Step 1

Go to Apple Menu > System Settings > General > Storage to get a category breakdown — identifies whether the culprit is apps, documents, photos, or system data before touching anything.

Step 2

Open CleanMyMac, click Cleanup > Scan, and let it find junk files, outdated caches, and system clutter — then hit Clean to reclaim the space in one go.

Step 3

In CleanMyMac's Applications section, scan for unused apps and remove them along with all their hidden support files — dragging to Trash alone leaves those behind.

Step 4

Launch Gemini, add the folders to scan, and click Scan For Duplicates — review the suggested pairs and remove the copies, recovering gigabytes that accumulated from double downloads and photo bursts.

Step 5

Open CloudMounter, connect Google Drive or Dropbox, and move large files there to free up local space — they stay accessible from Finder as if they were stored locally.