User Library folder has 112 GB...something must be wrong!

Question

Level 1

0 points

User Library folder has 112 GB...something must be wrong!

Hello, I have a Macbook Pro with a 250 GB hard drive. It has been running slow so I checked available memory--less than 4 GB. I have 40 GB music, 40 GB photos, and 4 GB movies. Nothing else seems to be taking up much room..then I found that the Users/Library folder was the culprit--112 GB. However, I ordered the folder in the Library by size, and the folder taking up the most memory had less than 7 GB, and most others have less than 1 GB. This is so weird...can't find where the 112 GB is? Has anyone else had this problem?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Apr 15, 2012 2:49 PM

Reply

Answer 1

--A--C--

Level 2

308 points

Apr 15, 2012 3:00 PM in response to BlinkTMB

You can use "WhatSize" software to see easily what's taking up space on your harddisk

http://whatsize.en.softonic.com/mac

I use it regularly, nice program. Not free, but not expensive either.

Reply

Answer 2

BlinkTMB Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 15, 2012 3:05 PM in response to --A--C--

Hi, thank you for the link! Does this sound out of the ordinary to you, though? to have the Library folder taking up that much space?

Reply

Answer 3

Apr 15, 2012 3:29 PM in response to BlinkTMB

Do you mean the Library in your home folder?

Empty Trash, restart, then report what size it is.

Reply

Answer 4

BlinkTMB Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 15, 2012 3:50 PM in response to Austin Kinsella1

Hi Austin-yes, I mean the Library folder in my home folder. I did as you said--still 112 GB in there.

Reply

Answer 5

Apr 15, 2012 4:21 PM in response to BlinkTMB

Download and run Omnidisksweeper - it's free and easy - but don't delete anything without reporting back.

Reply

Answer 6

BlinkTMB Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 15, 2012 7:15 PM in response to Austin Kinsella1

awesome, thanks! I ran it...looks like the main culprit is home/Library/Mail/Mailboxes. See attached screenshot. Is it safe to delete this mail stuff? I'm not even sure what it is...I use gmail for my e-mail. Thanks for your help!

Reply

Answer 7

etresoft

Level 8

46,290 points

Apr 15, 2012 7:21 PM in response to BlinkTMB

You have 92 GB of recovered messages? Do you use Mail.app at all? What is in the Recovered Messages mailbox? If it is stuff you don't need, delete it (in Mail) and empty the trash (in Mail). I don't know how you would get that many messages. I have saved all of my e-mail for decades and I only have a fraction of that. Perhaps you are way more popular than I am.

Reply

Answer 8

BlinkTMB Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 15, 2012 7:56 PM in response to etresoft

Haha no it's not that..this is so weird. I do not use the Mail app regularly, but I have a few times since it's the default program through which to e-mail photos form iPhoto..so I looked in the Recovered Messages folder, and there are hundreds of copies of the same email from 2 years ago, must have been when I bought the computer. ...title of which is "56 great iPhotos" and does have my photos in it...anyways, working on deleting them now but I keep getting messages about not having enough starup disk space.

Reply

Answer 9

fane_j

Level 4

3,697 points

Apr 15, 2012 8:13 PM in response to BlinkTMB

BlinkTMB wrote:

I looked in the Recovered Messages folder, and there are hundreds of copies of the same email from 2 years ago

If your Gmail account is IMAP, look for and remove a hidden folder

<~/Library/Mail/IMAP-email@domain.com/.OfflineCache>

where email@domain.com is, of course, your e-mail address.

I keep getting messages about not having enough starup disk space.

This is serious. Priority number 1 is to have enough free space on your startup disk. Reboot in Safe Mode, delete all those "hundreds of copies" and anything else in your home folder you can delete (because it's backed up or you don't need it any longer), and then delete the hidden folder mentioned above.

Reply

Answer 10

BlinkTMB Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 16, 2012 6:48 AM in response to fane_j

If your Gmail account is IMAP, look for and remove a hidden folder

<~/Library/Mail/IMAP-email@domain.com/.OfflineCache>

where email@domain.com is, of course, your e-mail address.

