how to remove "other" files

What is “Other” storage on a Mac, and how can I clean it out?

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The final word from Apple on Managing the " Other " Category

Other: 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.

he Other category is a potpourri of files which can include:

• System temporary files

• macOS system folders

• Archives and disk images (.zip, .iso, etc. - often found in the Downloads folder)

• Personal user data

• Files from the user’s library (Application Support, iCloud files, screensavers, etc.)

• Cache files: browser, Mail

• Mail messages & attachments

• Fonts, plugins, extensions

• Safari reading list

• iTunes backups

• Crud resulting from jailbreaking your iDevice

• Game data

• Saved data files

• Call history

• Notes

• Media

• Voice memos

• Other files that are not recognized by a Spotlight search

• Media files that cannot be classified by Spotlight as a media file because they are located inside of a package

• Files created and modified by other user accounts on your Mac.

They can be located anywhere on your hard drive.

The files that you have control over are located in the Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music and Movies folders.  You can use either of these two free apps, GrandPerspective  or OmniDiscSweeper, to find the largest files on your drive so you can determine if they can be deleted or moved to an external HD for storage.  

Note: you can empty the Downloads folder after the apps and/or updates that were downloaded have been installed or applied.  Many users have found a couple of Gigabytes of files in their Downloads folder which are no longer needed. 

I upgraded to a 2020 iMac from a late 2011 iMac on High Sierra 10.13.6. The HD on the old iMac had 330 GB on its 500GB drive, 3.0GB of "other". After the upgrade, the newer iMac had perhaps 350GB of data on its 1.0 TB , (apps, photos, etc.) but the "other" category was huge by comparison, perhaps 70 or 80GB. Things seemed to work OK but it was very slow doing anything. In a few months the "Other" category has expanded to 750 GB and free space shrunk to 88GB and the iMac has slowed down the the point of being unusable. The "core data" hasn't changed, only the "other". WHAT'S GOING ON AND HOW DO I FIX IT?

AJ

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