Managing Hard Drive space

My computer's hard drive space had been constantly shifting. For a few weeks, after removing files from my computers, I had been slowly losing hard drive space anytime I use an app, later to recovery bits of space. However, during this week, i went through a collapse of losing almost 300 MB of HD space. Then today, I lost 1 GB. I figure it might be from updating steam (although that was done the day before), but I am really freaking out from this. Can anyone suggest how I can manage my HD space?

your hard drive space will constantly chage in size depending on what you're doing.
if you have 2GB or 4GB of memory - part of your hard drive is being used as a swap file.
check your activity monitor and see how much swap file is being used by your hard drive.
mine show's zero because I have 16GB of RAM
see image below:

Similar Messages

How to manage hard drive space

I'm running out of space on my macbook air. too many TV purchase downloads on Itunes. If I delete them, can I re-download them in the future if I want to watch them again?

You should still be in the habit of backing up your purchases locally.
Let's say you purchased a TV show last season and the audio track is in stereo. If the copyright holder decides it wants that TV Show to have a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track they will provide new files to Apple and the original ones you purchased will be removed. Well, if you have not backed up your purchases you have just lost that TV Show in your purchase history. It is gone and you can't download or stream it again.
So backup your purchases.

Limiting the hard drive space on a managed account

I'm setting up a managed account and want to limet the amount of hard drive space the person gets to use
mac minni solocore Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Once again, a macosxhint comes in handy. The hint describes one way of converting an existing account:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20031104223355900
Setting up a new account is easier. Just create a disk image of the desired size, making sure the name of the mounted volume is the same as the user's "home" folder (the name of the disk image doesn't matter). Uncheck the "Ignore ownership..." checkbox in "Get Info", and make sure the user owns both the mounted volume, and the dmg file. Place the disk image in the top level of the user's "home" folder, then change the ownership of the user's folder to "system" (root).
Then, from an "admin" account, enter the command below in "/Applications" > "Utilities" > "Terminal.app", substituting the user's short name for 'username', and the correct name of the disk image:<pre style="overflow:auto; padding: 5px; width: 500px ; font-size: 10px; border:1">sudo /usr/bin/nicl . -create /users/username home_loc '<home_dir><url>file://localhost/Users/username/diskimagename.dmg</url></home_dir>'</pre>But as I mentioned, there are drawbacks to using disk images and it isn't all that effective unless you hunt down every last place on the system where the user has the privileges to save files (including everybody else's "Drop Box" folders. I only mentioned it because it does get brought up as a strategy.

Hard Drive space management?

Recently i've been starting to run out of space on my hard drive. I have nearly 250gigs of space however and I need to start sifting through and removing pointless stuff i have. It would make things much easier however if there was some sort of pie chart of way of knowing where most of the my space is being taken up. There has to be something like this to help me analyze my own hard drives space... is anything built into Tiger? any suggestions?

You can try a little app called WhatSize.
http://www.id-design.com/software/whatsize/index.php
Regards,
Steve M.

Best way to manage Aperture library size for hard drive space?

For a couple years, I have been using Aperture 2 and then migrated to Aperture 3. All this time I have worked completely on my laptops internal hard drive and with one library. My library is now 80gb and hard drive space is becoming an issue. Now I am trying to decide the best direction to take for reducing my internal hard drive space. My biggest storage culprit are my kids sports team pictures. I have taken thousands and thousands of pictures of kids that I don't need to keep in my internal library. I would like to pull my kids out of those pics, keep them in my main library and archive the rest out. I'm looking for advice for the best process.
I put an external drive on my Airport USB drive and put my library in a new vault last night. I know it is much slower than going direct to USB on computer. With wireless N it took about 12 hours to backup the 80gb library to a new vault on this Airport drive. Are there any issues with using the Airport USB other than speed? I know apple has issues with using time machine on this kind of setup but I don't know if Aperture has any of the same issues. My thought is that I might use this drive for additional libraries as well.
Thanks
-Erik

Once I move files to external storage as a "referenced master", is there a way to move some of them back to main library on the internal drive? I'm going to move all my team sports pictures to external but would like to keep the pictures with my kids on the internal drive where they are at. But if I unintentionally move some of my kids to the external drive, how do I "un-reference" them and move them back?
Thanks for the help!