Do you mean to search for

<~/Library/Mail/IMAP-email@domain.com/.OfflineCache>

via the search box? Sorry, not too familair with this type of thing..

This is serious. Priority number 1 is to have enough free space on your startup disk. Reboot in Safe Mode, delete all those "hundreds of copies" and anything else in your home folder you can delete (because it's backed up or you don't need it any longer), and then delete the hidden folder mentioned above.

I have everything on my hard drive backed up to an external, so I started deleting music..even with a few GBs free now, I'm getting the startup message. I'll dump the rest of the music when I get home. It won't let me delete any of the e-mails...either by sending to the Trash in Mail, or the Trash for the hard drive..I have a feeling it won't let me do that until I free up the 112 GB of space. I will try rebooting in safe mode when I get home to my computer tonight. Thanks so much for your help!

Reply

Answer 11

fane_j

Level 4

3,697 points

Apr 16, 2012 2:25 PM in response to BlinkTMB

BlinkTMB wrote:

Do you mean to search for

<~/Library/Mail/IMAP-email@domain.com/.OfflineCache>

via the search box?

No. That's a way of expressing locations (paths) of items in Mac OS X; it comes from its Unix roots. It means, "the hidden folder named '.OfflineCache', located in the folder 'IMAP-email@domain.com', which is in the folder 'Mail' in the folder 'Library' in your Home folder". (Of course, wherever I write "email@domain.com", you must substitute the actual Gmail account.)

In Finder, empty the Trash, then invoke Go > Go to Folder, or ⌘⇧G. Insert in the 'Go to the folder' field the path

~/Library/Mail/IMAP-email@domain.com/.OfflineCache

(make sure not to make any typos), and click Go. Finder should go there and the previously hidden folder should now be visible and highlighted. Move it to Trash, and restart. Launch Mail again and make sure everything is OK. Mail should re-create the off-line cache and stop making copies of the same message. If everything is fine, you can empty the Trash and continue housekeeping, including removing all those unnecessary copies of the problematic e-mail message.

Reply

Answer 12

BlinkTMB Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 16, 2012 8:39 PM in response to fane_j

Thanks so much for your instructions. I moved about 30 GB of music to an external hard drive to free up more space, then did as you said about deleting that folder. I went into Mail and deleted all copies of the problematic e-mail, but the Library/Mail folder sitll has over 100 GB...I found that the bulk of it is in Mail/Mailboxes/Recovered Messages (Gmail).mbox. Can I just delete this straight fomr Finder? It doens't have a folder icon--looks more like a drawer--so I was afraid to delete...

Reply

Answer 13

fane_j

Level 4

3,697 points

Apr 16, 2012 8:56 PM in response to BlinkTMB

BlinkTMB wrote:

I found that the bulk of it is in Mail/Mailboxes/Recovered Messages (Gmail).mbox. Can I just delete this straight fomr Finder?

Yes, I think you can, but quit Mail first. Although it has a different icon, it's still a folder, so you can check first if there's anything there you want to keep.

Reply

Answer 14

BlinkTMB Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 16, 2012 9:01 PM in response to fane_j

AH HA! Went deeper into the Recovered folder--there were the 934 copies of the e-mail with photo attachments. I deleted them all and voila! I have my 100 GBs back! I did a little research and apparently a lot of people have had this problem--sudenly realizing hundreds of GBs were in this Recovered mail folder...seems to have something to do with Gmail/IMAP?

Anyways, thanks EVERYONE for all your help!!

Reply

Answer 15

fane_j

Level 4

3,697 points

Apr 16, 2012 10:31 PM in response to BlinkTMB

BlinkTMB wrote:

seems to have something to do with Gmail/IMAP?

I think so. It seems connected to the attempt of sending a message with a very large attachment (larger than Gmail's allowance of ~25MB, IIRC). IMHO, anything >1MB shouldn't go by e-mail—there are plenty of alternatives.

Reply