Hidden files

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Level 1

10 points

Hidden files

I was recently prompted to update my os to the latest high sierra 10.13.4, and I was required to clean up my macbook air, I deleted some of the files such as iPhone backup (7.1gb), but the storage did not seem to increase, in fact, it further decreased. I tried to move some of my documents and photos to an external hdd and deleted them on my macbook, but there is no increment in my storage too. For now, my system storage takes up a ridiculous 80gb of my macbook. I also downloaded DaisyDisk which was able to tell me that there is a 73gb of "still hidden folder" somewhere in my macbook, and noticed that whenever I delete something, that "still hidden folder" increases. I suspect that there is a hidden folder that keeps my deleted files. Can anyone please enlighten me how to locate these "hidden folder" so that I can permanently remove all the trashes? I have tried reindexing my spotlight, Terminal commands such as listingsnapshots and even performed first aid on my disk utility, but to no avail. Would greatly appreciate any useful advice.

Posted on Apr 3, 2018 4:08 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Luis Sequeira1

Level 9

74,400 points

Apr 3, 2018 9:44 AM in response to michh90

Please post the whole report, so we can check for possible causes.

On a different note, have done a Time Machine backup recently?

One common cause of used disk space is TM local snapshots.

Try this in the Terminal

tmutil listlocalsnapshots /

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Answer 2

John Galt

Level 10

156,818 points

Apr 3, 2018 4:32 AM in response to michh90

Deleting files in the file system used on your MacBook Air will not result in the immediate appearance of additional "free space" due to the way macOS manages that resource. It manages disk space on its own. To illustrate the point, you can duplicate a file (find a large file to use as an example) and it will result in no decrease in "free space". That and more details are explained in How to free up storage space on your Mac - Apple Support.

Can anyone please enlighten me how to locate these "hidden folder" so that I can permanently remove all the trashes?

Those files lie beyond the user's ability to examine or delete. The system manages that. For more information please refer to this lengthy Discussion: "About my Mac" and "Disk Utility" show vastly different disk storage.

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Answer 3

Kurt Lang

Level 9

69,775 points

Apr 3, 2018 8:36 AM in response to michh90

You don't want it. I was wondering if you were using the app because it includes a function for undoing file deletion. It does that by redirecting anything you delete from the trash to a hidden folder. So, if you happened to be using the app, that would be a possible reason emptying the trash would result in no gain in available space, and an increase in the contents of a hidden folder.

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Answer 4

michh90 Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 3, 2018 9:40 AM in response to Kurt Lang

I used EtreCheck, and these problems are listed:

Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.

No Time Machine backup - Time Machine backup not found.

Kernel panics - This system has experienced kernel panics. This could be a sign of hardware failure.

Low disk space - This machine is running critically low on free hard drive space.

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Answer 5

Apr 4, 2018 2:37 AM in response to michh90

michh90 wrote:

Hi, I have tried the tmutil listlocalsnapshots / method but didn't work as nothing was listed. Also, I couldn't post the whole report here because of the characters on the report.

That is odd. The normal way is to click the "Share Report" button at the top left, choose Copy Report, and then simply pasting in your post. Are you saying that was creating invalid characters?

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Answer 6

Kurt Lang

Level 9

69,775 points

Apr 3, 2018 8:01 AM in response to michh90

Would you happen to be running TechTool Pro?

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Answer 7

michh90 Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 3, 2018 8:07 AM in response to Kurt Lang

Hi, I am not using TechTool pro, how does it work?

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Answer 8

michh90 Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 3, 2018 9:12 AM in response to Kurt Lang

I see, I never had the problem prior to the previous update, and my storage is now critical low and there basically is nothing I can do. Tried many solutions that I was able to find but none worked.

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Answer 9

michh90 Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 3, 2018 9:50 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Hi, I have tried the tmutil listlocalsnapshots / method but didn't work as nothing was listed. Also, I couldn't post the whole report here because of the characters on the report.

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Answer 10

Kurt Lang

Level 9

69,775 points

Apr 3, 2018 9:25 AM in response to michh90

I can't say I've ever heard of such an issue. Delete means delete. There is nothing in the operation of the OS when emptying the trash that would move the contents to a hidden folder instead of doing exactly what you told it to do. Something else is getting in the way, but I can't say what that may be.

Download and run EtreCheck. Post the results here. It may show what running process is causing the problem.

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