I have a new Windows tablet computer with limited hard drive space, and cannot transfer my itunes library to the hard drive. Can I run t media from an external hard drive? If so, how do I transfer my files?

I have a new Windows tablet computer with limited hard drive space (32 GB), and cannot transfer my itunes library to the hard drive. Can I run itunes from an external hard drive? I have tried to follow some of the directions on this site, but am having no success. Thanks.

iTunes will run fine with the media on an external drive.
However, I suggest that a tablet computer with a tiny hard drive is not ideal as the primary computer for managing an iTunes library, even a small one. If you have another machine, perhaps a big, boxy, inexpensive old desktop with a decent amount of storage, that might be a better choice.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364

How do I delete Photo Stream photos that are taking up hard drive space in my Masters folder, but not actually appearing in any event, or on the interface at all?

A couple months ago, I activated photo stream using my apple ID. I was under the impression that all the photos uploaded to my photo stream would only use server space on icloud and wouldn't actually utilize disk space, or at the most, the option was available to only download specific photos to my hard drive. My hope was that I could upload the photos to a specific drive, and view the uploaded thumbs or low-res comps on any device as a reference.
This is not the case.
What I have found is that iphoto has been automatically downloading any and all photos uploaded to my photo stream. Not just the thumbnails, the entire thumbnail + all resolutions. I shoot RAW photos so in my case, the original averages about 15-25MB per photo.
I have been uploading directly to an iphoto library on an external hard drive specifically designated for handling all my RAW high-res images.
What has been happening is all those RAW files are also being uploaded directly to my iphoto library on my iMac and eating up memory which I cannot reclaim, even after deactivating my Photo Stream in preferences. We're talking almost 100 GB of memory is tied up right now.
I don't want to just go in and start deleting files and folders in my Masters folder, since I have heard this will break iphoto, but the photos in my photostream do not show up in any event and I need to reclaim the hard drive space.
How can I safely delete them?

If the files are loose inside the iPhoto library package here's one way to get them out:
1 - open your library, select all of the photos in the library and add a unique keyword, XXXX, to all of them.
2 - Rebuild the library with iPhoto Library Manager as follows:
Using iPhoto Library Manager to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
1 - download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.>Click on the Add Library button,
2 - select the library you want to add from those in the selection window.
3 - make sure that in the rebuild window the checkbox "Scavange orphaned photos" is checked.
4 - now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the Library ➙ Rebuild Library menu option
5 - in the next window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed. Click on the Create button.
Note 1: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments. However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost.
Note 2: Your current library will be left untouched for further attempts at a fix if so desired.
3 - open the library, create a smart album with the criterial "Keyword is not XXXX".
4 - the smart album will include those photos that were not visible in your original library. Select them and use the key combination of Command+Option+Delete to move them to the iPhoto Trash bin.
5 - empty the iPhoto Trash bin via the iPhoto ➙ Empty iPhoto Trash Bin menu option.
6 - empty the Trash bin in the Dock to remove the files from your hard drive completely.
Be sure to read Note 1 above. You can use the new library without your books, slideshow, etc. and it will not contain those errant files. Of course delete the original library if the new one is satisfactory.

Can't download applications (poss due to hard drive space issue)?

