How to Free Up Startup Disk on Mac

If you're living with a 128GB MacBook Air, every gigabyte counts. With that in mind, let's talk about how to free up some space on your startup disk using the free app Monolingual.

Monolingual can reclaim as much as 2 gigs of data if you have a bunch of apps installed. To get started, run Monolingual and uncheck the Languages box so it doesn't search for languages in sensitive apps. You can do this by adding the app to Monolingual's Preferences, clicking Add, and then navigating to each Adobe or Microsoft folder or app you don't want scanned.

One caveat is that some apps like Microsoft Office and numerous Adobe applications need all their language packs in place to function correctly, so make sure to set Monolingual's preferences to not scan those apps. To do this, keep English (or any languages you use) selected and then click Remove.

The solution is simple: delete the extraneous languages using Monolingual. Those extra languages are unnecessary and take up space on your hard drive. As we accumulate more photos and videos, install more apps, and outgrow our hard drives faster than ever before, it's time to recover some space with a few relatively simple maintenance activities.

It's essential to have a complete backup before you start deleting things to insulate yourself from any accidental deletions. In general, it's best to make sure you have 5% to 10% of your storage capacity available for system functions for smooth operation of your Mac. For example, on a 128GB MacBook Air, that means keeping around 12GB free.

With the advent of flash storage, many of us have sacrificed storage capacity for speed, battery life, and a low-profile form factor. While it's true that flash drives are still expensive compared to traditional magnetic hard drives, they offer significant benefits. For instance, a new iMac with 1TB of flash storage costs $1,000 more than one with a traditional magnetic hard drive.

By freeing up space on your startup disk using Monolingual and other simple maintenance activities, you can ensure that your Mac runs smoothly and efficiently.

How to free up startup disk on mac