Final Cut Backups is eating my Mac storage. What can I do to solve this problem and keep having the videos in the FCP library?

Backups are time-stamped versions of your libraries only (not the media), so typically they don't take that much space.

Open the Final Cut Backups folder.

Inside the Final Cut Backups folder you should see one folder per library, and inside the backups with names that are time stamps.

Identify the older backups and trash them.

It would be interesting to know what else is in that folder other than back-up libraries. If you select a library in the library list of FCP, then command-4 to open the Inspector, you'll see a modify settings button next to Storage Locations. Click on it and either let us know where the locations are set to or post a screen shot.

Russ

TThose are your libraries; they have been set to hold the media from your production. If you don't want it on your system drive, move the libraries to a fast external dedicated media drive.

Just to point out that your screenshot is not the FCP Inspector>Storage Locations which would show what you storing in what locations.

Russ

GB routines and GB Videos are not backups. They're your libraries that contain your media. It sounds as if you optimized the files. That will create high data rate ProRes files that are excellent digital intermediates, but very large. Move the libraries off your system onto a fast, dedicated, external media drive.

Thanks for the Inspector screen shot.

With those settings, not sure how those big libraries got into the backups folder. Regardless, the backups aren;t the cause of your space problem.

Russ

It depends on the media you're working with, but a big Thunderbolt drive would probably be fine.