After MAC OS 12 Monterey update the System Data Folder swelled to incredible sizes after deleting files.

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After MAC OS 12 Monterey update the System Data Folder swelled to incredible sizes after deleting files.

I actually wanted to reply to an existing thread on this subject but was unable to as it had been closed.

I have been having a terrible problem with this recently on my new iMac 27 inch

I had noticed that space on my 500gb hard drive was reduced to 10% so acted by deleting large unnecessary documents this was not effective as space was not released at all.

My dealer suggested I bring it in or phone free Apple Support number firstly, which I did and explained that there was a rumour and a problem with Monterey doing this ….but……. they were worse than useless and suggested I just move my iPhotos library to an external hard drive as it was 89GB to release the space then I should delete the iPhotos file from my hard drive. I did comment to them that once deleted I might still have same problem and their response was “we will cross that bridge when we come to it! “

I was correct in my assumption as the space on my hard drive DID NOT increase but System Data got even bigger! I did not call them back!

The next day I got a new iOS Monterey security / Safari update come up so I ran it and very strangely my iPhotos library had appeared back on my dock which was a relief actually as I prefer it there but the size of iPhotos had reduced from 89GB to 22GB what is that all about?

Also my hard drive available space had increased but from only from 50GB to 100GB ?

But, I still had the same problem that when deleting files to release space it does not appear but system data gets even bigger.

Then I had a brainwave, I ejected my old existing Time Machine desktop hard drive and attached a new portable external hard drive and started anew with back ups. After this had completed backing up I checked my storage and it had magically recovered over 300GB of space from the measly 100GB!

I am not sure what is going on here not being very aufait with this sort of thing but it seems to have worked, well so far fingers crossed. Just wanted to share in case anyone else is still experiencing this very annoying problem.

iMac 27″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Feb 26, 2023 10:51 AM

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Answer 1

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PRP_53

Level 10

86,107 points

Feb 27, 2023 2:17 AM in response to Lillyann

Part 1 of 2

Deleting large amounts of files from the Hard Drive is a good idea.

Moving the Large collection of Photos to an External Drive is also a good idea

The caveat being that the " Purgeable Space " on the drive is Management Only by the Operating System

We, the User have no control over managing Purgeable Space

When the Operating System deems additional space is needed, it will release some of the Purgeable Space Back to Empty Space

Part 2 of 2

It is generally a good computer practice to alway keep at least 15% to 20% of the Total Drive Capacity’s as Empty Space.

Allowing the computer to drop below these guidelines may eventually, cause unintended consequences.

The links below will assist in identifying what is taking up space on the Internal Drive and provide possible ways to remove data that is under the direct control of the User ( Home Folder ) .

Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac

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

Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Notation - If the user is using a cloning software like Carbon Copy Cloner - suggest tweaking the Safety Net Feature in this software. It may be making additional Snap Shots that are not being Cloned to the Eternal Drive. If this should be the case, these Snap Shot could be using additional space on the drive

The final word from Apple on Managing the " Other/ System Data “ Category

Other / 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

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Answer 2

a brody

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83,451 points

Feb 26, 2023 1:34 PM in response to Lillyann

Time Machine does use its own "swap space" to keep copies of files being backed up at any given time. If you don't want your space reduced while using the machine, do not use the automatic backup functionality of Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Time Machine. And add it to your menubar so you can manually choose the best time to backup your data.

Generally you want to keep a minimum 15% free space. This arbitrary number has been found a point of diminishing returns where swap files and other temporary files create a runaway memory leak on certain programs.

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Answer 3

Lillyann Author

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Feb 26, 2023 11:24 PM in response to a brody

Thank you I am aware of that but just curious why changing the TM EHD has improved the problem of massive System Data space grabbing.....on my iMacs hard drive.

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After MAC OS 12 Monterey update the System Data Folder swelled to incredible sizes after deleting files.

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