The internal storage device on a Mac, whether it be a traditional hard drive, a Fusion drive, or a Solid State Drive, has a limited capacity. That means you can only save so much data on it before it fills up.
Completely filling up your computer's internal storage device is a very bad idea. Because the macOS uses the internal drive to help it make things run smoothly, if there's not enough space, the least you'll see is a lot more of the spinning beach ball. At worst, you could crash the entire system.
To help prevent this, Sentinel monitors the amount of storage being used on your Mac's internal storage device. If the device is more than 90% full, we issue an alert so that you can take action before serious problems occur.
How to clear space
The quickest and easiest way to clear space on your drive is to empty the Trash. It's something that's easy to forget to do, and sometimes that process alone is enough to create a lot of free space. You can empty the Trash by going to Finder > Empty the Trash...
If that doesn't get the job done, go to the Apple menu, choose About this Mac, and go to the Storage tab on the resulting window. There, you'll see a graphical representation of how much used and full storage your Mac has. You'll also be given the opportunity to click the Manage... button.
Managing Storage
The Manage Storage area will let you see what data is taking the most space—the list on the left—and give you recommendations on how to keep things pruned going forward. Store in iCloud, Optimize Storage, Empty Trash Automatically, and Reduce Clutter are all good options, but you should be aware that Store in iCloud may end up costing you a monthly fee ranging from 99 cents to $9.99 because it will very likely mean you need more iCloud storage space. The other three options are, of course, entirely free.
The Reduce Clutter option is effectively the same as scrolling down the list of areas on the left. You'll be presented with a list of files and given the opportunity to delete them. This can be a helpful way to see large files that have been buried out of sight (and out of mind).
Ultimately, if Apple's Manage Storage does not free up enough space, you may need to consider buying an external drive and storing files there or buying a new internal drive with a larger capacity. This latter choice is typically an expensive proposition, as it usually means taking the computer apart.
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