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Groups > uk.comp.sys.mac > #181783

Re: Something is guzzling disk space

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On 29 Aug 2025 at 21:11:28 BST, J. J. Lodder wrote:

> Martin-S <invalid@nomail.com> wrote:
> 
>> On 28 Aug 2025 at 08:44:49 GMT, "D.M. Procida"
>> <daniele-at-vurt-dot-org@invalid.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> It's a bit rubbish to have to go on a file hunt in 2025, but what do you
>>> recommend?
>> 
>> I have often found the obscure 'System Data' to balloon to 80GB and more on
>> our MBPs. (You can check in System Settings >General >Storage.)
>> 
>> It seems to be a temporary storage for all sorts of things, TM snapshots etc.,
>> but it isn't user manageable. I once saw it drop dramatically as I was looking
>> at the bar graphic :)

I had a situation where, reading from Disk Utility, the 500GB SSD (Apple
SSD/Container disk1/Macintosh HD) on my 2020 Intel iMac was showing 25GB
available, 470GB used.

In the Macintosh directory below was a volume (or partition?) called
'Macintosh
HD - Data' which showed 500GB capacity, 170GB available, 140GB purgeable,
460GB used.

The Purgeable Space then (over a day or so and a few restarts) changed to
System Data, as reported in Disk Utility, at 160GB.

60GB of this space was in a folder called 'Metadata'. In the end, from memory,
I had a deletion spree, and simply binned a good deal of this system data and
metadata.

It was annoying as I only had about 200GB of 'used' space - OS, documents, and
photos. Well over half the disk was taken up with what seemed to be some sort
of system cache.

Anyway, no harm arose, and I've since moved to a new Mini.

>> 
>> Another place to check is ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup
>> I think, it can contain iOS updates and device backups.
> 
> The amount of space given in the footer may be wildly unreliable.
> (and fluctuating)
> As for the System Data: A restart may liberate a lot
> of god only knows what in system files,
> 

Indeed. If anything the free space on this Mini increases by the day. I
started at 500GB (of 1TB) free when I first set up the Mini about 6 months'
ago. As at now, it's 640GB free according to Finder. I haven't deleted or
changed anything - just use it normally, adding photos and documents most
days. iCloud has remained stable.

I've no idea what's going on. It all works so I just let it do its thing.

-- 
Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK

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Something is guzzling disk space D.M. Procida <daniele-at-vurt-dot-org@invalid.com> - 2025-08-28 08:44 +0000
  Re: Something is guzzling disk space David Kennedy <davidkennedygm@gmail.com> - 2025-08-28 10:21 +0100
  Re: Something is guzzling disk space TimH <thnews@poboxmolar.com.invalid> - 2025-08-28 19:10 +0000
  Re: Something is guzzling disk space Martin-S <invalid@nomail.com> - 2025-08-29 15:41 +0000
    Re: Something is guzzling disk space nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2025-08-29 22:11 +0200
      Re: Something is guzzling disk space RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> - 2025-08-30 05:44 +0000
  Re: Something is guzzling disk space Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@usually.sessile.org> - 2025-09-01 14:07 +0000
    Re: Something is guzzling disk space D.M. Procida <daniele-at-vurt-dot-org@invalid.com> - 2025-09-01 15:19 +0000
      Re: Something is guzzling disk space WolfFan <akwolffan@zoho.com> - 2025-09-02 07:01 -0400
      Re: Something is guzzling disk space Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@usually.sessile.org> - 2025-09-02 14:05 +0000
    Re: Something is guzzling disk space Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> - 2025-09-02 10:33 +0000
  Re: Something is guzzling disk space Steve Hodgson <hamrun@gmail.com> - 2025-09-03 08:56 +0000

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