Apple Intelligence is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac!

📢 Newsroom Update

Apple introduces M4 Pro and M4 Max. Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Macbook Air storage / Photo library

I have a new MacBook Air and I haven't transferred any documents to it yet... However, it shows that the Photos library is already taking up 28 GB... Where does this come from?? At the same time "Fotos" only take up 1.41 GB... I didn't download any photos from iCloud...


Also it shows that System data is taking up 44.45 GB... To be honest I don't understand that I buy a MacBook Air with 245 GB storage and there's only 174 GB free space when I haven't transferred anything yet... Can someone please advise me about this?


MacBook Air 13″, macOS 12.1

Posted on Dec 21, 2021 12:41 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 22, 2021 10:23 AM

bszorad,


We're glad to hear that information was helpful.


Check out more details about turning off iCloud Photos on your Mac below from Get help with iCloud Photos:

"How do I turn off iCloud Photos on only one device?

You can turn off iCloud Photos on a single device when you follow these steps:

  • On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then turn off iCloud Photos.
  • On your Mac, open the Photos app, then choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud, then deselect iCloud Photos.
  • On your Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD, go to Settings > Accounts > iCloud. Under Photos, press Select to turn off iCloud Photos.

If you have Optimize Storage turned on, you might not have all of your original photos and videos on your device. To download the original photos and videos on your iOS device, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and select Download and Keep Originals. On your Mac, open Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud, then select Download Originals to this Mac. Keep your device plugged in to power and connected to the internet. After your originals download, you can turn off iCloud Photos. You can also select the photos and videos that you want to download from iCloud.com.


Before you turn off iCloud Photos, you might want to make a copy of your photos and videos."


Regards.

Similar questions

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 22, 2021 10:23 AM in response to bszorad

bszorad,


We're glad to hear that information was helpful.


Check out more details about turning off iCloud Photos on your Mac below from Get help with iCloud Photos:

"How do I turn off iCloud Photos on only one device?

You can turn off iCloud Photos on a single device when you follow these steps:

  • On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then turn off iCloud Photos.
  • On your Mac, open the Photos app, then choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud, then deselect iCloud Photos.
  • On your Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD, go to Settings > Accounts > iCloud. Under Photos, press Select to turn off iCloud Photos.

If you have Optimize Storage turned on, you might not have all of your original photos and videos on your device. To download the original photos and videos on your iOS device, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and select Download and Keep Originals. On your Mac, open Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud, then select Download Originals to this Mac. Keep your device plugged in to power and connected to the internet. After your originals download, you can turn off iCloud Photos. You can also select the photos and videos that you want to download from iCloud.com.


Before you turn off iCloud Photos, you might want to make a copy of your photos and videos."


Regards.

Dec 22, 2021 9:55 AM in response to bszorad

Hi there bszorad,


We understand you have some questions about the storage on your new MacBook Air.


If you enabled iCloud Photos on your Mac, this may be what's accounting for that storage usage.


Learn more about storage on your Mac here: See used and available storage space on your Mac


In regard to your question about the System storage, check out the note below:

"System Data: Contains files that don’t fall into the categories listed here. This category primarily includes files and data used by the system, such as log files, caches, VM files, and other runtime system resources. Also included are temporary files, fonts, app support files, and plug-ins. You can’t manage the contents of this category. The contents are managed by macOS, and the category varies in size depending on the current state of your Mac. You can manage your data that falls outside the other categories using Finder or the 3rd party apps that created it."


This page may also help: Free up storage space on your Mac


We hope this helps.

Macbook Air storage / Photo library

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.