I recently checked how much space I had left on my mac and it's almost full but I can't find out any explanation of what is taking up all the space. I've gone into about my mac.... storage..... and it shows that I have 1.76tb marked as system. I'm certain this wasn't anywhere near that figure but I cant find any info what actually defines what "system" is. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Mac Storage Space Almost Full
- Thread starter Munders
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One thing that could be taking up some storage is deleted EMails. I use Outlook as part of Office 2011, and when I delete an EMail, it is not actually removed from the MainIdentity/Database file. So, without permanent removal, that Database file could get some what large. Microsoft provides a way to permanently get rid of such deleted EMails, and I run that procedure once a week. Not sure about other EMail programs, though.
Another source is whenever one does an upgrade for software, they do not remove the prior versions/upgrades. For example, for El Capitan, I have the original OS 10.11 file, and only the OS 10.11.6 Combo Updater file. I got rid of everything in between.
Finally, do you have any large files that you might have downloaded/copied to your hard drive? I have the original Fargo movie in my downloads folder, and while I really don't need it (I have it on a couple of external drives), I've been somewhat "lazy" to get rid of it. However, for both of my machines (my Mac Mini has a 256 gig SSD, and my MacBook Air a 252 gig SSD), I am not even using half of the space.
Another source is whenever one does an upgrade for software, they do not remove the prior versions/upgrades. For example, for El Capitan, I have the original OS 10.11 file, and only the OS 10.11.6 Combo Updater file. I got rid of everything in between.
Finally, do you have any large files that you might have downloaded/copied to your hard drive? I have the original Fargo movie in my downloads folder, and while I really don't need it (I have it on a couple of external drives), I've been somewhat "lazy" to get rid of it. However, for both of my machines (my Mac Mini has a 256 gig SSD, and my MacBook Air a 252 gig SSD), I am not even using half of the space.
Cory Cooper
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Hello and welcome.
Obviously it is an issue in the System folder. When that happens, it is usually a runaway log file, or possibly local Time Machine snapshots that eat up hard drive space. This is the folder located here: Macintosh HD > System. It is not recommended that the normal user edits the contents of this folder, as the files required by OS X reside there. Any files that are removed from this folder can render the Mac unable to startup.
I strongly suggest that you make a Time Machine or other backup of your data before attempting any form of diagnosis and/or clean up. There are utilities such as WhatSize, OmniDiskSweeper, etc. that can show every file on your hard drive to determine the cause of the large amount of space taken up in the System folder. However, most of them require you to be logged in as the root user, which is disabled by default for security reasons.
You may be able to safely narrow it down by:
1. Navigate to Macintosh HD > System > Library (make sure you are in List View mode)
2. Click View > Show View Options in the menu bar
3. Click the box next to Calculate all sizes
4. Click the Use as Defaults button
5, Wait for it to calculate the folder sizes
6. Click on Size just above the file list until the arrow points down to sort the folders in the window by largest to smallest
7. Post a screenshot here
We will then possibly have a better understanding of what folder is causing the issue, unless the largest folders are in the hidden var or etc folders.
C
Obviously it is an issue in the System folder. When that happens, it is usually a runaway log file, or possibly local Time Machine snapshots that eat up hard drive space. This is the folder located here: Macintosh HD > System. It is not recommended that the normal user edits the contents of this folder, as the files required by OS X reside there. Any files that are removed from this folder can render the Mac unable to startup.
I strongly suggest that you make a Time Machine or other backup of your data before attempting any form of diagnosis and/or clean up. There are utilities such as WhatSize, OmniDiskSweeper, etc. that can show every file on your hard drive to determine the cause of the large amount of space taken up in the System folder. However, most of them require you to be logged in as the root user, which is disabled by default for security reasons.
You may be able to safely narrow it down by:
1. Navigate to Macintosh HD > System > Library (make sure you are in List View mode)
2. Click View > Show View Options in the menu bar
3. Click the box next to Calculate all sizes
4. Click the Use as Defaults button
5, Wait for it to calculate the folder sizes
6. Click on Size just above the file list until the arrow points down to sort the folders in the window by largest to smallest
7. Post a screenshot here
We will then possibly have a better understanding of what folder is causing the issue, unless the largest folders are in the hidden var or etc folders.
C
Cory Cooper
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Oops...that screenshot is of the Macintosh HD > Library folder, not the Macintosh HD > System > Library folder. Can you upload that one?
I will back back here later this afternoon...
Thanks
C
I will back back here later this afternoon...
Thanks
C
Cory Cooper
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Thanks, that will do. As I suspected, it seems to be some form of files/folder in a hidden folder deep inside the system, probably a log file that has been corrupted and is ever-expanding. Or, it could be related to a Google Gmail account cache, if you have one setup?
We may need to use one of the apps I referred to previously.
C
We may need to use one of the apps I referred to previously.
C
Thanks, all sorted. I used Omnidisk and it turns out there was a file called movie within the kids minecraft game which had about 1.4tb of images. I'm not exactly sure whats gone on but I deleted the lot and i have my computer back. Thanks