BeeClear guide
How to free up space on your Mac
When your Mac is running out of room, start with the files you recognize. Check what is taking up space, choose a cleanup method for that type of data, and compare available storage afterward.
Check available storage
On macOS Ventura 13 or later, open Apple menu → System Settings → General → Storage. Earlier versions show Storage under About This Mac. Note the available space before making changes.
Find large files you recognize
Open Documents in Storage settings and inspect Large Files or Downloads. Review files before removing them. Keep anything you still need, or move it to suitable external storage. For photo or video libraries, follow the app’s own migration instructions.
Review attachments taking up space in Messages
With Messages in iCloud enabled, deletion also applies on your other enabled devices. Deleted items remain recoverable for up to 30 days.
- In Messages, open a conversation and click the contact or group icon at the top.
- Expand a category such as Photos with “Show more.”
- Shift-click the attachments you want to remove, then Control-click the selection and choose Delete.
Free local space while keeping files in iCloud Drive
Files downloaded from iCloud Drive still use Mac storage. To keep a cloud copy while removing its local download, follow the steps below. Use Remove Download for this task: deleting an iCloud Drive file also deletes it on your other devices using iCloud Drive.
- Open iCloud Drive in Finder.
- Control-click a downloaded file and choose Remove Download.
- When you need it locally again, choose Download Now. Keep Downloaded is for files you want available offline.
Free up Mac space with OneDrive Files On-Demand
In Finder, open your OneDrive folder. Right-click a downloaded file and choose Free up space to make it online-only while keeping it in OneDrive. Opening it again downloads it and requires an internet connection.
For files you need offline, choose Always keep on this device. Moving a OneDrive file to the Trash instead deletes it from OneDrive and your synced devices.
What can you clear from System Data?
System Data groups files such as caches, logs and app-support data that fall outside the other storage categories. macOS manages this category, and its size changes as your Mac works.
Start with the source of the files: which app created them, what they are used for, and whether you still need them.
BeeClear shows the paths, sizes and cleanup reasons for supported items. Open a result to see what it belongs to, then choose the files you no longer need.
Choose a cleanup method for the files you found
BeeClear scans one selected disk at a time. Scanning and reviewing results are free; cleaning access is a one-time purchase. Check each selected item before confirming cleanup, which permanently deletes those files.
- App already removed? Review app leftovers, app associations and file types
- App caches? Review app-cache results by app, location and size
- Development files? Review developer caches and project references
- Downloaded AI models? Check model storage and the difference between removing a download and unloading a model
- Understand the result groups
Check available space again
For files removed through Finder, review the Trash before emptying it. Files in the Trash still use storage.
After BeeClear cleanup, read the completed, skipped and failed items. The cleaned-file total and the measured change in available space are separate figures; use the latter to judge how much room you gained.
Time Machine local snapshots are managed by macOS, which counts their space as available and removes them as needed.
BeeClear for Mac by PangJiong
BeeClear scans and analyzes files locally. Scanning and reviewing results are free; cleaning access is a one-time purchase in the app.
View BeeClear and download the official PKG · About PangJiong