How to remove junk files on mac and free up storage space?

If you're trying to clear junk file for Mac and you've noticed that your "System Data" is mysteriously huge, there's a good chance the culprit is something you've never heard of: Time Machine local snapshots. These are hidden backups stored directly on your Mac's internal drive, and they can take up a significant amount of space—in some cases, dozens of gigabytes.

Because these are backups of your recent changes, deleting them means you temporarily lose the ability to restore a file you might have accidentally changed or deleted in the last 24 hours. It's highly recommended that you connect your external Time Machine drive and run a fresh backup before proceeding. This ensures your data is safely stored elsewhere.

How to Manually Delete Snapshots:

Step 1: Open Terminal

Step 2: List Your Hidden Snapshots

Step 3: Delete a Snapshot

Step 4: The Nuclear Option (Disable Completely)

After deleting the snapshots, check your storage again (Apple Menu > System Settings > General > Storage). You should see the "System Data" or "purgeable space" has significantly decreased, meaning you've successfully used this method to clear junk file for Mac.