Free Up Mac Memory Space App

Far too many Macs are full of apps people don't need. Removing apps is not the easy task many would assume. Apps have a way of taking up space all over your Mac, which means simply deleting them won’t always clear up as much memory as you would hope.

With the right app cleaner, you can delete apps in a few clicks and give your Mac some much-needed extra memory. In this article, we are going to cover the best app cleaners for Mac.

Another way to delete apps is to search manually for the component parts, then drag and drop them into trash. But your application folder isn’t the only place that Mac apps hide. You will also find traces in download folders, and often, in browsers. Plugins can be deleted, but make sure they aren't leaving cache files, cookies, and other pieces of junk cluttering up your macOS.

If you don't want to delete apps the manual way and look for an effective app cleaner, here are some other options.

Space

Pay $5.99 at the App Store, download this worthless app HD Cleaner, Open HD Cleaner, by clicking on 'Click to start' on the interfaces 'Scan button' to find out how much free space is left on your drive or simply click on your Mac's Hard drive icon then press the Command Key (Flower Key) and and then the letter I key on your Qwerty Keyboard for.

RatingNameFeaturesInfo
1CleanMyMac X Powerful app remover that is notarized by AppleLink
2AppDeleteElegant tool for basic level app deletionLink
3AppZapperDrag & drop software that also removes app leftoversLink

Top 5 app cleaners for Mac

Below are 5 great apps for uninstalling software. Choose the one that works best for you.

1. CleanMyMac X

CleanMyMac X does so much more than just remove unwanted apps and free up valuable space.

With 4 million users worldwide - and counting - we are delighted that over 10.5 million apps have been removed, with millions more files and folders that were taking up disk space and reducing the processing speed of Macs. With the Uninstaller tool, you can clean up old leftovers and delete apps safely.

Plugins and add-ons are also easily removed, with all of the extensions visible in a single dashboard, so you won’t need to open the app they are tied to. System junk, iOS backups, and email downloads are also easily removed with a few clicks, making this one of the most powerful app cleaners around, with hundreds of positive reviews from Mac users, tech bloggers, and experts. Powerful and efficient: CleanMyMac X is the only Mac app cleaner you will ever need.

2. AppDelete

Created by an independent software developer in California, AppDelete is an app uninstaller that deletes apps, widgets, and other related files. Before deleting files, it shows you them for a few seconds to make sure the right apps are going to be deleted — with the option that you can undo a removal, so you don't need to worry about deleting something important accidentally.

Free Up Mac Memory Space App Free

Once you are confident the right apps have gone, AppDelete removes the garbage files to free up space. This app remover for Mac serves a useful purpose for users that want to free up space.

3. AppZapper

AppZapper is a ‘drag and drop’ app cleaner that makes it easy to remove unwanted apps.

Deleting an app isn’t as easy as dragging it out of your applications folder into trash. Apps keep files and folders scattered about your Mac; however, finding them is the hard part, which is why so many people hope to find a free app cleaner to remove them without any difficulties. Usually, good app cleaners aren't free, but they will get the job done.

AppZapper locates the files related to the apps you want to delete. Shows you them first, and when you are confident the right files and cache folders have been located, you can Zap them with one click.

4. TuneupMyMac

Free Up Mac Memory Space Application

TuneupMyMac is another Mac app cleaner known for removing unwanted apps quickly. Designed for macOS up to OS 10.7, TuneupMyMac is compatible with the latest version of macOS. You can download it for free to scan your Mac and find the files you need to delete — although there is no information whether it will delete these files, or you need to pay before it will perform that function. This Mac app remover looks like this:

The only potential problem with TuneupMyMac, unlike the others mentioned in this article, is there are dozens of forum discussion posts and web pages urging users to avoid it. Some claim it is potential malware or another form of cyber virus, despite several five-star app cleaner reviews. It might be worth approaching with caution and not downloading until you’ve done your own homework.

5. App Cleaner & Uninstaller

A lightweight free app cleaner for those who download, capable of finding unwanted apps and deleting related files, including login items and launch agents. Deleting apps safely to ensure Macs have more space and computing power is the work of App Cleaner & Uninstaller. It comes with several positive reviews from those who've downloaded.

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“No matter what I do, my Mac is still slow”, an average tech-consultant hears this phrase multiple times a day. Give a person even the most powerful computer, and pretty soon it will be cluttered with apps, extensions, and things that are too much for it to handle. To reverse it, one has to go back and сlean up the mess, removing memory agents one by one. Prepare for a fight — every byte of memory is at stake. So let’s put your Mac on a diet and get it more free RAM to breathe freely.

