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"system" taking up 52.55gb

I have tried to free up space on my Macbook air and I am trying to update my system. There is not enough space- 52.55gb is from "system" How do I fix this??

MacBook Air

Posted on Apr 16, 2021 11:43 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 16, 2021 5:04 PM

What is “Other” storage on a Mac, and how can I clean it out?


The Other Category should not be altered, modified, move or deleted nor should it be attempted to be. Doing so may corrupt the OS and rendered the OS inoperative requiring a Wipe and Re-Installation.


The Other category is a potpourri of files which include:


• System temporary files


• macOS system folders


• Archives and disk images (.zip, .iso, etc. - often found in the Downloads folder)


• Personal user data


• Files from the user’s library (Application Support, iCloud files, screensavers, etc.)


• Cache files


• Fonts, plugins, extensions


• Other files that are not recognized by a Spotlight search


• Media files that cannot be classified by Spotlight as a media file because they are located inside of a package


They can be located anywhere on your hard drive. The files that you have control over are located in the Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music and Movies folders.  You can use either of these two free apps, GrandPerspective  or OmniDiscSweeper, to find the largest files on your drive so you can determine if they can be deleted or moved to an external HD for storage.  

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 16, 2021 5:04 PM in response to katieryan_19

What is “Other” storage on a Mac, and how can I clean it out?


The Other Category should not be altered, modified, move or deleted nor should it be attempted to be. Doing so may corrupt the OS and rendered the OS inoperative requiring a Wipe and Re-Installation.


The Other category is a potpourri of files which include:


• System temporary files


• macOS system folders


• Archives and disk images (.zip, .iso, etc. - often found in the Downloads folder)


• Personal user data


• Files from the user’s library (Application Support, iCloud files, screensavers, etc.)


• Cache files


• Fonts, plugins, extensions


• Other files that are not recognized by a Spotlight search


• Media files that cannot be classified by Spotlight as a media file because they are located inside of a package


They can be located anywhere on your hard drive. The files that you have control over are located in the Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music and Movies folders.  You can use either of these two free apps, GrandPerspective  or OmniDiscSweeper, to find the largest files on your drive so you can determine if they can be deleted or moved to an external HD for storage.  

"system" taking up 52.55gb

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