Negative Disc Space

finn19 Said:

"Negative Disc Space: So I have just realised that I need to delete nearly all the files on my computer, but the situation has gotten so bad that it says I have -1.08 GB of disk space and the System Information app has been loading for a solid 20 minutes, and is struggling to calculate the extent of my files. I can't even empty my trash or move items into my trash because I have run out of space. Do I need to do a full restart and remove all of the files from my computer and wipe the drive? If so, what should I do with the files that I need?"

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Try the following...

Freeing Up a Desktop Mac Storage:

In more recent models, the internal Mac storage cannot be upgraded. It is what it is, even if you upgraded your iCloud Plan. So, clear pace manually.

Clear Space:

Try clearing internal storage. Do so, though use of the following:

What Space to Clear:

A. Clear Temporary Internet Files:

Clear your Temporary Internet Files(Cookies & Cache) of Safari:

• Cookies perform remembrance of certain site-entered data.
• Cache keeps a snapshot of the last time you visited a site.

Go Here: Manage Cookies and Website Data in Safari on Mac - Apple Support

Also...



B. Clean TV and Music Libraries:

Remove all unneeded files from your TV and Music Libraries. Full-Movies take up 2-4GB typically, and a bunch of those would take up a load of storage, ideally. So, if you have any movies that are not needed, then delete them.

Also...



C.See these Links:

• Free Up Storage Space on your Mac - Apple Support

• Optimize Storage Space on your Mac - Apple Support

• See Used and Available Storage Space on your Mac - Apple Support

If you completely run out of free space on an APFS volume, then it will be impossible to delete any data due to how the APFS file system works. The APFS file system requires being able to write information to the volume before any operation is undertaken including deleting files.

The best you can hope for is to try to delete a hidden APFS snapshot (not sure if even this is possible), but it is your only option at this point.

View APFS snapshots in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support

https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2018/04/07/reclaiming-drive-space-by-thinning-apple-file-system-snapshot-backups/

I hope you have a good backup since I'm not sure it is possible to access the data at this point....if there is any chance, then it will be complicated (probably not something we can assist as it likely requires a tech with access to the computer in order to actually see things first hand).

If you cannot delete any APFS snapshots to get enough room to fix things and you recover the data (or give up), then you will need to perform a clean install of macOS by first erasing the disk followed by reinstalling macOS & restoring from a backup. If you have a 2018+ Mac, then you also have the option to perform a firmware "Restore":

Revive or restore an Intel-based Mac using Apple Configurator - Apple Support

Revive or restore an Intel-based Mac using Apple Configurator - Apple Support