Running out of storage - system data is huge after upgrade to macOS Tahoe 26.2

<< Then, change your setting in Apple Apps Store

You are permitted to Install Xcode onto to an External Drive

Refer to 3rd image regarding Apple Apps Store >> Setting >>

That's interesting!

it used to be that you could never store Apps (including Xcode) anywhere but inside the /Applications folder on the boot drive.

VPN:

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a private connection over the Internet from a device to a specific network.  VPN technology is widely used in corporate environments. If you need to be "present" on an institutional network, a VPN is a great tool for accomplishing this. It is generally issued and controlled by the institution.

Almost all other uses are a SCAM. There is generally no need for you to have a private (and almost always MUCH slower) connection to a VPN vendor's Network, except to make it easier for them to harvest your data to sell. If you are behind a Router you control or Trust, there is NO security advantage whatsoever in using a VPN. Your connections are already encrypted in most cases.

If VPN vendors just stopped there, it would be bad. But many of these packages also insist on scanning all your files, non-stop, -- nominally looking for viruses, but who knows for sure what data they are harvesting. Their non-stop file reading punishes your computer's performance in the process.

Some also break into your other secure connections so they can be FIRST to examine your data, often leaving your Mac MORE vulnerable to attack.

What VPN service to use?

DON'T use VPN services

https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29

wallywallllter wrote:

Thanks - appreciate this advice. I am just playing around a bit with iOS development. Nothing serious. So Xcode really isn't that important for me and could easily install it onto an external hard drive.

Btw. after a fresh start and not having a ton of browser tabs open, the RAM is below the 8GB, no Swap used and disk write speed is about 1100MB per second and read is 1500MB/s. This doesn't seem to be so far off from what can be expected.

I am considering just wiping the whole thing and setting it up fresh again. The data can be easily copied over. The big headache will be installing all the applications and libraries again but if it improves things, it might be worth it.

Yes, the "Atomic " option will generally put this /System/Volume/ Data issue to rest

If I may and hope I do not step in your toes

The 256 GD SSD drive may seem like it is large enough for most things

This is exactly what many people thought when Apple made available the 128 GB SSDs in the older MBA

IMHO, Apple should not have made that configuration available

Fast forwards to 2026 and Apple has upped the ante to 256 GB SSD machines as a Base Mode

Yes, I do believe this is all done to attract the New Converts to the Apple Eco-System and who live on a restricted Budget, if you catch the nuance

Short-time thinking, visa vie, Unified RAM and SSD Drive Capacities will again bit them in the a*** given time and their needs change ie Playing in Xcode

You are welcome and sorry we ( I ) did not catch the Xcode thing earlier

🦉-63

What follows may no longer apply but for future purposes

System Setting >> General >> Storage >> macOS

To the far right is an I ( eye ) in a circle

When you click on it and depending if the machine is configured to to Apple Intelligence ?

Refer below with Tahoe 26.2 on a M4 Desktop with 16 GB Unified RAM and a 500 GB SSD drive

There is another 11.1 GB on top of the space used by the operating System

<< disk write speed is about 1100MB per second and read is 1500MB/s. This doesn't seem to be so far off from what can be expected. >>

Because of the effects of Write buffering, on modern Macs, SSD Write speeds almost always exceed disk Read speeds by a small margin.

If yours are not following that rule, you are somehow hobbling your computer's performance in some way that reduces its ability to perform at its best for you. Knowing the problem was not completely resolved would make me crazy.

wallywallllter wrote:

So Xcode really isn't that important for me and could easily install it onto an external hard drive.

Yes and no. You can install Xcode, and any 3rd party apps, on an external drive. But that won't help. Xcode uses a tremendous amount of additional storage on your startup volume. You can't change this. On my 1 TB machine, this extra Xcode data takes 300 GB, which is larger than your entire hard drive.

Prolific posting and good work there 👍

🦉-53

To compare apples to apples

The Older M2 Mac Mini has the same 256 GB SSD drive

Refer below

Yup, this truly must be bug

Interesting indeed 👍

I can not independently verify this as I do not use Xcode

The wording could be maybe misleading ?