Quick Links

When you buy a new Mac, you can choose its storage capacity, which dictates the total size of the storage inside of your Mac and how many files, apps, and more you can store on your computer. So, if you hit the limit, you won't be able to download or create new files on your machine. That's why it's important to check the storage on your Mac occasionally to ensure that you're not running out of space. Whether you're on macOS Sonoma or an older OS version, you will find the steps you need to follow below.

How to check the storage on macOS Monterey or earlier

  1. Tap on the Apple Logo in the top left corner.
  2. Click on About This Mac.
    about this Mac button
  3. Go to the Storage section in the middle of the top bar.
  4. There, you will find a summary of your Mac's storage — its total capacity, what's available, and the categories of data occupying space.
  5. Click on Manage to view more storage details
    manage button in the storage section
  6. On top of the sidebar, you will see a Recommendations section, with suggestions on how to clear up space.
    storage recommendations on macos
  7. Right below Recommendations, you will see the detailed categories of data that are occupying your Mac's space. This includes installed applications, documents, Mail and Messages attachments, photos and videos, trashed items, and more.
    storage consumed by documents shown on macos
  8. Below the categories, you can view how much storage the actual operating system is taking up.

How to check storage on macOS Ventura or later

While Apple made some changes to how you can view this information on later OS versions, it's still pretty simple to find.

  1. Launch the System Settings app.
  2. Click on Storage in the General section.
    storage section in general macOS settings
  3. There you will find a list of the categories occupying your Mac storage, including apps, media, and more. That's in addition to some recommendations on how to clear up space, such as storing files in iCloud.
    breakdown of whats consuming storage on macOS

Viewing storage details on your Mac is a very simple process, as you have seen above. Just follow the steps we've provided, and you can take a look whenever you need.

It's always important to leave some empty space on your Mac's hard drive, not only so you don't run into roadblocks while trying to store files but also so your Mac doesn't start slowing down. So we have prepared for you another guide on how to free up space on a Mac if it's full. The procedure is very simple to follow, as well, even if you aren't very tech-savvy.