albalboy

Level 1 (4 points)

Mac OS X

Q: In Macintish HD what is Other?

Hi,
I have a 500GB Flash storage on my Mac Pro and two external hard drives.
I want to free space on my flash stoarge as it is full.

More than 50% of the disk says OTHER.
Can any one tell me what Other is so I can free up some space?

Attaches image.

Thanks,
Alex

Posted on Apr 20, 2016 7:13 PM

I have this question too

Q: In Macintish HD what is Other?

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Helpful answers

by Barney-15E,

Barney-15E Apr 20, 2016 7:23 PM in response to albalboy
Level 9 (50,793 points)

Mac OS X

Apr 20, 2016 7:23 PM in response to albalboy

Other is everything that is not Apps, Photos, Movies, Audio, or Backups.
Generally when people have a very large Other on their startup drive, the Spotlight index is corrupt. The Spotlight index is used to create that display, so if it is not working correctly, you will see odd information.
Try re-indexing Spotlight before going down the path you are on: Spotlight: How to re-index folders or volumes - Apple Support

Once done, a program like Grand Perspective, Disk Inventory X, or Daisy Disk which all will graphically display where all your storage space is allocated.
The primary things you'll want to remove are your Movies and Pictures. Those are generally the largest users of space. If you wish to keep them, move them to another hard drive or burn them to disk. Make sure you back up that other disk, too.
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by theratter,

theratter Apr 20, 2016 7:48 PM in response to albalboy
Level 4 (3,917 points)

Desktops

Apr 20, 2016 7:48 PM in response to albalboy

What is "Other" and What Can I Do About It?- Apple Support Communities

Re-indexing the startup disk may return the display to what it should be. See Spotlight- How to re-index folders or volumes - Apple Support.
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