OptiClear

Speed Up Your MacBook Pro M3 Max — Storage & Performance Guide

Your MacBook Pro M3 Max (Apple M3 Max, 2023) is built to be fast, but Pro video and 3D render scratch. The steps below target the storage and performance problems that show up most on this model.

Last updated: 2 min read

Chip
Apple M3 Max
Release Year
2023
Storage Tier
1 TB to 8 TB

Top Performance Tips for MacBook Pro M3 Max

Restart weekly to clear RAM, keep at least 15% of your 1 TB to 8 TB drive free, disable login items you don't need, and run OptiClear monthly to clear caches and orphaned app files.

Manual cleanup steps

  1. Quit the app completely (⌘+Q in the menu bar).
  2. Open Finder and press ⌘+Shift+G to open "Go to Folder".
  3. Paste this path and press Enter:
    ~/Library/Caches
  4. Select the files you no longer need and move them to Trash. Empty Trash to reclaim the space.

See it working

OptiClear — Scan overview — every category on one screen
Scan overview — every category on one screen
OptiClear — Large and aging files, ranked by what they cost you
Large and aging files, ranked by what they cost you
OptiClear — Photo library: duplicates and near-identical shots
Photo library: duplicates and near-identical shots

Let OptiClear find these files

Doing this by hand is slow and easy to get wrong. OptiClear scans your Mac, lists every related file with its size, and moves only what you select to the Trash, so you can still restore it. Scanning is free; cleaning requires OptiClear Pro.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to delete these files manually?
Usually, yes. Files in ~/Library/Caches are created by the app and can be removed once it has quit. Risk level: . Move them to the Trash rather than deleting them permanently, so anything you still need can be restored; the app recreates what it requires.
Will I lose my settings or data?
Manual removal of the support folder resets the app to defaults. To keep settings, back up the location first or use OptiClear's selective cleanup.

Related cleanup guides