Macbook Storage is half full with non-existant 'Other Users'

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Level 1

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Macbook Storage is half full with non-existant 'Other Users'

I bought a macbook air m1 2020 recently second hand but essentially brand new, however the storage seems to already be nearly full. As you can see in this image, 94GB out of the 245GB available are being filled by something called 'Other Users'.

However when I go to Users & Groups in the settings I see nothing except myself and a guest (which is disabled).

Is this normal? I can't imagine it is and I can't see any mention of it online. I figure the person who sold me the laptop may have done a bad job wiping it but I'm not sure how that is possible or how to fix it.

Any help would be much appreciated thanks!

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 13.4

Posted on Jan 3, 2024 6:06 AM

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Answer 1

Ronasara

Level 6

15,519 points

Jan 3, 2024 10:47 AM in response to DizzyMcNizzy

I don't know where you got your picture. The only reliable way to see how full a HD is is by opening Disk Utility. That data is accurate. The Other is generally what is described below. I hope this is helpful.

The Other Category can not be altered, modified, move or deleted since it is part of the Mac’s operating system. Doing so would corrupt the OS and render the OS inoperative requiring a Wipe and Re-Installation.

The Other category is a potpourri of files which 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

• Fonts, plugins, extensions

• 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

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.

Also, if your OS becomes too full your computer will stop functioning.

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Macbook Storage is half full with non-existant 'Other Users'

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