Hi there,
I'm having major hard drive issues with my MacBook Pro OS X 10.4.11 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM laptop.
I use it for video editing and also keep music on it. However for the video editing I use an external hard drive, though I've found some Final Cut Pro files on my internal hard drive before and deleted them whenever I've found them. Sometimes it's an Imovie project, sometimes a straightforward final cut project, sometimes a playout of a final cut project.
My problem is that I now have almost no hard drive space, to the point where I wasn't able to save a Word file last week due to insufficient disk space! I emptied the trash and managed to get it to save in the end.
I immediately went on to the discussions pages and it was suggested to try WhatSize, OmniDiskSweeper and Disk Inventory to identify the files that were taking up all the room. Unfortunately NONE of these applications will download onto my laptop. They're not the only ones, I tried downloading a couple of other applications for music and the like and NOTHING will download!
I went through everything that I felt I knew for certain that I could delete without being detrimental and freed up a small bit of room and tried again but still NOTHING. I then used Onyx on the suggestion of another post and freed up a few gigs (I went from 1.7gb available to 7gb available) and assumed that this would do the trick, however, it hasn't!
What happens when I try to download these (or any) applications is that when i click the "Download Now" area on the webpage it begins to move onto what should be a download progress page or a "download complete" page but instead just spends an eternity "loading", with the little loading wheel on the left of the tab just spinning around and around. I tried leaving it literally all night last night but to no avail, opened it back up again and still the circle was spinning around and around "loading". This has been the case for the several dozen attempts I've made, no matter what the website.
It seems like something of a Catch 22 if the situation is that I can't download these applications that will help me to free up Hard Drive space, because I don't have any Hard Drive space! Though I'd have thought that the 7gb I now have would be ample. Did my laptop turn to self preservation mode perhaps when the hard drive was down to the bare minimum and I wasn't even able to save word documents?
If anybody can help it'd be HUGELY appreciated...
All the best,
Rory

If you open a Finder window you can also sort by size by clicking the size column header. In view options you can also set it to calculate all sizes so it will also show folder sizes. Although not as handy as the cataloging applications you can at least start tracking down where the disk space is going. With video you can probably just copy half a dozen files off and immediately free up many GB.
Note that this isn't just a matter of convenience. OSX makes lots of temporary files and is doing it all the time. If it can't find space for those files it can result in a serious drive crash and that could cost you several hundred dollars in recovery expenses. A Sig indicates, you need space just for computer operation. I feel the % recommendation is a bit vague since people use drives ranging from 10 - 1000 GB in size. My computer regularly uses 6GB of hard drive space for temporary files, and I like to leave wriggle room, so I usually leave at least 15-20GB. You can check the temporary file usage by looking at VM in Activity monitor.
As BDaqua observes, having a crowded drive also slows down your computer. If it has to hunt for nooks and crannies in which to place bits and pieces of bigger files that takes time. Normally one does not have to worry so much about fragmentation of files on a Mac, but your scenario of working with large files on a really crowded drive may be defying that generalization.

If i download my photos into iPhoto does that use up more hard drive space?

If I download my photos into iPhoto does that use up more hard drive space on my mac?

iPhoto and Lightroom are similar apps - although LR is a far more capable app - and that the price it should be, of course. But the two apps are similar in that they both offer
Photo Management
Non-Destructive Processing
So, essentially, they both play the same part in the workflow.
The procedure would be to
Download the images from the camera into the Photo Manager (regardless of which one you choose)
Review and select in the Manager
Trash the unwanted with the Manager
Process the images - that is, in most cases edit them.
It is at this point - and only this point - that Photoshop might come into play. Both of these apps can act as a 'front-end' for Photoshop - after all, they're the Managers. But in truth, if you're using Lightroom then you very likely do not need Photoshop at all, and for anything that does require layers you can use one of the many - much less expensive - alternatives. But I think the common experience is that with Lightroom (like Aperture) the requirement for the sledgehammer that is Photoshop really fades away.
So pick one horse and ride it. Choose between LR and iPhoto. Use it like it's intended. Don't get involved in other necessary apps. Don't review before bringing the photo into the manager - that's what the manager is for.

Lack of hard drive space overnight and oddity at login prompt.

I have recently seen something weird on my iMac. At the login prompt my computer reads: "My Computer (2)" it never did previously. Then when I checked my hard drive space it was at 110 GB available, it now is 50 GB available. What is this issue? Is the whole hard drive copied or something weird. It is also very slow with Adobe CS4 and this was never an issue.

