1.7 TB system data overwhelming my storage

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1.7 TB system data overwhelming my storage

I know others have asked this question but looking for real solutions: I am running Ventura 13.3.1 on a MacBook Pro 2021 M1 Max with a 2TB SSD. My system data is taking up 1.73 TB and I am constantly out of space. I have taken care of the usual suspects (Trash, IOS backups, Time Machine snapshots, trash). I suspect the serial transfer of previous macbooks to my current macbook is likely contributing. I would appreciate any help or thoughts on significant reduction to my current system data.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 13.3

Posted on May 4, 2023 8:34 AM

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Answer 1

HWTech

Level 9

67,262 points

May 5, 2023 1:14 PM in response to spinepro

Now is the issue that macOS Storage Management is showing 1.7TB for the System Data, or that you are actually missing 1.7TB of free space? There is a slight difference here. It is known that the macOS Storage Management information can list incorrect values. I believe this may be tied to Spotlight indexing. If so, then it should not be affecting the free space. You can try reindexing Spotlight:

Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac - Apple Support

If you've done everything else, then the only other suggestion I've seen by some regular contributors is to perform a clean install of macOS by first erasing the drive followed by reinstalling macOS & restoring from a backup.

I personally only look at the "Free" space value listed in Disk Utility and ignore everything else. Of course this assumes a user already knows how much space they normally have to know if something is suddenly using more storage.

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1.7 TB system data overwhelming my storage

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