System regularly freezing and beachballing after upgrade to 26.2 MacBook air 2024. This never happened before. I generated a Etresoft report and removed a few orphaned files. Have not paid for power user. Looking for advice.
MacBook Air 15″, macOS 26.2
ralphfromupnorth wrote:
1. Why does one analysis say I have 14 MB free while the disk app says 57MB?
14 GB is your amount of free storage. That's what's important. This is critically low.
The 57 GB is Apple's invented concept of "available" storage. It's unimportant and has no value other than confusing people. EtreCheck only includes it because people are likely to be confused. So I figure if I show both, users will understand that they are two different values.
And even if you had 57 GB of free storage, that would still be critically low.
2. Several years ago Apple moved my docs to the cloud, leaving little on the Mac. This happened on a previous Mac. Now most docs are both places. I never moved them back, how did this happen? Can I set something so they are all in the cloud?
Not sure what you're saying here.
You can configure iCloud Drive (and other iCloud services) to "optimize" storage. The theory with this is that they will try to keep most data in the cloud unless and until you need it. For iCloud Drive, go to System Settings > Apple Account > iCloud > Drive > Optimize Mac Storage and turn it on. If you weren't already using Desktop & Documents, turn that on too.
You have a 250 GB hard drive, so you have to do everything in your power to conserve your storage. Turn on all iCloud optimizations.
If you find any large files on your local hard drive in an iCloud folder, in the Finder, you can control-click or right click on the file and choose "Remove download". This will "evict" that file from local storage. If you ever try to open it again, iCloud will have to download it. But if this is a large file that you don't need every day, you might want to do that.
All these iCloud settings can take a while (weeks) to configure themselves optimally. Most likely, you'll have to force the issue by locating large files yourself and performing the "Remove download" operation.
3. Why is system data 75 MB? Is this normal?
It's actually not too bad. Most people with storage problems have much more "system data".
4. Why did this suddenly become a problem in updating to 26.2? Can I revert?
This is one problem that has nothing to do with 26.2. What you're experiencing has been a common problem for a few years now. You were probably right on the edge of noticing and then the 26.2 download pushed you over. That's all.
Unfortunately, a 250 GB hard drive is really too small to be useable. You're going to have to do a lot of extra work to keep the storage in a manageable and useable state.
I am preparing to remove a vast Music library to create space, since I really don't use it any more. Do I also have to delete it from the cloud to keep it from reappearing? I moved it to an external drive, but it's on other computers as well.
ralphfromupnorth wrote:
Anyone have anything negative or cautionary to say about Etre Power user package?
It's not going to help with low disk space problems. EtreCheckPro does include a Storage management tool, but that's available for free. It's not as slick and animated as Storeograph, and it requires Full Disk Access which Storeograph does not. But it's been there, for years, for free, and virtually no one has ever noticed.
I am preparing to remove a vast Music library to create space, since I really don't use it any more. Do I also have to delete it from the cloud to keep it from reappearing? I moved it to an external drive, but it's on other computers as well.
It depends. There is no such thing as "the cloud". There are dozens of cloud services. If you're talking about Apple's iCloud Drive, then you can select a file or folder and choose "Remove Download" to evict the file from local storage, but keep it in iCloud Drive. However, you also used the word "Music" (capitalized). If you're talking about Apple's Music app, then I'm not sure. You'd have to find some experts in Music in another forum.
etresoft wrote:
It's not as slick and animated as Storeograph,
FYI, the Storeograph app has a small visual bug (at least on macOS 26.2) if launched when the Dock is at the bottom of the screen (not hidden). The app seems to size to the screen height from menubar to the bottom of the screen beyond the visible Dock instead of to the visible Dock itself with no way to resize the height.
Haven't purchased the "Explorer" add-on package yet since I don't need it at this time, but I was impressed by the video show casing its capabilities. Well done.
ralphfromupnorth wrote:
Anyone have anything negative or cautionary to say about Etre Power user package?
Most people using the Power User package may not be posting here on the forums. People who are not purchasing the Power User package tend to have the experienced contributors on this forum analyze the report & assist them. A few people who did not feel comfortable posting the EtreCheck report on the forum mentioned purchasing that package & followed up later on reported they had resolved their problems. I have never seen any negative mentions here on this forum.
Disclosure: I only know the developer from their participation here on this forum. I respect their high level of knowledge regarding macOS internals and learn a lot from their posts here (many times confirming my own suspicions of how macOS is working behind the scenes).
HWTech wrote:
FYI, the Storeograph app has a small visual bug (at least on macOS 26.2) if launched when the Dock is at the bottom of the screen (not hidden). The app seems to size to the screen height from menubar to the bottom of the screen beyond the visible Dock instead of to the visible Dock itself with no way to resize the height.
I would be better to send me an e-mail with bug reports instead of using Apple's forum. And send me a screenshot. It isn't sized to the screen, but limited by all the internal views. It's a bit tall that way. I'll see how it looks on a smaller screen size. I have a new update to release once everyone gets back to work.
Haven't purchased the "Explorer" add-on package yet since I don't need it at this time, but I was impressed by the video show casing its capabilities. Well done.
Thanks! And if you send me an e-mail, I can give you an offer code for a free Explorer package.
Now having done nothing other than removing a few files and preparing to delete iTunes media, and watching multiple crashes this afternoon, according to Storage, System Data is now 4 GB and available available disk is 127 GB, but as I watch System Data is growing. If people want to suggest tools, but cannot on this forum, send me an email at mail. The tools would be to find large files I do not need and delete garbage files.
[Edited by Moderator]
Where I stand on the Macbook Air M3 running 26.2 beachballing/freezing problem as of 1/6/26. I have removed about 45GB of my stuff and there is still a problem. Not as bad, but not like before upgrading, when I had no problem. To my naive point of view that means something else beyond just slow creep of storage happened when I updated to 26.2. My background; I’m an old user level programmer from way back, but operating systems are a black box to me.
I bought the EtreCheckPro Power user package and I'm trying to figure out what I can do with it It shows that I have x86 programs that were moved from my old 2012 Mac (Why Apple Why?). Some are in the Apps window, some not. Question 1. Can I just delete the ones not in the Apps window wherever they are, along with associated folders, or is that asking for trouble? Question 2. Some are in with the hundreds of Apple programs. I have no idea how to find them there.
I have Plug-ins that are not attached to Safari or Chrome. Can I just delete them and their folders? e.g. Silverlight plug in Me>Library>Internet plug-ins? If not how do I get rid of them?
Can I just drag stuff from the Applications folder on the disk to trash? If not, how do I get rid of them? e.g. Silverlight folder there?
EtreCheckPro Power User says I have both storage and CPU usage issues, but I’m not seeing clear advice as to how to solve those porblems. Am I missing something?
I have a large number of chunk files, all from the same few minutes in 2022 (therefore from my old Mac) I'm guessing i can get rid of them. What are they?
They were the Subaru map download. I figured out what they were shortly after posting, and deleted them.
Anyone have anything negative or cautionary to say about Etre Power user package?
Yes iCloud and Apple Music
I mean iTunes
So overnight, while I was not using the computer, system data grew from 4 GB to 95, then shrank back to 56. This makes no sense. At this point it's a defective product.
You do understand that "System Data" is not a useful metric, correct?
ralphfromupnorth wrote:
For example any of the cleaning programs around?
Plenty. They cost $45/month.
Macbook Air 2024 beachballing and freezing every few minutes after update to 26.2
