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System Data is taking up all the HD space

Hi all,

I have an M1 Macbook Air currently running Monterey.

The problem is that since a couple of months ago, the "System Data" is becoming very large (more than 90GB). Everything started when I tried to update xcode without luck (infinite updating time), so I completely uninstalled xcode and reinstalled from scratch. After that I noticed the increase of "System Data".


Is this normal? I'm very concerned that sooner than later I'll run out of free space.


Thanks,

Luca




MacBook Air 13″, macOS 12.1

Posted on Jan 17, 2022 9:43 AM

Reply
Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jan 18, 2022 3:05 AM

Problem solved!

This is what I did:

1) I've used the command line du utility to check for big files (piped with "sort")

2) I've realized that the vast majority of data came from /Library/InstallerSandboxes/.PKInstallSandboxManager/

3) I googled that directory and found an apple.stackexchange answer that explain that the cause was a failure of xcode update (yes! that's my case too!!)

4) Followed the advice on that answer and I got back 80GB of space (and reinstalled xcode from scratch another time just to be sure).


Thanks a lot for the help tho!



3 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Jan 18, 2022 3:05 AM in response to Luca-91

Problem solved!

This is what I did:

1) I've used the command line du utility to check for big files (piped with "sort")

2) I've realized that the vast majority of data came from /Library/InstallerSandboxes/.PKInstallSandboxManager/

3) I googled that directory and found an apple.stackexchange answer that explain that the cause was a failure of xcode update (yes! that's my case too!!)

4) Followed the advice on that answer and I got back 80GB of space (and reinstalled xcode from scratch another time just to be sure).


Thanks a lot for the help tho!



Jan 17, 2022 10:41 AM in response to Luca-91

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


Free up storage space on your Mac


OmniDiskSweeper Safe to use


GrandPerspective 


How to delete Time Machine snapshots on your Mac


See used and available storage space on your Mac


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.

Jan 17, 2022 11:04 AM in response to Luca-91

Here is another take on the Other category:


The 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. 


System Data is taking up all the HD space

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