 9 foolproof ways to clutter up your Mac…
Get to know your Mac’s file structure
One of the first steps to keeping your Mac clutter-free is to get to know your computer’s file structure. This will give you some idea of where exactly you’re letting all those unneeded files get stored. Most Macs come with a desktop and a virtual desktop. The virtual desktop is where you’ll find all your different applications and files. The desktop is where all the widgets are found and where you’ll find all your unneeded files. The virtual desktop is where you’ll find your unneeded files because that’s where all your virtual files go. The virtual desktop will also show you how much hard disk space you have left, so it’s a great place to keep track of your disk space usage. Knowing where your unneeded files are stored will make it easier to find a way to get them out of the way.
Use the trash can more often
Trash is supposed to be used as a last resort. It’s only there if you’ve accidentally deleted an important file, you want to clean out your hard drive, or you want to make room for newer files. If you’ve been ignoring the trash can, stop doing that. A lot of times, we just don’t know how much space we’re wasting. As an easy way to keep track of how much space you’re actually using, try using the trash can as your daily space tracker. This will help you notice when you’ve got a lot of unneeded files taking up a ton of space. If you aren’t currently using the trash can to monitor space or get rid of unneeded files, start doing it. It’s a simple, yet effective, way to declutter your hard drive.
Install applications only when you need them
The same goes for applications you download. Download apps when you know you’ll use them. If you download apps just because they’re on sale or you see someone else using them online, try not to install them right away. Wait until you know you’ll actually use the app. This way, you won’t accidentally download all those unneeded files and waste tons of hard drive space. If you go the route of downloading apps only when you know you’ll use them, you’ll save yourself a ton of space. Some apps like Evernote and Dropbox are notorious for taking up a ton of disk space. If you don’t plan on using them, don’t download them.
Delete individual emails instead of entire threads
Deleting individual emails and threads from conversations is a simple way to keep your Mac clutter-free. You don’t have to delete an entire email thread or an entire email if you just have to delete a specific email. If you have a ton of emails taking up space, the best thing to do is to delete the ones you don’t need. You don’t have to delete every single email you have on your account. Just delete the ones you don’t need. As you delete emails, you’ll be able to keep your inbox a lot more organized.
Don’t store sensitive data on your computer
It’s important to keep sensitive data off your computer. That includes financial and health information. You don’t want someone to find that information and steal your identity or make decisions based on incorrect information. If you do have sensitive data that you need to keep stored on your computer, make sure it’s encrypted and well hidden. That way, no one will be able to find it. That data doesn’t have to take up any space on your computer. It just needs to be well hidden and encrypted.
Use folders for everything you can
Another easy way to keep your Mac clutter-free is to use folders. This will make it easier to keep everything organized without having to worry about keeping track of where everything goes. You don’t have to have everything in a single folder. You can have documents, images, and videos grouped in multiple folders and still keep everything organized. If you keep everything in separate folders instead of in one big mess, you’ll be able to keep your hard drive much more clutter-free.
Clear off the desktop
The first thing you should do when you’ve got a ton of unneeded files is to get rid of what’s on your desktop. This will free up space on your virtual desktop and your virtual desktop will look a lot cleaner. The desktop is where you’ll find all your virtual files so if you want to get rid of it, you’ll need to get rid of what’s on there.
Put your most frequently used apps in folders too
Another simple way to keep your Mac clutter-free is to use folders to organize your applications. This will make it easier to find the apps you use the most. Some apps are notorious for taking up a ton of disk space. If you don’t plan on using an app, don’t keep it on the virtual desktop. Just make sure it’s stored in a folder instead of on the virtual desktop.
Sync your devices so all your files are available everywhere
The last thing you should do is to sync your devices so everything is available everywhere. This will make it easy to access your files no matter what device you’re using. You can sync your Mac with a cloud storage service like iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, or SpiderOak. You can also use a local sync service like Seafile or Nextcloud. These cloud storage services make it easy to sync your virtual files and let you access them from any device or computer. It will make it easier to declutter your computer. These are 9 foolproof ways to clutter up your Mac. They aren’t the most exciting ways to organize, but they’re the most effective ways to keep your Mac clutter-free.
