I deleted LOADS to free up space on my HD, yet the space has gone!

[zenvision]

this is a strange one...i recently deleted a load of files to free up space on my macbook pro. i ended up with around 22 gig free. i turn off my mac, then later restart to find the free space has disappeared!

i have run disk utility a number of times = no problems with the hd and nothing has changed
i then ran cleanmymac = it just freed up a bit more space but no change really
i have also just run disk warrior and rebuilt the directory = still no change

i can't see anything on omnidisksweeper that could be the problem either...

i have run out of ideas here...why would a mac have the free space, then not?!

 

[GGJstudios]

this is a strange one...i recently deleted a load of files to free up space on my macbook pro. i ended up with around 22 gig free. i turn off my mac, then later restart to find the free space has disappeared!

For space issues, there are a few things you can try:

• Begin by restarting your computer as a first step. This sometimes resolves issues.
• For Time Machine users on Lion, space may being consumed by Time Machine local snapshots, which can be disabled.
  OS X Lion: About Time Machine's "local snapshots" on portable Macs
• Search with Finder to see if the space is being consumed by a very large file or several large files. Adjust the 50GB in the illustration to whatever size you deem appropriate.
  
  
• Use OmniDiskSweeper, JDisk Report or GrandPerspective to see how space is being used on your drive. Some of these apps may show more detail than others, so try several.

i then ran cleanmymac

I would not recommend CleanMyMac, based on the number of complaints that have been posted in this forum and elsewhere. As an example: CleanMyMac cleaned too much. While you may not have experienced problems yet, enough people have that it's wise to avoid it, especially since there are free alternatives that have better reputations, such as Onyx.

You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Most only remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process.

These apps will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space. In fact, deleting some caches can hurt performance, rather than help it, since more system resources are used and performance suffers while each cache is being rebuilt.

Many of these tasks should only be done selectively to troubleshoot specific problems, not en masse as routine maintenance.

Mac OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software. Among other things, it has its own maintenance scripts that run silently in the background on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, without user intervention.

Five Mac maintenance myths​

 

[zenvision]

thanks...the cleanmymac warning is duly noted!

i don't have time machine installed, so that isn't an issue.

unfortunately, i have tried the other things you have suggested but that free hd space still hasn't surfaced

 

[GGJstudios]

thanks...the cleanmymac warning is duly noted!

i don't have time machine installed, so that isn't an issue.

unfortunately, i have tried the other things you have suggested but that free hd space still hasn't surfaced

Have you emptied your trash? Did you try all the apps I suggested? Also, launch Activity Monitor and click the System Memory tab at the bottom to check your page outs and swap used.

My best recommendation regarding CleanMyMac is that you uninstall it. The most effective method for complete app removal is manual deletion:

Best way to FULLY DELETE a program​

 

[zenvision]

ok...after much investigation, i *think* i have figured out where the space went: ableton's live recording decoding cache

i've uninstalled cleanmymac, thanks for the advice

 

[GGJstudios]

ok...after much investigation, i *think* i have figured out where the space went: ableton's live recording decoding cache

i've uninstalled cleanmymac, thanks for the advice

Glad you got it worked out!