Optimized storage
Let macOS and iCloud handle the hassle of tidying up files
Though the cost of flash storage looks destined to drop further given time, most MacBooks still come with a paltry amount of it as standard. The prices Apple asks you to pay for more are expensive when you get into the realms of a hard-drive-rivalling 1TB capacity. The result, on portable Macs in particular, can feel like stepping back in time as it puts a burden on you to clear out old files.
Sierra can take on this burden of manually archiving or trashing old files, which should avoid the situation where free storage space runs low. Its Optimized Storage feature puts documents you haven’t touched in a while, Mail attachments and even photos in the cloud. However, the files will appear to you like they’re still in their original locations, and they’re downloaded on demand when you next try to use them. This sounds like the sort of zero-friction experience Apple already pulled off in Photos for iOS, which downloads full-quality originals from iCloud Photo Library when they’re needed. Apple also says Sierra will prompt you to delete app installers you’ve already used, clear out duplicate downloads, caches, logs and other stuff, and that trashed items older than 30 days will be removed – much like the Recently Deleted album in Photos. Apple says that when it tested this on a Mac with 20GB free storage, turning on all of Optimized Storage’s settings took it back up to 150GB.
Just like the Continuity feature that puts the desktop and documents in iCloud, Optimized Storage depends on you being content to pay Apple a monthly fee to increase your online storage, in order to ensure there’s enough space to store a potentially larger amount of data there than at present.
You may also want to take into account your internet connection’s upload speed, and any monthly limits of your internet service.