Can't Clear Out Mac Library Updates

Jan 15, 2018  #1 I tried to update from 10.13.1 10.13.2 and update did not finish and now when i shutdown or restart, screen stays black and i have to press power button 5 sec to crash it. Other than that, Mac works okay. I found this folder in root level of boot drive and it. Aug 24, 2015  If you've migrated your photo library to the new Photos app for Mac, deleting your old iPhoto library can help you free up gigs of space. You’ll have to delete your old library manually. Give this tip a try and see how much storage space you were able to clear up. A follower on Twitter referenced to me an article written on Six Colors. Sep 21, 2018  Instead of looking for iOS software updates on your Mac manually and making decisions about what files you want to delete or leave untouched, you can take advantage of CleanMyMac X. Launch it, hit Scan, and then Clean, and the app will clean your Mac from unneeded data cluttering your system, Trashes and iPhoto library (if you have one), including outdated iOS software updates.

With the upgrade to Photos, many Mac users have been left with a duplicate iPhoto library on their Macs. Here’s how to delete iPhoto library and clear out some clutter.

iPhoto used to be the standard photo editor and photo management system on Macs, at least for the average computer user. Like it or not, however, that all changed when Apple first introduced the software, nearly a year ago. If your Mac came from Apple with Photos already installed, you don’t need to worry about old iPhoto libraries.

A Mac that was upgraded to a new version of OS X that added the Photos app, however, can end up with what look like duplicates of their photo libraries. The first time you start up Photos after upgrading, your Mac will copy over your photo library into the new software (if you explicitly set up more than one old iPhoto library, you’ll have to copy them over yourself). It doesn’t go back and delete the old one, though.

Here’s where things get a little bit confusing: you don’t actually have two copies of your photos. Thanks to the way OS X (the software that powers your Mac, like Windows powers a PC) works, your pictures aren’t actually stored in those libraries. Instead, they’re stored somewhere else on your hard drive, and each library has what Apple calls a “hard link” to the pictures. As a result, each library can access the photos, but store separate information about them. You can delete either library safely; only if you were to delete both libraries would you lose access to your pictures.

While having a second copy of your photo library doesn’t take up that much extra space on your computer, it can still be confusing – first of all, each library reports that it’s a certain size, which can make it difficult to figure out how much room is left on your Mac. Additionally, if you need to back things up, it can be hard to figure out where your files are.

Still with us? Let’s recap:

  • if you upgrade your Mac from iPhoto to Photos, you’ll get a second photo library
  • if you had multiple iPhoto libraries (you would know if you did), you’ll need to copy them into Photos manually
  • the libraries each link to a single copy of your photos, rather than storing each photo twice
  • it can appear that your libraries are taking up more space than they are, thanks to the way hard links work
  • you can safely delete either photo library – only if you delete both of them will you lose access to your photos

How to delete iPhoto library on your Mac

Now that you understand why you might want to delete an old iPhoto library, and why you don’t necessarily have to, let’s talk about how to actually do it.

Before you do anything like this on your Mac – that is, delete something potentially important – you should back up your software with something like Time Machine.

Read: How to Backup Your Mac with Time Machine

That way, if you accidentally delete something important, or something else goes wrong, you can always roll things back to how they were when you started. This is really easy, and there’s nothing to be concerned about; it’s just good practice to back things up (and keep them backed up) before you muck about in your computer.

First, you’ll need to open a Finder window: you can do this by clicking on the Finder icon (it looks like a square face) on the dock, or by clicking on your Mac’s desktop background and hitting ⌘+N (Command + N) on your keyboard.

Next, look at the left-hand column in the new window. You’ll see a list of locations around your Mac; find the one that says Pictures and click on it. You’ll be taken to that directory, which contains libraries for Apple’s image-related apps (Photos, iPhoto, Photo Booth, etc).

In the list of files on the right, scroll down and look for your iPhoto library – it’ll be a little iPhoto icon, and the name will read, unsurprisingly, iPhoto Library. Don’t worry about accidentally deleting your Photo Booth or Photos libraries; you’ll be able to see which one is which.

To actually delete the library, you can do one of three things:

  1. Click on the iPhoto Library listing, and without letting go of your mouse or trackpad button, drag it until it’s over top the Trash icon on your dock. Once you’re on top of the Trash, let go.
  2. You can select (click on) the iPhoto Library, then right-click on your mouse or Trackpad (Apple will call this Secondary Click in your Mouse or Trackpad settings). A new menu will pop up; find the entry that says Move to Trash and click on it.
  3. Finally, you can also delete your iPhoto Library by clicking on it and hitting ⌘+Delete (Command + Delete) on your keyboard.

