Hey everyone, I'm really struggling with storage on my 2020 MacBook Air. Despite deleting around 20 GB of music and photos two weeks ago, my hard drive keeps filling up again. I haven't created or downloaded anything significant since then, but I've noticed that more than 15 GB has magically reappeared. This isn't the first time it's happened either.
I suspect it's something related to the System Data, which has ballooned to 171 GB - that seems way too high to me. I'm curious if this is something I'm doing wrong, if there's a virus involved, or if I'm just dealing with planned obsolescence. Any advice on how to tackle this issue would be greatly appreciated. Aside from the storage problem, my Mac runs perfectly! For context, it's a 2020 M1 MacBook Air with 8GB of memory, and I'm running Sequoia 15.3.1.
5 Answers
I've had similar issues and found that using a tool like OnyX can help manage your system and clean up unnecessary files. It's a bit of a hassle but worth it if it means gaining back some space!
Could the syncing between your devices be causing the issue? I know that sometimes photos can sync across devices, and even deleted photos might still be stored temporarily. Double-check what’s syncing between your iPhone and Mac; there might be more going on there.
Keep in mind, even if you delete photos from your library, they might stay in a holding area for 30 days. So, you might still be seeing them taking up space for a bit! It's something to consider when managing storage.
It sounds like your System Data could be bloated with cached files. These are temporary files that can often build up over time. If you go through and clean up those cache files, it might free up a significant amount of space. Just be cautious not to delete essential system files!
Consider using a disk space analyzer to see what's actually taking up space on your Mac. It can give you a clear overview and help you spot large files or duplicates. You might find tools like DaisyDisk or OmniDiskSweeper handy!
I'll give that a try, thanks!
I thought about syncing too, but I don’t have much on my laptop. I’ll check the settings again just in case.