HI and Welcome to Apple Discussions...
Boot from your Mac install disc and run Disk Utility in case the startup disk needs repairs.
Insert your install disk and Restart, holding down the "C" key until grey Apple appears.
Go to Installer menu and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in the left panel.
Select First Aid in the Main panel.
*(Check S.M.A.R.T Status of HDD at the bottom of right panel. It should say: Verified)*
Click Repair Disk on the bottom right.
If DU reports disk does not need repairs quit DU and restart.
If DU reports errors Repair again and again until DU reports disk is repaired.
When you are finished with DU, from the Menu Bar, select Utilities/Startup Manager.
Select your start up disk and click Restart
While you have the Disk Utility window open, look at the bottom of the window. Where you see Capacity and Available. *Make sure there is always 10% to 15% free disk space*
If you cannot boot from your install disc, try booting in Safe Mode
What is Safe Mode
Carolyn
Message was edited by: Carolyn Samit

Out of Hard Drive space with Mavericks

This new library system with Mavericks and FC 10.1.3 is confusing. I end up with too many events that take up hard drive space.
Question. Can I load FCPx on a separate, external 3 terabyte drive and work from that? Would that solve my drive space issue on my iMac HD?
What would be the step by step process to do that or, a better idea?
Thanks a pile. I have HD constipation!
G

Your application must be in the Applications folder, but your libraries can and indeed *should* be in an external drive. They can be stored anywhere, no need to put them in special designated folders as before.
The library system actually makes managing your stuff extremely easy. A library is a single document, so you can simply move it in the Finder (when FCP X is not running).
You can have as many or as few libraries as you want, copy them, move them, etc. You don't have to have everything active at once in FCP X. Open and close libraries as needed (whereas before, all events on a given drive were loaded, you can now just open a single library in a disk containing dozens of them).
Take the time to familiarize with the library concept and you'll find that it is much better than what we had before.

Where's my missing hard drive space?

I posted earlier about this, it may be a bit off topic but if anyone can offer a clue, I would appreciate it.
I got my win 7 upgrade and was waiting until vista started giving me headaches or the win7 service pack1 came out to upgrade...vista got me to upgrade today and I have to admit it was much less painful than i anticipated.
My question is about the missing hard drive space on my Idea center K230 on the box and on the side of the comp it claims a 640 HD (it claims in small print that up to 18gb may be used for the service partition) I questioned this when i first got it and even after deleting all the preloaded crap it was still saying 540 available out of 580GB....then I read that Lenovo has a huge partition for backup. So when I do my upgrade to win 7- 64 bit, I do a clean install and delete the smaller partition and reformat and expand the larger but before installing the new OS it says I have 596 available, so where the hell is the other 44GB of hard drive...did Lenovo rip us off and put 600GB hard drives in the K230's or is there a hidden partition still left that I cant find?
I am running everything off of my 596GB C: drive, I have my virus stuff and video card extras loaded, everything from the upgrade and 21 available patches and new drivers for most of my stuff....right now I am at at 575gb available and if i can ever find a printer driver that works I will create a backup point or disc from there, whatever win 7 allows. I never wanted the Lenovo one button back up and thought it was stupid to put a big glowing button on the keyboard that wipes your system back to when it came out of the box...I had nightmares of someone getting curious and going "what does this button do?"
.I notice I have a program files folder and a program files (x86) folder with a bunch of redundant files. what's the deal with this is Lenovo still hiding a backup program (maybe in that hidden partition?) that fills my hard drive twice as fast or is there a purpose for the file copies?
Any info on the above questions would be appreciated, and for those of you just looking for upgrade info I have good news, when you finally get your win7 upgrade disc it is the easiest windows installation ever, almost copmpletely automated, and very fast. So far the only sticking point is finding a printer driver, but I have 3 printers i can try, maybe one is supported.

