If you’re looking for a simple tool that will allow you to quickly scan your hard drive and delete unnecessary cache files in one click, I want to introduce you to Disk Scope. It’s a (currently) free Mac app that displays a chart of your used disk space and then frees up that space on your hard drive by deleting cache files. Whether you’re a beginner or pro Mac user, Disk Scope is easy to use and will sweep away those extra files in minutes. Here’s how.
Getting Started
First things first, you’ll need to download Disk Scope from the Mac App Store. Each time you run the app, for your safety you’ll be asked to select your disk.
Scan Your Hard Drive
Once a drive is selected, Disk Scope will immediately begin to scan your hard drive. You’ll see the scanning/working symbol at the far right of each folder being scanned.
You’ll see a list of your main folders: desktop, documents, music, applications, movies, pictures, downloads and shared. Clicking on the magnifying glass icon under each will open that specific folder in Finder. When the scan is complete, you’ll be able to see just how much space each folder is taking up – a numerical value and visual bar value.
Clean Your Caches
Now all you have to do is clean up your cache files by clicking on the “Clean Up Caches” button at the top of the window – below the bar showing your total hard drive used and free space. Next to the button, you’ll also see how much space your cache files are taking up. Once these files are cleaned, this is the amount of free space you’ll gain. When you click on the button, you’ll see a confirmation message asking if you’re sure that you want to clean the Caches folder. Click on “yes” and then you’ll see Disk Scope at work again.
When the scan is complete, you should see a difference in the bar showing your total hard drive used and free space. You’ll also notice that it now shows “0 bytes” next to the “Clean Up Caches” button. That’s it! You’re all done and your hard drive will be that much cleaner.
Conclusion
Disk Scope works as promised without all of the extra bells and whistles that come with similar apps; it scans your hard drives, displays how much of your space is being used, and deletes unneeded cache files so that you have more space. With an app like this, what else is really needed? It’s simple, yet offers a nice visual view of your hard drive and helps to keep out junk. Disk Scope does not have a menu bar icon, but you will see an icon in your dock. It’s one of those apps that you simply run as needed. The only downside I can see to Disk Scope is that you have to close and reopen it again, to perform a new scan. Do you use Disk Scope or do you use another tool to clean up your Mac? Disk Scope