Read: How to uninstall apps on Mac OS X

Now that you’ve gotten rid of your iPhoto library, it makes sense to completely uninstall iPhoto – that way you won’t accidentally create a new iPhoto Library and have to repeat all these steps. It’s as simple as opening up your Applications folder, and deleting iPhoto (using one of the three steps we just discussed). For a more in-depth look at how to uninstall apps on your Mac, be sure to check out our guide above!

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Your Mac takes care of routine maintenance behind the scenes eventually, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep things tidy yourself in the meantime. One easy way to keep your Mac running its best is to occasionally clean the cache.

How to clear cache files step-by-step?

There are three types of caches you can clean on your Mac:

  • User (or App) cache. These cache files created by all the apps that you use on Mac. It includes apps that came with your macOS (like Mail) as well as 3rd-party apps (like Sketch). Every applications creates a lots of cache - it wouldn’t be surprising to clear up gigabytes of space when cleaning app caches.
  • System cache. These cache data created by the built-in macOS system services that run your Mac.
  • Browser cache. All browsers store your browsing history and cache data from websites you visit. You know how you shop for something online and then for weeks you’re seeing it everywhere? That’s because your browser caches hundreds of files that make up the websites you visit. Caches also include cookies and trackers that save information about your browsing history and report the data back to the site. This works out in your favor when you return to a site without having to log in again, but it can also leave you feeling like your computer is spying on you.

Old cache files do nothing but cluttering your system and slowing down your Mac through all the wasted space it is taking up. Here's a guide to cleaning all these caches, at the end of which your Mac will be lighter and leaner.

The guide to clean all caches on your Mac

Besides browser and website information, your Mac keeps several caches of its own for different reasons. The good news is you can clean them up manually, or you can clean them with a special app which can clear the browser cache in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox, as well as your system cache, email cache, user cache files, and even your DNS cache files.

Clear your cache in one click

Install the best utilities for clearing your cash — enjoy a clean system and a fresh browsing experience on Mac.

Delete user caches on a Mac

User cache makes up the majority of junk data on macOS. Your applications accumulate user's cache data on a hard disk the longer they are in use. Some apps and utilities can build up cache sizes that reach into gigabytes. This is often just a waste of space, particularly with apps you don’t use every day. By clearing your user apps cache files, you’ll be amazed at how much hard disk space you can reclaim.

Note: Manually clearing cache files on a Mac is something that anyone can do. It takes some time and patience, but if you follow our instructions, you can get the job done all by yourself. Please follow the instructions closely.

Clean up cache files manually

To find and clear your user cache manually, do the following:

  • In your Mac’s user folder, there’s a hidden Library folder, which itself contains a folder of caches left by the applications you’ve installed on your Mac.
  • Strongly recommend that you remove the insides of ~/Library/Caches and /Library/Caches folders, but not the folders themselves.
  • Want to make sure your junk user cache data is gone forever? - Empty out your Trash.

If you are unsure and want a safer option, go ahead and learn on how to use CleanMyMac to handle caches properly. It will find up to 5x more junk cache data to remove from all over your system.

Get rid of cache files with CleanMyMac

  1. Launch CleanMyMac app.
  2. Select System Junk in the left sidebar.
  3. Hit Scan at the bottom of app's window.
  4. Then click Clean.

And you're done! If you’d like to remove only cache files and nothing else, click on Review Details before clicking Clean. Deselect everything but System Cache Files and User Cache Files, then click Clean.

Delete system caches on Mac

System cache files are generated by OS X and, unlike application cache, have nothing to do with the user. The hidden system caches are mainly created by the apps that run on your Mac. The clearing of system cache is not recommended in manual mode, unless you are very careful or trying to fix a problem. System cache files do not generally take up much space, which is another reason why a clean out isn’t as necessary as with user cache.

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Clean up system cache data manually

You can find and delete system cache in the same way as user cache, by

  1. Going to ~/Library/Caches and hit Enter to removing the insides of the folders with the app name.
  2. System cache folders are named com.apple and should be backed up for safety.
  3. Go into the com.apple folders and delete the files inside of them. Only the files, not the folders!
  4. Right click on the Trash icon and “Empty Trash”.

That’s it, now, just like with your user cache, your system cache is also clear.

Be careful: not all app cache files can be safely deleted. Some app developers keep important information on cache folders. The great idea to backing up a folder before you erase all files inside. If everything works fine, you can delete this backup.

One-button solution to cleanup macOS caches

CleanMyMac is such a great tool because it lets you perform the exact maintenance you want, or run a Smart Cleanup scan with a single click and have the software make recommendations.

Custom kontakt library creator mac

Clean up browser caches

We love our browsers but we don’t love it when they start to use up hard disk space with cache files. Whether you’re wanting to free up space, get your browser performing better or trying to remove your history for the sake of privacy, removing your Mac browser cache will help.

