Is Monterey a wasteful OS? My 245GB HD storage is continually only 65GB free. Largest chunk is System data 58GB. Apps 47GB, docs 26GB, music 12GB, MacOS storage 24.5GB. Is this unusual? I am still on Monterey as my work apps wd need updating too (at a cost).
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 12.7
That sounds about right.
245GB isn't a large hard drive by today's standards. That said, 65GB is about 25% of the disk space, so it sounds like the OS is doing what it's supposed to.
The System Data portion contains lots of 'transient' data - things like caches to improve performance, Time Machine snapshots to provide quick backup/recovery of data, etc.
Counter-intuitively, the larger this block, the more the system is optimizing for performance.
When disk space is low, though, the OS will automatically purge some of that data to ensure there's enough headroom for your day-to-day workflow. In this case it looks like the system is keeping 25% of the space full, hence you're always around 65GB free.
You don't have any control over what the OS puts in this category, or the rate at which it purges/cleans up the caches. Just know that the OS will maintain this as best it can to balance performance and storage needs.
If you're concerned about space, consider using iCloud Storage to offload some of your data - some of those lesser-used apps, most of your iTunes music, etc. can be offloaded to iCloud and automatically downloaded as needed by the OS. That should free up some significant space (although the System Data would likely reuse some of it for its own use to improve performance further).
That sounds about right.
245GB isn't a large hard drive by today's standards. That said, 65GB is about 25% of the disk space, so it sounds like the OS is doing what it's supposed to.
The System Data portion contains lots of 'transient' data - things like caches to improve performance, Time Machine snapshots to provide quick backup/recovery of data, etc.
Counter-intuitively, the larger this block, the more the system is optimizing for performance.
When disk space is low, though, the OS will automatically purge some of that data to ensure there's enough headroom for your day-to-day workflow. In this case it looks like the system is keeping 25% of the space full, hence you're always around 65GB free.
You don't have any control over what the OS puts in this category, or the rate at which it purges/cleans up the caches. Just know that the OS will maintain this as best it can to balance performance and storage needs.
If you're concerned about space, consider using iCloud Storage to offload some of your data - some of those lesser-used apps, most of your iTunes music, etc. can be offloaded to iCloud and automatically downloaded as needed by the OS. That should free up some significant space (although the System Data would likely reuse some of it for its own use to improve performance further).
I never even look at that 'Storage' and System Data eye candy because it is so misleading. Instead, I check disk space via Disk Utility.app > Free or somewhat less accurately via Finder > View > Show Status Bar > available.
While you are in Disk Utility, also set View > Show APFS Snaphots and check if, for example, Time Machine has accumulated them when is backup drive has been disconnected.
Items buried in ~/Library might be difficult for an average user to spot and manage (iPhone/iPad backups, iOS/iPadOS updates, Mail attachments, 3rd party apps' data files etc).
'~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup'
'~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates'
'~/Library/iTunes/iPad Software Updates'
'~/Library/Mail'
cijc wrote:
Is Monterey a wasteful OS? My 245GB HD storage is continually only 65GB free. Largest chunk is System data 58GB. Apps 47GB, docs 26GB, music 12GB, MacOS storage 24.5GB. Is this unusual? I am still on Monterey as my work apps wd need updating too (at a cost).
Reducing System/Volume/Data is a common question.
Below is only 3 of many similar questions related to System Data
System data taking too much in MacOS Sono… - Apple Community
Over 60% storage blocked by System Data - Apple Community
What to do with the system data problem? - Apple Community
There are two effective ways to remedy this issue:
1. Quick Fix Actions:
For Apple Silicon computers, use Disk Utility to erase a Mac.
For Apple Intel computers, use Disk Utility to erase an Intel-based Mac, then reinstall macOS.
Always make a Time Machine backup before proceeding.
Migrate only the user account, not the entire system.
Reinstall only the necessary applications from the Apple App Store or directly from the developers.
2 - Generally
When the user discovers this issue, it’s likely because the computer’s internal drive capacity is small, such as 256 GB.
Unfortunately, the user’s storage needs may have increased since the computer was purchased.
To future-proof the computer, consider spending extra money upfront on a larger drive capacity and adding more unified RAM.
Thank you all for your replies.
Why is System Data using 58GB on Monterey?
