Storage space is too large on Mac

  1. Why is my System Data so large in size?
  2. My Photos storage is showing around 76 GB in size even when the size is around 38 GB?


[Edited by Moderator]

Original Title: Storage in Mac


MacBook Air, macOS 15.6

Posted on Aug 24, 2025 10:47 PM

Reply
5 replies

Aug 25, 2025 04:50 AM in response to _Utkarsh_

One thing to keep in mind is that SystemStorage is also a catch-all for items that don't fit into the categories listed and not just system related item. If you have an iPhone or iPad, for instance, and back up to your Mac and also update them connected to the Mac, the backups and the update files would fall into the "System Data" category.


Also, when checking using that tool, it is a good idea to wait a couple minutes before actually looking at the numbers. More often than not when first opening, SystemData can be very high because initially some items will be put into it. After a bit, that number can drop and so can other numbers as they get shuffled around.

Storage space is too large on Mac

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