How to reclaim disk drive space taken up by Final Cut Pro libraries

2 years ago 318

Have you tally into a concern wherever your Mac's interior thrust is full? Do you usage Final Cut Pro X? If so, Jack Wallen is beauteous assured helium knows what the occupation is and however to lick it.

I usage Final Cut Pro X regular to edit the video clips I make into consumable formats. Five years agone erstwhile I archetypal began this voyage, I ran into a alternatively unusual situation: The 1TB interior thrust connected my MacBook Pro had filled up. But why? I didn't store a batch of media connected the drive, nor did I prevention a ton of downloads.

Something was amiss, and I had to hole it fast; otherwise, macOS would commencement misbehaving. After a spot of digging, I discovered the occupation was the Final Cut Pro X room files. Without thinking, I deleted them, assuming I could conscionable prime up wherever I near disconnected – or, worst case, I could commencement anew. After all, I had renders of each my videos, and I didn't request to support the bits and pieces lying around.

So, I deleted the libraries and reclaimed hundreds of GBs of interior retention space. Whew - situation averted.

But that aforesaid occupation continued rearing its disfigured head, and each clip I'd upwind up deleting those room files – until I recovered a amended way.

SEE: How to physique a budget-friendly location video setup with expensive-looking results (TechRepublic Premium)

Final Cut Pro creates proxies and optimized copies of the archetypal media truthful it doesn't bog down during the rendering of your videos. It keeps these files astir successful lawsuit you request to enactment connected the task again, but you don't request those files. Sure, they marque the rendering process faster and little assets hungry, but adjacent if you delete those files, your projects stay intact.

I volition amusement you however to delete those files, truthful you tin wide up abstraction connected your drive.

What you'll need

To marque this work, you'll request a Mac moving Final Cut Pro X with immoderate projects already rendered.

How to delete the proxies and copies

Open Final Cut Pro X and prime 1 of your libraries successful the precocious near country (Figure A).

Figure A

Once you've selected the library, click File | Delete Generated Clip Files (Figure B).

Figure B

In the resulting model (Figure C), prime the checkboxes for Delete Render Files, All Delete Optimized Media and Delete Proxy Media. After making the selections, click OK, and Final Cut Pro X volition statesman the task of deleting these files.

Figure C

Depending connected however ample these libraries are, this process could instrumentality a fewer seconds up to a fewer minutes. Once this is done, spell to different Final Cut Pro X room and bash the same. After you delete the files from each your libraries, you should person each the abstraction you request connected your section storage.

A amended mode

I person a amended method of doing this, and it could prevention you from having to delete those rendered files. It's not foolproof and, astatine immoderate point, you'll inactive person to delete those files arsenic they devour each byte of abstraction your thrust has.

You tin connect an outer thrust for each room you request (in my case, I would request three). Then, you make the caller room connected the outer thrust by clicking File | New | Library. In the resulting model (Figure D), marque definite to find the room connected 1 of the recently attached drives.

Figure D

With those libraries stored connected outer drives, you don't person to interest astir your interior thrust (you know, the 1 lodging macOS) getting bogged down. Yes, it requires you to acquisition an outer thrust for each library, but, successful the end, the other outgo volition wage for itself with a mostly hassle-free setup.