Running out of storage - MacBoo Pro 13" M1

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Level 1

4 points

Running out of storage - MacBoo Pro 13" M1

Hello, I hope someone can help me out here:

I am running out of storage. I have issued in saving file from iMovies due to this.

I have followed the standard cleaning like, removing caches, unused files, and did not save too many documents, pictures, songs, etc as my knowledge

Below image:

the system data cannot stop calculating
from the Macintosh HD, it stated that Application and iCloud Drive take most of the storage
I tried to find the bigs files but I found nothing

I tried to look at the Macintosh HD via the Disk Utility , but I don't understand what take the most storage

then, I tried to find what take the most storage ... I found this

Please kindly help to advise, what I should do with this... I am getting panicked with the running out of storage.

thank you in advance 😇

Posted on Nov 3, 2024 9:30 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 5, 2024 8:10 AM in response to rivi369

a new install of macOS installs over 350,000 files. most of them are microscopic, and spending a long time removing them would barely change drive fullness.

I recommend an approach I call Boat-Anchor analysis. Find the largest files, (as big as a Boat-Anchor) and if any are surplus, dealing with a few of those will have a large impact with a small effort. this article talks about some of the issues and mentions several free Utilities that can help you find the boat-anchors, provided you run under an Admin user, and wait a quarter hour for them to computer the sizes of everything.

What is “Other” storage on a Mac, and how… - Apple Community

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Answer 2

rivi369 Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 5, 2024 1:53 AM in response to AlWeir

hello, thank you! I back them all up and have my Mac factory reset :)

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Answer 3

Nov 5, 2024 8:09 AM in response to rivi369

[In my opinion]:

Tying your files into iCloud or any other cloud-based storage adds complexity and provides only limited relief for a limited time. I think it is a mistake to go down this path at all.

If the "natural" size of all the files you accumulate is larger than your built-in drive, you DO need to obtain an additional drive, and move some big files off onto the external drive. System files and Apps can NOT be put on an external drive.

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