![]() ![]() No, I don’t mean an external cleaning, although that’s a good idea as well. This is more of putting your files in order and getting rid of items that you no longer need or use. ![]() It’s not a lot of fun moving files and folders around, either in the real world or on a Mac. But doing so can give you a sense of satisfaction when you’ve neatly organized an unruly pile of files and folders into a workable filing system. ![]() The Mac desktop is a good place to start some people love to use it for storing documents “temporarily”, then never remove those documents. (A tiny fraction of the hundreds of scans in my scan folder) On less powerful Macs, all of those scattered files and folders on the desktop can slow down initial startup, so move those files where they belong - either in the cloud or somewhere in a folder on your Mac. When initially researching this article, I thought of one folder in particular on my iMac that made me shudder with fear whenever I needed to find something in it (see image above). I use the Scanbot app for iOS as a scanner for all of my paper documents, and by default they end up in a scan folder on iCloud and on my Mac. Since my file naming convention wasn’t consistent over the years that I’ve scanned hundreds of documents, I had a mess on my hands.Ī good way to start organizing is to write down the categories of files that have accumulated, then create folders for each of those categories. For my scan folder, I found that I had categories that included Auto Registrations and Licensing, Charities, Investments, Medical, House Maintenance, Travel, Landscaping, Pets, Parent Care, Insurance, Art, Banks, Utilities, and Baseball Tickets. Creating fourteen folders and moving similar files into those folders actually wasn’t too time-consuming and now makes it simple to find documents. Looking through my scan folder I found documents pertaining to the disposition of a relative who had died years ago. The estate has been settled and there’s really no reason to keep these documents as they’re available as public records. I took a last look at the contents and tossed ’em into the Mac trash can when I was sure that I’d never need them again. I also go through my Downloads folder once a month, and I find that I usually have two to three hundred images, installer files, and other files that I don’t need. The images are screenshots used for articles I write, and the installers can be downloaded again if needed. Tossing these cleans up about 5 – 10 GB on my Mac. Have apps that you don’t use very often? Uninstall them by dragging them from the Applications folder to the Trash. Some apps can be huge (Microsoft Outlook takes up 1.5 GB, for example) and if you’re not using them, uninstalling can be a good way to not only save storage space on your Mac but make it easier to find the app you’re looking for. If an app has an uninstaller, use it rather than simply tossing the app into the Trash to ensure that all of the various components of the app are deleted.Ĭheck for Duplicate Files and Clean Up System Filesĭuplicate files occur for various reasons and are notorious space hogs. If you don't have this data on your computer/phone, the border guards will have far less information).But sadly, they’re rather difficult to find without an app that can quickly look through all of your files and find those that are identical. And oh, don't remember the usernames on banking apps for smartphones. (Note to self: it is probably a good idea to not use email clients, because they store emails on computers and phones. Now, if I were to be traveling to other countries and back, how could I protect files that I REALLY don't want ANYONE to see-but that I have easy access to? Is the only solution really to just open a cloud storage account, and then create an encrypted file with VeraCrypt with an extremely long and complex password under AES-256 encryption, then put whatever files I want on it? That way, only if I become a suspect in a crime, will a search warrant be granted, and even then, I still have the right to refuse to disclose the key to the police. This case, and many others before it (both in Canada and other countries, especially the United States) outlines a giant legal problem: when border agents are given unlimited powers to search what is essentially a person's entire history, you can end up being in a lot more trouble than you had ever expected. A recent case in Canada (I live in Ontario) outlined how someone who refused to disclose their encryption key at the airport got a $500 fine for interfering with border agents.
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