How to Free up Purgeable Space on Mac without Losing Data

May 13, 2022Ashley Mae

This guide will talk about purgeable space on Mac. Unlike Windows, Mac is a unique system that is smart enough to understand what files are redundant and can be removed. Purgeable space, for example, refers to a particular type of space storing redundant files, such as outdated caches, duplicates, unnecessary files, as well as the files that have been uploaded to your iCloud. Therefore, it is a good idea to speed up Mac by clearing purgeable space.

Part 1: How to Reclaim Purgeable Space on Mac
Part 2: One-stop Solution to Clear Mac Purgeable Space
Part 3: FAQs about Purgeable Space on Mac

Part 1: How to Reclaim Purgeable Space on Mac

As mentioned previously, the purgeable space on Mac is created by your system. You cannot make or delete the storage space manually. The good news is that you can remove purgeable space on Mac following the steps below.

How to Clear Purgeable Space on Mac with Storage Manager

Step 1:

Click and expand the Apple menu when you intend to free up purgeable space on Mac. Then choose About this Mac to move on.

Step 2:

Go to the Storage tab, and you will see the types of data on your hard disk including a section called Purgeable.

Step 3:

Press the Manage button on the right side to enter the next window. Firstly, select the Recommendations from the left side, and you can access four options.

Step 4:

Click Store in iCloud to only keep the files you recently opened on Mac. Next, hit the Optimize Storage button and decide the method to save storage. Make sure to Turn On the Empty Trash Automatically option. Then the files in the Trash folder will be removed after 30 days. Hit the Review Files button so that you can review all files and applications on your Mac currently.

How to Remove Purgeable Space on Mac by Terminal

Step 1:

Open your Terminal app from the Spotlight bar.

Step 2:

Type in the command mkdir ~/largefiles, and hit the Return key on your keyboard.

Step 3:

Next, enter the command dd if=/dev/random of=~/largefiles/largefile bs=15m. Wait for around five minutes, and press Control + C to stop the command.

Step 4:

Then put in the command cp ~/largefiles/largefile ~/largefiles/largefile2. Repeat this command, but replace the last number with 3, 4, and so on until you see a message saying disk is critically low.

Step 5:

Finally, execute the command rm -rf ~/largefiles/. Go to your Trash Bin and empty it.

Part 2: One-stop Solution to Clear Mac Purgeable Space

No matter the Space Manager or the command lines, they are difficult for beginners to clear purgeable space on Mac. Fortunately, Aiseesoft Mac Cleaner can help you to do it without technical skills.

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How to Clear Purgeable Space on Mac Easily

Step 1:

Check Mac space

First of all, install the space manager on your Mac and launch it. Now, you will get three buttons in the home interface, Status, Cleaner, and Toolkit. Click the Status button so that you can learn the status of the CPU, memory, and disk.

Step 2:

Clear purgeable space

Next, go to the Cleaner tab from the left sidebar, and you will see several tools to help you clear purgeable space on Mac. To delete old files, for example, select Large & Old Files. Then click the Scan button to begin scanning the large and old files in your storage space. When it is done, click the View button to preview them. At last, select the useless files and click the Clean button.

Extended Reading:

Part 3: FAQs about Purgeable Space on Mac

Is it safe to delete purgeable space on Mac?

Yes. As mentioned previously, purgeable space stores the data that currently is marked as what can be removed. Sometimes, Mac will delete purgeable space automatically when you restart your device.

How do I get rid of purgeable space on macOS X EI Capitan?

According to Apple, macOS X EI Capitan or earlier versions do not provide a way to manage purgeable space. So, you have to update your machine to macOS Sierra or use a third-party tool to free up space.

Where is purgeable memory?

Purgeable memory is a type of storage space. You cannot find a folder or a hard drive called purgeable memory on your Mac, but it is possible to get the section on your Storage Manager window.

Conclusion

This guide has discussed purgeable space on Mac and demonstrated how to remove it. If you cannot find the purgeable section in Storage Manager, we suggest you try Aiseesoft Mac Cleaner directly. It is not only easy to use but also supports almost all Mac devices. More questions? Please write them down below this guide.

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