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Leroy95's avatar
Leroy95
Brass Contributor
May 20, 2026

How to clear hard drive space on macbook air when storage is full?

I've been using my MacBook Air for a couple of years now and lately I get constant warnings that my storage is almost full. It's gotten to the point where my Mac is running noticeably slower, apps ar...
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MaverickLincoln's avatar
MaverickLincoln
Iron Contributor
May 20, 2026

This is a great way to quickly find out how to clear hard drive space on mac without any extra software. It essentially lets you spot a major space hog in just a few seconds by checking and removing Time Machine local snapshots, allowing you to immediately reclaim large amounts of storage.

Usage Guide: Open Terminal to manage local snapshots. First, list all existing local snapshots with the command:

tmutil listlocalsnapshots /

Then, delete all local snapshots using the command:

sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots /

This method requires no third-party software installation and swiftly helps you free up 5–30GB of space, effectively resolving the issue of hidden space being occupied on your Mac.

This is a built-in, terminal-based way to how to clear hard drive space on mac, and it is particularly useful for conducting rapid space audits, freeing up space after macOS updates, or troubleshooting low disk space issues on your MacBook Air or Mac.