I am not techie at all.
2yr-old Macbook Pro Ventura 13.4.1 with 1T storage: “System Data” is using 752.6G.
Time Machine is not running - I never turned it on/set it up.
This is all I know. I’ve been reading articles online, but it all sounds techie and risky. Do I need to pay someone to safely reduce this storage hog?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 13.4
The System Data used to be called 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 this free app, GrandPerspective, 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. Some users have found a couple of Gigabytes of files in their Downloads folder which are no longer needed.
Do you have any type of backup running? If you're using Carbon Copy Cloner there are local snapshots which might be adding to the bloat. Launch Disk Utility and look at all containers of the boot drive for local snapshots by Carbon Copy Cloner like these by Time Machine:
If you find any I'd delete all but the last one.
The System Data used to be called 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 this free app, GrandPerspective, 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. Some users have found a couple of Gigabytes of files in their Downloads folder which are no longer needed.
Do you have any type of backup running? If you're using Carbon Copy Cloner there are local snapshots which might be adding to the bloat. Launch Disk Utility and look at all containers of the boot drive for local snapshots by Carbon Copy Cloner like these by Time Machine:
If you find any I'd delete all but the last one.
Thanks for responding so quickly Old Toad, you actually helped me understand!
Reading your response and delving back into the “storage” screen I think I’ve got it figured out. MacBook, “spotlight” as you point out, is counting all my .mp4 files in the “System Data” category. (I edit videos)
I back-up old-school. A USB-C (thunderbolt) to external hard drives.
I love my iPhone and my iPad but I gotta be honest, I’m having a heck of a time figuring out how this MacBook is organized. It seems to be always fighting me. I’ve watched hours of YouTube instruction videos and read countless questions/answers on this forum. I fear after two years of struggle I might have to give up and go back to the dark side. I just can’t get my head around MacBook logic.
How to safely Manage system data on MacBook Pro Ventura 13.4.1?