Flush DNS caches

Your Mac’s DNS cache is a list of all the DNS queries that were resolved for every site. When you type in 'setapp.com,' the DNS server resolves that to a numerical IP address. But if you notice a site not loading, or your browser acting up or working too slowly, resetting the DNS cache might be the cure.

To flush DNS cache manually

  1. Open Terminal (⇧ Shift+⌘+U, and double-click on Terminal)
  2. Type this into Terminal: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache;sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder;say cache flushed
  3. Press Enter to run and fill your admin password to execute the command.

To clean your Mac’s DNS cache in one click

  1. Open CleanMyMac and select Maintenance in the left sidebar
  2. Check the box for Flush DNS Cache
  3. Click the Run button at the bottom of the window

Your browser cache is essentially saved bits of the websites you’ve visited recently. That way, if you go back, your computer can re-use locally cached elements that haven’t changed, which speeds up load times versus reloading everything fresh from the remote server. Your cache will overwrite itself eventually, but you can clear your cache, history, and cookies anytime you want to gain a little bit of extra security and speed up your Mac.

Clear Safari caches step-by-step

To delete Safari's websites' caches and cookies via browser preferences:

  1. Click Safari in the top menu click Preferences.
  2. In the window that appears, click the Advanced tab, and enable Show Develop menu.
  3. In menu bar go to Develop and choose Empty Caches.

Can't Clear Out Mac Library Updates For Windows 10

Check and delete Safari browser cache with Terminal:

  1. Press Command + Shift + G to open up the Terminal
  2. With these simple commands you can delete Safari's cache file. But first, check its size using the disk usage (du) command:
    du -h /Users/$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db
    Note: replace '$HOME' with the name of your home folder
    1. To delete Safari's cache file type:
      rm /Users/$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db
      Note: when you use the remove (rm)command files are essentially unrecoverable.
    2. A more prudent approach is to use the move (mv) command:
      mv /Users/$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db ~/.Trash/
      This will move the file to your user's ($HOME) trash. From there it is still recoverable until you empty the trash.
      Safari will create a new Cache.db file automatically when you open a new webpage.
    3. Open a new webpage or restart Safari and recheck disk usage:
      du -h /Users/$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db

Mcmaster Library

That's all.

Chrome clearing cache tutorial

The simplest way to clear Chrome browser cache manually is:

  1. In the top right corner of Google Chrome browser click the 3-dot icon to choose Settings.
  2. At the bottom of the menu, choose Advanced (or use Cmd+Shift+Delete keyboard shortcut)
  3. Click Clear browsing data and deselect all, but Cached images and files. Choose time range and hit Clear data button.

One more way to delete Chrome browser cache is to clear some folders where these data located.

  1. To find Chrome cache files, open Finder and click to Go to the folder.
  2. To go to the folder where Chrome' primary cache locates type: ~/Library/Caches/Google/Chrome/
  3. To go to the folder with the additional bulk of cached data type:~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Application Cache/
  4. Select files within these folders and delete them.

How to delete cache in Firefox manually

  1. Click the hamburger icon in the top right corner and choose Preferences.
  2. Choose Privacy & Security on the left sidebar.
  3. Scroll to the section Cookies and Site Data and click to Clear Data.. tab
  4. Now, check Cached Web Content and click Clear button to delete Firefox cache.
  5. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

How to clean all browsers cache data at once

  1. Open CleanMyMac and select Privacy in the left sidebar
  2. Click Scan at the bottom of app's window
  3. Then Select Items to advance to the next page. The list is broken down by app: you can check each browser to remove all data, such as cookies, browsing history, downloads history, HTML5 local storage, saved passwords, and even close the tabs from your last session. Or you can uncheck any of that you want to keep
  4. Click the Remove button at the bottom of the window when you’re ready to delete everything that’s checked

Shape up your Mac even more with other apps in Setapp

CleanMyMac isn’t the only app in the Setapp collection that helps you take good care of your Mac. Setapp gives you access to all of its apps at once, so you can try to get your Mac in even better condition with no downside. Here are some examples.

Declutter automatically sorts files you leave on your desktop, so they’re not cluttering up your view but are still easy to find.

Disk Drill can perform data recovery tasks, like restoring deleted files that haven’t been written over yet, or grabbing anything usable off a corrupted flash drive.

Gemini can find duplicate files. For example, photos and videos you downloaded from your iPhone as well as emailed yourself. Or PDFs you downloaded and filed away once, only to download again later when you forgot you already had a copy.

iStat Menus monitors your Mac’s vital signs in real time, so when things slow down you can see which app is hogging all your memory.

Get Backup Pro makes it easy to make bootable backups of your system, making emergencies not so scary anymore.

No one likes a slow Mac, and it’s a good idea to clean it up every so often. Cache files are the most common and probably the least understood offender that Setapp can help you to keep under control.

So you can do everything else in a blink of an eye. With Setapp, you have full access to the best solutions for performing routine Mac maintenance whenever you like.