Digital Declutter
A systematic session to clear photos, files, email, browser tabs, the desktop, and downloads — leaving your devices fast and searchable.
Track your progress in the Check app
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Photos
- Use Google Photos or Apple Photos 'Duplicates' feature to delete duplicate photos in one pass
- Delete blurry, dark, and accidental photos — be ruthless; if you didn't save it when you took it, you probably won't view it later
- Download all photos from your phone to a computer or external drive before deleting anything from the cloud
- Create albums or folders by year or event — Photos apps support this without duplicating files
Files
- Set a timer for 45 minutes and go through your Documents folder top-level — move, delete, or archive each item
- Purge your Downloads folder completely — either file items into proper folders or delete; nothing should live in Downloads permanently
- Empty the Trash or Recycle Bin when done to free disk space
- Use DaisyDisk (Mac) or WinDirStat (PC) to find large files eating disk space — sort by size and delete dormant archives
- Search your inbox for 'unsubscribe' and unsubscribe from every newsletter you haven't opened in 3 months — use unroll.me as a shortcut
- Create 3 folders: Action, Waiting, Archive — drag anything from the inbox that requires more than 2 minutes
- Archive or delete anything older than 1 year in the inbox — Gmail's search operator 'older_than:1y' filters these in bulk
- Set up a filter to auto-archive newsletters and receipts so they skip the inbox going forward
Browser
- Save any open tabs you actually need to a reading list (Safari) or Reading List bookmark folder, then close all tabs
- Audit browser extensions — remove any you haven't used in 30 days; extensions have access to all your browsing data
- Clear browser cache and cookies for sites you no longer use: Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data
Desktop & Desktop Apps
- Move everything off your desktop — the desktop is not a storage location; it slows rendering on some systems
- Uninstall apps you haven't opened in 6 months — Mac: use AppCleaner to remove all associated files, not just the app bundle
- Review your phone's app library — delete any app you haven't opened since it was installed
Save this checklist
Check off steps, sync across devices, print to take with you.
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