Free space constantly reducing by GBs.

[palspal]

21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display: 2017. MacOS Ventura. version 13.2.1

Unwanted files reviewed and deleted daily.

Cookies and site data, cached web content cleared after using browsers.

But free space constantly reducing by GBs.

I have no idea how to halt the process. Just a user.

 

[TonyAguila]

21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display: 2017. MacOS Ventura. version 13.2.1

Unwanted files reviewed and deleted daily.

Cookies and site data, cached web content cleared after using browsers.

But free space constantly reducing by GBs.

I have no idea how to halt the process. Just a user.

How much memory is there? And what size is the drive—fusion or SSD? What method are you using to keep track of the free disk space?

 

[palspal]

Thank you for the reply

16 GB 2400 MHz. DDR4

1TB Fusion Drive

System Setting>. General> Storage

Over the last month GBs reduced from 500>475>436>now 384. Some large unwanted and duplicate files deleted but the reduction continues.

No large downloads other than Apple Ventura upgrades.

 

[TonyAguila]

Thank you for the reply

16 GB 2400 MHz. DDR4

1TB Fusion Drive

System Setting>. General> Storage

Over the last month GBs reduced from 500>475>436>now 384. Some large unwanted and duplicate files deleted but the reduction continues.

No large downloads other than Apple Ventura upgrades.

You seem to have sufficient memory and storage space. I suspected at first that you were low on both and that the added disk space was being taken up by memory cache files and snapshots. Do another display of your Storage status in System Settings, then reboot. When you are back up again, do another check of Storage. Does any amount of free space come back? And make a note on what data are taking up most of the storage space. For example…

 

[palspal]

System data fluctuating around 439 GB
Unwanted emails, Cookies and site data, cached web content cleared after using browsers.
All apps quit.
Shut down.

30 minutes: restart button (reboot?)
Loading (with rainbow spinner) becoming increasingly slow each time.
System data 439.85 GB

System Data?

 

[TonyAguila]

System data fluctuating around 439 GB
Unwanted emails, Cookies and site data, cached web content cleared after using browsers.
All apps quit.
Shut down.
View attachment 4650

30 minutes: restart button (reboot?)
Loading (with rainbow spinner) becoming increasingly slow each time.
System data 439.85 GB
View attachment 4651
System Data?

So most of the data using up your storage space is from System Data (caches, temporary files, snapshots, among others). You don’t really have a lot of control over it, except by severely limiting the number of processes running at the same time. You might be able to get rid of some of it by running a cleanup utility to purge your temporary files, but they will eventually come back. Your limitation is the amount of memory, 16 gibibytes, along with the (relatively) small size of the system drive, one terabyte.

If I were in your place, the first thing I would do is to get an external SSD and make it your startup drive. You don’t have to get one of those M.2 NVMe speed demons; any decent ready-to-use drive like the Samsung T5 or T7, or the SanDisk Extreme, will work very well. 2 terabytes will be ideal, if you want to spend the extra money. Finally, bumping your RAM to at least 32 gibibytes (your iMac can go up to 64) should seal the deal. Your 2017 iMac is fairly new, and should serve you well for a while, with these upgrades.

Here is a good source for memory, and they have very detailed instructional videos to guide you.

Memory Upgrades for iMac 21.5-Inch 2017

Upgrade the memory of your 21.5-inch 2017 iMac up to 64GB. OWC memory kits are 100% Apple compatible and backed by a lifetime OWC warranty.

eshop.macsales.com

Honestly, the present state of your setup is not that bad, with about 35% of free space, but I myself start to worry whenever the free space on my drive goes below 50%. The “Other Volumes” in my Storage report is actually a second macOS system, running Monterey, which I can very easily delete and move to an external drive.

 

[palspal]

Thank you again for your advice.

I intend to purchase the new iMac but not until late 2023/early 2024, when newer models are expected to be announced.

Meanwhile, obviously, my main concern is the constant and continuing reduction in free space.

I have an exterior LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Disk 2TB which has also been very reliable. Would the SSD replace the Lacie?

I have found the price for an SSD:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-Ex...locphy=1007237&hvtargid=pla-978531831726&th=1

However, bumping RAM to at least 32 or 64 GB is not within my IT skill range. I have some knowledge but basically just a user, while trying to solve some minor problems as best I can.

I will need to arrange help with any software/hardware updates/installation.

 

[TonyAguila]

Thank you again for your advice.

I intend to purchase the new iMac but not until late 2023/early 2024, when newer models are expected to be announced.

Meanwhile, obviously, my main concern is the constant and continuing reduction in free space.

I have an exterior LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Disk 2TB which has also been very reliable. Would the SSD replace the Lacie?
View attachment 4652

I have found the price for an SSD:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-Ex...locphy=1007237&hvtargid=pla-978531831726&th=1

However, bumping RAM to at least 32 or 64 GB is not within my IT skill range. I have some knowledge but basically just a user, while trying to solve some minor problems as best I can.

I will need to arrange help with any software/hardware updates/installation.

Your model iMac has two Thunderbolt 3 connectors, so if the LaCie is using one, the other can be used for the SSD. That SanDisk SSD should work very well for your setup.

Did you watch the installation video for your memory upgrade? It’s fairly simple, as almost all iMac memory upgrades are. But for now, if you decide to go for the external SSD, you should have more than enough storage since you can also use the Fusion Drive for even more storage. The 16 gibibytes of memory will probably suffice so that the system will not have to do so much swapping.

Do the external SSD first. Then decide later if you will need more memory. Good luck!

 

[palspal]

Just sent a message to my IT help and he is visiting on Wednesday to discuss upgrading the memory. I don’t think that I need ‘Good luck’ (but of course always a welcome bonus) just, as he described your input: ‘good advice’.

Will let you know the outcome. Cheers!

 

[TonyAguila]

Just sent a message to my IT help and he is visiting on Wednesday to discuss upgrading the memory. I don’t think that I need ‘Good luck’ (but of course always a welcome bonus) just, as he described your input: ‘good advice’.

Will let you know the outcome. Cheers!

Yes. Thinking more about your iMac model, it’s one of the reasons why I decided not to renew my AppleCare Tech Certification is because it was starting to get really difficult working with iMacs, and they were the most common house-call service for technicians. I could put up with the older MacBooks, but iMacs… Before all you needed were a couple of suction cups to get at the inside of an iMac, but I guess Apple was not getting as much service calls if they were too easy to service yourself. And nowadays, none of the newer Macs are serviceable at all for the average user.

But just for fun, I would still watch the video on Mac Sales for your unit.