Make the most of iCloud

iCloud sync

If you use iCloud, documents and other data can be synchronized across your Mac and iOS devices, avoiding duplication or copies of files at various stages of completion.

Share Desktop & Documents

Opt to store your Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud Drive, and they’ll be accessible and kept in sync across Macs with Sierra or later, iCloud Drive in iOS 10, and Files in iOS 11, if signed in to your iCloud account.

Optimize

In iCloud Drive’s prefs, turn on Optimize Mac Storage. If space is low, your Mac works out what you’re unlikely to use soon and turns the local copy into a link that redownloads the file from iCloud if needed. Be wary of any files with dependencies.

Watched videos

If you download a lot of movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store, they’ll take up gigabytes of storage. Your Mac can automatically delete any items you’ve watched. To do that, click the appropriate checkbox in the Advanced tab in iTunes’ preferences.

Store your photos In iCloud

In the iCloud section of Photos’ prefs, check iCloud Photo Library. Your photos and videos will all be sent to iCloud and synced across all your devices (along with any edits you have made) — assuming you have enough iCloud storage, of course.

Optimize photos

When photos are stored in iCloud Photo Library, you can opt for full-res originals to be stored locally. If local storage is insufficient, choose Optimize Mac Storage.