How to reduce system data on MacBook
My Macbook ran low of local storage. It can not be managed any further with usual means, because most of the disk space is taken by system data. How can the system data be reduced?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 26.1
My Macbook ran low of local storage. It can not be managed any further with usual means, because most of the disk space is taken by system data. How can the system data be reduced?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 26.1
Rebuild APFS Storage Management (SAFE)
Safe Mode forces macOS to:
Many users recover 20–100 GB instantly.
Rebuild APFS Storage Management (SAFE)
Safe Mode forces macOS to:
Many users recover 20–100 GB instantly.
macOS 26.1 sometimes lets “System Data” grow excessively because of:
Fixes that work:
You can usually recover 50–150 GB without deleting personal files.
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Reducing System/Volume/Data is a common question.
1 - System data taking too much in MacOS Sono… - Apple Community
2 - Time Machine Local Snapshot won't delete - Apple Community
3 - Over 60% storage blocked by System Data - Apple Community
How to free up ‘System Data’ and other storage on your Mac from a fellow colleague @ neuroanatomist
Use another application to see where space is being used Storeograph on the Apple Apps Store
Suggest getting an External SSD Drive and start moving your Pictures, Videos, Music and any other large files you have control over, OFF the Internal drive and Onto the External
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 or 512 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.
Note - On Apple Silicon and newer computers. The SSD Drive and the Unified RAM are Soldered to the Logicboard and can not be upgraded.
How to reduce system data on MacBook