If you have a 128GB MacBook, here’s how to get through that much space without worrying about filling it up completely.
When buying a MacBook, getting the entry-level model can save you a lot of money up front, but that usually means giving up the higher-capacity models and sticking with the 128GB storage option.
Sometimes this may be enough storage for some users, but other users need to be strategic about what to store and what to delete on their MacBook to avoid running out of storage space.
128GB of storage isn’t a lot for a MacBook, especially since you can store all your music, videos, etc. if you like to store on your computer. This type of space can fill up with all these files pretty quickly.
However, if your budget doesn’t allow you to spend the extra bucks for more storage when buying a new MacBook, all hope is not lost just yet. You can get by with a 128GB MacBook by taking advantage of a few tips and using some dedicated apps that can help free up storage with minimal effort.
Sure, you can add extra storage to your MacBook without upgrading, but if you don’t want to spend more money upgrading or dealing with accessories, here’s how to deal with the 128GB MacBook.
Use the Cloud
Perhaps the best thing you can do to save storage space is to use the cloud for all your media. Music, photos, movies, etc. it takes up a lot of space, especially if you have much larger files, but using the cloud for all of them can save some serious storage space on your MacBook.
For example, if you have a lot of photos, store them in Dropbox, Google Drive or other similar cloud storage services. All of them will be stored in the cloud, not on your computer, but you will still be able to access them just like any other file on your computer. You get 2GB for free with Dropbox and 15GB for free with Google Drive. You can also pay a small monthly fee for even more cloud storage.
For music, try a streaming service like Spotify or Rdio; here you can listen to all the music you want without saving it to your MacBook. It’ll cost a few dollars a month for on-demand music, but it’s worth it considering you can get the same access on your iPhone and iPad, and even create playlists and save specific songs.
When it comes to movies and TV shows, Netflix is a great option to use. It has a pretty large library of TV shows, as well as some good movies to watch. There’s also Hulu and Amazon’s Instant Video service if you want more variety.
I use the cloud for pretty much everything and apps are the only important thing taking up space on my MacBook. I only use 39GB of space on my 128GB MacBook Pro, but still have access to all the music, movies, and TV shows I want. Also, my large photo library is quickly accessible via Dropbox.
Of course, the only downside is that you need an internet connection to access the cloud, but since WiFi can be found pretty much anywhere, it’s pretty rare to not have an internet connection nowadays.
Monitor Your Storage Frequently
MacBook storage can get out of hand when you don’t watch what you store often. For example, there may be many times when you go to install a new app you need for school but only use it once and have not yet deleted it. It takes up valuable space that could otherwise be used to store important files.
That’s why it’s always a good idea to take some time out occasionally and review your items to delete anything you no longer need. An easy way to free up space on your 128GB MacBook to make sure you don’t run out of storage.
A utility I like to use to find out what is using the most space on my MacBook is called Disk Inventory X.
Disk Inventory X will direct you to files you may have forgotten, even on your Mac. You can delete the files you don’t want from the application or you can go to that folder manually and delete the files from there. Either way, the app will identify where that mysterious 20GB of space is being used, so you can detect it and delete it if it’s useless files.
I’ve found Disk Inventory X to be the most helpful app for this sort of thing, but there are loads of other things you can do to free up storage space on your Mac.
