Mac guides
Tested, step-by-step guides to getting space back, speeding your Mac up and keeping it safe. Every step works by hand, and Headroom does the same in one scan.
Storage
- How to find and delete duplicate files on Mac safelyFind duplicate files on a Mac with Photos, Music, Finder and Terminal, confirm they are true copies, and remove the extras without losing anything.
- How to find large files on Mac, and what to do with themFour ways to find the biggest files on your Mac, from Storage settings to Finder searches and Terminal, plus how to tell which are safe to delete.
- How to clear cache on Mac: browsers, apps and systemClear browser, app and developer caches on a Mac the safe way, with exact steps for Safari and Chrome, Terminal checks, and what to leave alone.
- How to free up space on Mac: the complete, safe guideSee what is filling your Mac, then clear it in the right order: the Bin, Downloads, large files, old backups, apps, caches and System Data.
- What is System Data on Mac, and how do you shrink it?What macOS counts as System Data, why it can take up so much space, and the safe steps that make it smaller without breaking anything.
Developers
- Delete Xcode DerivedData, old simulators and archivesFree space from Xcode: what DerivedData, simulators, device support and archives hold, which are safe to delete, and the exact steps for each.
- Delete node_modules and other build folders safelyFind every node_modules, .next, target and venv folder on your Mac, see what each one costs, and delete them so you can rebuild in one command.
- Docker Desktop disk space on Mac: find it and get it backDocker Desktop keeps every image, container and volume in one disk image file. See its real size, prune safely and shrink it without surprises.
- brew cleanup: clear the Homebrew cache and old versionsWhat brew cleanup removes, where the Homebrew cache lives, and the dry-run, autoremove and uninstall commands that safely free space on a Mac.
- Purgeable space on Mac: what it is and how to clear itPurgeable space is storage macOS can free by itself: snapshots, caches and iCloud copies. See how much you have and how to reclaim it safely.
Performance
- Memory pressure on Mac explained: green, yellow, redWhat memory pressure means on a Mac, why full RAM is normal, how compression and swap work, and when yellow or red means you should act.
- Mac running slow? How to find the cause and fix itFind out why your Mac is slow in five minutes with Activity Monitor: CPU hogs, memory pressure, a full disk or heat, and the fix for each.
Battery
Security
- Check Mac for malware: built-in protection and safe checksHow macOS already guards against malware, how to confirm XProtect and Gatekeeper are on, and the calm manual checks that find what slips through.
- Login items on Mac: remove startup apps and agentsStop apps opening at login, switch off background items and safely remove leftover launch agents on macOS 15 Sequoia and macOS 14 Sonoma.