How to Manage Storage on MacBooks for Creative Professionals

MacBooks are generally one of the most used computers within the creative and design industry, their great performance in software and an extremely intuitive operating system make them perfect for handling demanding design applications and easily managing big project files.

However, such projects, and sometimes the software you use, puts big demands on the systems, throttling performance and slowing down your Mac. It also means that your Mac is constantly gathering files and media as time goes by, eventually running out of storage.

You can only ensure peak performance and your MacBook running as smooth as silk if you manage its storage optimally. In this guide, we highlight some practical tips for creative users who struggle to manage storage on their MacBooks!

Table of Contents

1. 1. Clean up system files
2. 2. Organize your creative files
3. 3. Optimize the Photos library
4. 4. Use external storage for large files
5. 5. Take Advantage of Apple’s cloud storage
6. 6. Create a maintenance routine
7. Final thoughts

1. Clean up system files

Daily usage creates a good deal of temporary files, caches, and duplicates on Mac. These could eat into your MacBook’s storage and affect how well it handles some resource-intensive creative work. 

Here’s how to tackle them:

Clear the system caches. These are temporary operating system files that your Mac uses for speeding up a process or an operation. They are useful in your MacBook’s proper running but may grow and build up, becoming unbearable in due course. 

Here’s how to clear the system cache on Mac:

1. Open Finder on Mac.
2. Click on Go > Go to Folder
3. Type ~/Library/Caches.

Delete cache folders you don’t need anymore, but be careful because some apps might require certain caches to run correctly.

Manage Downloads: Your Download folder is like a digital junk drawer. It tends to hold files you don’t necessarily need anymore. Make it a habit to scan through the folder and clear files that you have no use for.

2. Organize your creative files

One of the key factors that make Macs better than other laptops is how they’re perfectly tailored for creative work. They have a set of software that you can use for numerous creative and design projects. 

However, to ensure your Mac serves you better for creative work, you need to keep each file organized and reduce space wastage. 

Here is how to do it on Mac:

• Set up your folder structure: Arrange the files project-wise, client-wise, or date-wise. For instance, if you’re a photographer, you can create folders like Weddings > 2024 > ClientName. This approach ensures you can locate any file quickly.

• Offload the project you’re done with: Once you are through with a project, archive it on an external drive or cloud storage. 

3. Optimize the Photos library

For photographers and visual creatives, photos take too much of your Mac storage space. You have to deal with the clutter of leftover and useless photos that you probably won’t use anywhere. 

There is also a huge possibility that you may have already saved the photos to an external drive and are importing them to your main Photos library. That’s why optimizing your large photo library is important if you want to manage storage on your Mac. Here are a few steps to take:

• Start by deleting duplicate photos: If you import images more than once, your duplicates swamp your photo library. Learning how to delete duplicate photos on a Mac is one of the easiest ways to clear disk space. Take advantage of those applications that scan your Photos Library, identify duplicates, and remove them promptly.

• Reduce image sizes and resolution: While high-resolution images are great for quality, they sometimes consume a lot of space. There are tons of tools out there that let you compress your files into smaller sizes with little to no quality compromise.

4. Use external storage for large files

MacBooks are mobile and versatile, but the downside is that they only have a little built-in storage space for creatives dealing with large files. In such cases, external drives should work just fine if you have large-sized files on your Mac:

• Start by choosing the right drive. SSDs are faster and more durable than conventional HDDs. Look for models with Thunderbolt or USB-C connections for high-speed file transfers.

• Store resource-heavy files externally: Raw video footage, archived photo libraries, and old design files are ideal candidates for going onto external storage. Keeping these off your MacBook makes more room for active projects.

5. Take Advantage of Apple’s cloud storage

Cloud storage allows for easier safekeeping and access to your files on the Mac-from virtually any Apple device. Once you sign in to your Apple Account and turn on iCloud, you automatically get 5 GB of free storage.

If you’re a creative professional, you can use your iCloud storage for large files, photos, backups, and more.

Here’s how to enable iCloud on Mac:

1. Click on the Apple Menu.
2. Open System Preferences.
3. Choose Apple ID and select iCloud.
4. Turn on the Sync this Mac option.

6. Create a maintenance routine

MacBooks work best when they have free space. So, ensure your Mac is always ready to face daily creative challenges with you by performing these simple tasks:

• Set automatic update: It enables macOS and app auto-updates to avoid bugs and keep the system updated.

• Perform routine cleanups: Create a monthly reminder to free disk space on Mac and delete unnecessary files.

Final thoughts

As a creative professional, it is important that you optimize your Mac in the best possible way to suit your workflow. Regular monitoring of system requirements and storage management will keep your Mac powerful and ready to perform your creative tasks. The less time you spend on sorting out storage, the more time you will have to engage in creative work that you love doing.