Storage being taken up by system

So, I'm trying to update to MacOS Ventura but i need 25 gigabytes of storage. I checked about this mac and it says that system takes up 90 gigabytes. I can't get rid of storage from the other categories because even if i got rid of everything it would only be 23 gigabytes. Is there any way to get rid of some of the system storage that I don't need? (also 11 out of 15 gigabytes of my apps is being taken up by the installer for macOS Ventura)

MacBook Pro (2017 – 2020)

Posted on Apr 1, 2023 1:14 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 1, 2023 2:16 PM

Will point out, this 128 GB SSD drive is the smallest available and IMHO should have never been offered at time of Sale


That said, the best you can do is to remove as much Data Files under the User Direct Control.


That would be in the User Account ( Home Folder ) of this computer


Thereafter, there is little more that can be done


That or Reformat the Entire Drive ( Everything will be Lost ) and the install a Fresh Version of Ventura


After that, the user will be hard pressed to h=keep the 15% to 20% of the Drive as Empty Space


Manage Storage


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.

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 1, 2023 2:16 PM in response to Rendoves

Will point out, this 128 GB SSD drive is the smallest available and IMHO should have never been offered at time of Sale


That said, the best you can do is to remove as much Data Files under the User Direct Control.


That would be in the User Account ( Home Folder ) of this computer


Thereafter, there is little more that can be done


That or Reformat the Entire Drive ( Everything will be Lost ) and the install a Fresh Version of Ventura


After that, the user will be hard pressed to h=keep the 15% to 20% of the Drive as Empty Space


Manage Storage


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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Storage being taken up by system

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