First, remove desktop clutter. Get a combination of Setapp apps that clear away unneeded desktop files.

Download Declutter Free

“Your system has run out of application memory”

How do you know your Mac is low on memory? Floating “rainbow wheels” aside, you may notice your Mac now takes ages to load. You’ll also see many browser applications crashing. You’ll be also thrown warning messages as “Your system has run out of application memory”. To help it, you should first visit the Activity monitor to see memory usage on Mac.

How to check RAM usage on Mac

Go to Applications and type in Activity Monitor in the search bar. This invokes a good old Activity Monitor that should tell how much free memory you’ve got left.

A shortcut to open Activity Monitor:

Free up mac memory space app free

Press F4 and start typing Activity Monitor in the search bar.

I’ve attached a screenshot from my Mac and as you can see my memory usage almost reached full capacity. Here’s what it all means:

App memory: taken by apps and processes
Wired memory: reserved by apps, can’t be freed up
Compressed: inactive, can be used by other apps
Swap used: memory used by macOS
Cached files: memory you can really use

Notice the colored graph under Memory Pressure. If your graph is all but red and yellow, your Mac is really gasping for fresh memory. It seems counter-intuitive, but “available memory” your Activity Monitor is not that important after all. In fact, it’s a system intended behavior to use all memory resources when available. On the contrary, the Memory Pressure graph is much more telling, so grow a habit to check this graph in the Activity Monitor every now and then.

How to check CPU usage on Mac

Open the CPU tab in Activity Monitor to keep in check CPU-heavy processes. Normally an app would be using 0-4% of CPU. If it takes abnormally more than that, go inside that particular item in the list and press the Quit button.

How to free up memory on Mac

Tip # 1. Remove Login Items to lower Mac memory usage

Free Up Mac Memory Space App

Login items are programs that load automatically upon Mac startup. Some of them covertly add themselves to the list and this is no good. If you’re looking to free up RAM, they are the first candidates for deletion. Don’t worry, you’re not deleting the app itself, you just stop it from auto-launching every time.

So, to remove Login Items and at the same time reduce your memory usage of your Mac, you need to:

  1. Open System Preferences and select Users & Groups.
  2. Click your nickname on the left.
  3. Select the Login Items tab.
  4. Check programs you don’t want to load as your Mac starts.
  5. Press the “–” sign below.

Now, you won’t see these apps pop up the moment you turn on your Mac. Although this method doesn’t require some superpowers of yours, some special Mac optimization and memory cleaner tools may do the job faster and ensure the smooth performance of your Mac. CleanMyMac X is an excellent example of such software. Here’s how to disable Login Items with CleanMyMac X:

  1. Download it for free and go to the Optimization tab.
  2. Check Login Items to see the list of apps that get opened when you start your Mac.
  3. Click Remove.

As you’ve already come to the Optimization module of CleanMyMac, you can also fix hung apps and heavy memory consumers there. In this way, you’ll free up the solid amount of RAM on Mac — 100% free of charge.

Tip # 2. Free up disk space if Mac is low on memory

The available space on your Mac’s drive translates into virtual memory. This comes to save you when you’ve run out of physical RAM. So now your computer relies on your hard drive space to keep your apps going.

The classic geek rule of thumb holds it that you should keep at least 20% of disk space on your startup drive. Not only this potentially reduces your future spending on iCloud storage but it also keeps your Mac speedier.

What to delete to free up space:

  • Large unused files, like movies
  • Old downloads
  • Rarely used applications
  • System junk

But here’s a simpler solution to save your time — clean up your drive with CleanMyMac X— the app I’ve mentioned above. Many users recommend it as an excellent way to free up more space because it searches for large & old files, useless system files, Photo junk, mail attachments and shows everything you can safely delete. Interestingly, it finds about 74 GB of junk on an average computer.

Extra trick: How to free up RAM on Mac with CleanMyMac X

If you have downloaded CleanMyMac, you may also take advantage of its amazing feature — the ability to free up RAM in a few seconds. Try this next time you see “Your system has run out of application memory” message.

  1. Go to the Maintenance tab on the left.
  2. Click Free Up RAM.
  3. Click Run.

As simple as that!

And you can do it even if you download a free version of the app.

Tip # 3. Clean up your Desktop

This tip always comes at the bottom of instructions and unfairly so as it is quite effective. Without even looking at your Desktop I would assume it’s cluttered with mountains of icons. Thing is, your macOS was designed in a way that it treats every Desktop icon as a little active window. The more icons, the heavier memory usage on Mac. So in order to release available memory resources, it’s recommended to keep your Desktop clean.