Hi wise2u!
You can read all the details about how storage manufacturers use multiples of 1000 to measure disk space, and Windows reports it in multiples of 1024, and there is some overhead for Windows, or you can just use this rule of thumb from wikipedia:
A general rule of thumb to quickly convert the manufacturer's hard disk capacity to the standard Microsoft Windows formatted capacity is 0.93*capacity of HDD from manufacturer for HDDs less than a terabyte and 0.91*capacity of HDD from manufacturer for HDDs equal to or greater than 1 terabyte.
0.93 * 640GB = 595GB, which is about what you're seeing.
I don't work for Lenovo. I'm a crazy volunteer!

I HAVE BEEN USING MID 2011 MACBOOK AIR 11 INCH.I AM LOSING MY HARD DRIVE SPACE WITHOUT ANY REASON.FIRST IT WAS 84.1 GB NOW IT IS 83.9 AND SLOWLY LOSING SPACE.WHY IS THAT?? PLS PLS HELP

I have macbook air mid 2011 .. Now i am losing my hard drive space without any apparent reason..I am not downloading anything not i am adding anything still that i am losing my hard drive space for no apparent reason..pls pls help..

I have never heard of a relation between the enabled state of Time Machine, and boot. Its probably coincidental.
Try booting in Safe Mode (hold down shift key, whilst booting). Then check for apllications in your Users & Groups preferences that are starting up with login. Disable all startup apps, then eanable them one at a time, booting normall. See which app is possibly hanging.
You can also try doing a Repair Permissions and Repair Disk on your startup drive. This must be done within Disk Utility when booted to your Recovery Partition. To boot to the Recovery Partition, hold down the OPTION key while booting, and select the Recovery Partition drive to boot from. Then run Disk Utility.

Running out of hard drive space---can I use my external hard drive-??

I have a 16GB iPod nano. I hope I can explain my problem well enough.
My laptop computer has the iTunes that I use for syncing my iPod. It has over 25gb of songs in it, but my problem is that it has completely run out of hard drive space, and I don't think I can delete anything else.
I have a 250 GB external hard drive that also has all my songs backed up on it, that has hard drive space left on it.
Is there a way to load new music into the external hard drive, that will sync up to the iPod when I connect it to the laptop, WITHOUT putting a copy of it into the laptop, and taking up space-?
The way it appears to me, and I may be wrong, is that there are 2 copies of eaxh song on my laptop---the one in my music folder, and then the one in the iTunes folder. Is that correct-?
OR, is there a way to remove some of the songs from the laptop, and put them into the external hard drive, but will still sync up to the iPod-?
Thanks for any help that anyone can offer, I'm desperate ~!
I'm not sure if this can be done, but I'd hate to think that I cannot put new music onto my iPod.
Thanks~!

Hello melbernai,
I think your best move would be to the move the entire iTunes library including of all of its file to your external hard drive and running your iTunes from there. You can even have it so that all newly imported music is saved to the external drive as well.
For more help on how to do this, I would check out this article on how to move and run your iTunes library from an external hard drive.
http://lifehacker.com/238296/ultranewb--how-to-move-your-itunes-library-to-an-ex ternal-drive
Hope this helps.
B-rock

HT201250 I had files stored on a hard drive that were not on my Mac. I used the hard drive for my first Time Machine back up, but it was not enough hard drive space to finish. Now those stored files are gone. Is there any way I can recover them?

I had files stored on a hard drive that were not on my Mac. I used the hard drive for my first Time Machine back up, but it was not enough hard drive space to finish. Now those stored files are gone. Is there any way I can recover them? No, they were not part of previous Time Machine backups, and I have checked both the hard drive the documents were lost on and the new one that I now use for backups. Any suggestions would be helpful, as the lost files are old pictures that are gone forever. :[ Thanks!

1. Yes, if both drives are formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
2. Reformat the drives if needed, open the Time Machine pane of System Preferences, and remove the drive with the pictures from the list of items set to be excluded.
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Managing Hard Drive space

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