🧹 How to Delete Big Files on Mac Using DaisyDisk (2025 macOS Cleanup Guide)

Running out of space on your Mac?
Getting those “Your disk is almost full” pop-ups?

You could waste hours manually searching.
Or… you could launch DaisyDisk, scan your drive, and nuke the space hogs in minutes.

Here’s how to free up storage on macOS like a digital ninja.

💽 Why DaisyDisk?

DaisyDisk is a beautifully designed Mac app that helps you visualize your disk usage. Instead of random file lists, you get a color-coded sunburst map that shows you exactly what’s eating your Mac's storage.

Perfect for:

✅ Finding large hidden files
✅ Cleaning up leftover app junk
✅ Freeing up storage on older MacBooks
✅ macOS Sonoma / Ventura / Monterey users

⚡ Step-by-Step: Delete Big Files with DaisyDisk

🔹 Step 1: Download & Install DaisyDisk

• Visit daisydiskapp.com
• Drag it into your Applications folder
• Launch it — the latest version works great on macOS 10.13+. Yes from High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, to Ventura, Sonoma or Sequoia.

💡 The free version lets you preview. Paid unlocks drag-to-delete. Worth it.

🔹 Step 2: Scan Your Disk

• Open DaisyDisk
• Click Scan next to your internal drive (e.g. “Macintosh HD”)
• Wait a few moments — DaisyDisk will map out every folder and file visually

🧠 The bigger the slice, the more storage it's using. Zoom in on suspiciously large blobs.

🔹 Step 3: Identify & Collect Large Files

• Click on large sections (like Downloads, Movies, Virtual Machines, etc.)
• Hover and check size info in the sidebar
• Drag unwanted items into the Collector area (bottom bar)

🔹 Step 4: Delete with Confidence

• Once you’ve collected what you want to delete…
• Hit the Delete button (counting down in 5 seconds)
• DaisyDisk will securely move those files to Trash or delete directly

⚠️ Careful! Deletions are final. Only collect files you’re 100% okay losing.

📌 Bonus Cleanup Tips

🧽 Other ways to free up storage on macOS:

• Clear System Data (check in About This Mac > Storage)
• Delete iOS backups in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
• Empty your Downloads and Trash folders
• Offload or compress Photos Library
• Uninstall unused apps using AppCleaner

🌟 Why People Love DaisyDisk

• Fast scans
• Visual interface = no guesswork
• Works great for external drives
• Helps find forgotten .DMGs, Time Machine local snapshots, and hidden caches

🧠 Bonus: You can scan External HDD, or Cloud drive like Box, Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive folders locally too.

🧾 TL;DR – Free Up Mac Storage with DaisyDisk