You don’t have to do it all by yourself. With apps like Declutter and Spotless, every desktop cleaning session will be scheduled in advance and executed automatically. Your only job is to define the rules on how your files should be organized.

Tip #4. Clear cache files

Another way to free up RAM on Mac is to clear it of cache files. Of course, it won’t save you gigabytes of space, but deleting cache regularly, you can help your Mac run faster and avoid system issues.

So, to remove cache files on your Mac, you need to:

  1. Open Finder.
  2. From the Go menu, select Go to Folder.
  3. Type ~/Library/Caches in the field and press Go.
  4. In the window that appears, you will see all your cache files.
  5. Press Command+A to select all files or delete files one by one.
  6. Enter your user name and password to confirm.

If you find some files still in the folder after you emptied it, maybe you have some windows open on your Mac. Just like that, you can save up some space on your Mac. Don’t forget to empty the bin afterward.

Tip # 5. Tune up Chrome’s Task Manager

Although Google Chrome is not the one to blame for massive memory usage, it can indeed affect your Mac's performance. If you use Chrome as your primary browser, you probably have many windows opened there. Chrome runs a lot of processes to ensure a fast browsing experience for you. So, it uses your RAM for storing your tabs, plugins, and extensions. Look at how many entries Google Chrome has in Activity Monitor:

The question then arises, 'Why does Chrome use so much RAM?' The thing is that each process is responsible for a separate plugin or extension of your browser. For example, when a tab unexpectedly falls, you need to refresh it to continue your work there. If one process were responsible for all tabs and extensions, you would need to restart the whole browser instead. Can you imagine how many times would you do that? That’s the proper answer to why Chrome uses so much RAM.

I’ve been using Chrome for some years only to discover (recently) that Chrome had a task manager of its own. You can use it to force quit memory-heavy processes in the browser. It’s a handy tool because it lets you see how a page weighs on CPU usage on a Mac.

Your Computer Is Low On Memory Mac

  1. Go to Chrome settings (dotted icon in the top right corner)
  2. Click More tools -> Task Manager

To free up even more RAM, close the GPU process. The GPU Process, though helpful in theory to accelerate pages, eats up a considerable amount of memory. Click to end it to free up RAM on your Mac.

Tip # 6. Manage RAM usage with CleanMyMac X menu

CleanMyMac X has another useful and convenient feature for managing your Mac’s performance and memory usage. As you install CleanMyMac X and start it for the first time, it’s icon will appear in your menu bar. Click the icon to open the CleanMyMac X menu. Here you can find updates on the current condition of your Mac and perform quick tweaks to increase your Mac's speed. Whenever you feel like your Mac underperforms, open the CleanMyMac X menu to check how much RAM is available and free it up as well.

Free Up Memory On Mac

Tip # 7. Close Finder windows

Okay, suppose you’re still asking yourself, how do I clear RAM on my MacBook Pro/MacBook Air. The next trick is as magical (you’ll see for yourself) as it is time-saving. It’s no secret that each window in the Finder eats up RAM. But how many open windows are there? Some of them are collapsed or stacked in some blind spot on your screen. This Finder command merges all your windows into one. See how to do it:

Click on Finder > Window > Merge All Windows

How To Free Up Space On Macbook

Now you can manage Finder windows more effectively and free up memory on MacBook.

What else you can do to minimize memory usage on Mac

I’ve saved the easiest tips for the end, as long as these ones are self-explanatory.

How To Free Up Disk Space Mac

  • Replace AdBlock (very memory-demanding) with a lighter extension
  • Keep fewer opened tabs in the browser
  • Restart your Mac more often to free up RAM
  • Close all hung-up print queues

That was my take on how to make your Mac a bit speedier to use. If you’re looking for more guidance, check simple ways to speed up your Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to check application memory on Mac?

To check RAM usage on your Mac, go to Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities). In the Memory tab, you will see all the active processes that are using your Mac’s RAM. At the end of the window, there is a Memory Used graph, which indicates how much application memory is used.

How to find out whether your Mac needs more RAM?

Your Mac may be using almost all its RAM, but you don’t need more if it’s using it efficiently. Open Activity Monitor and go to the Memory tab. The Memory Pressure graph shows the current condition of your RAM: green color means your Mac’s using RAM effectively, while yellow is a sign that some application or process is using too much of application memory. The red memory pressure signals that your Mac needs more RAM.

How to quickly free up RAM on your MacBook?

To free up RAM on your Mac, firstly, you should find out what app uses so much of your memory. The memory-heavy programs are listed in Activity Monitor, Memory tab. If there is an app you aren’t using at the moment, click it and press the “X” sign to quit it. This will, in turn, free some of the application memory

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