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

Posted on Dec 10, 2025 10:38 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 11, 2025 1:38 AM

Rebuild APFS Storage Management (SAFE)

  1. Boot into Safe Mode
  2. Let the Mac sit 10 min
  3. Restart normally

Safe Mode forces macOS to:

  • rebuild caches
  • remove invalid system data
  • clear temporary firmware files

Many users recover 20–100 GB instantly.

3 replies

Dec 11, 2025 1:38 AM in response to matimottus

macOS 26.1 sometimes lets “System Data” grow excessively because of:

  • local snapshots
  • update leftovers
  • iCloud Drive cache
  • Mail cache
  • broken Spotlight index
  • oversized app caches

Fixes that work:

  1. Delete Time Machine local snapshots
  2. Remove leftover macOS update files
  3. Reset iCloud Drive cache
  4. Clear Mail downloads
  5. Clear app caches
  6. Rebuild Spotlight
  7. Clear system logs
  8. Boot in Safe Mode
  9. Reinstall macOS only if necessary

You can usually recover 50–150 GB without deleting personal files.

Dec 11, 2025 4:59 AM in response to matimottus

Preface !


I’m so sorry to let you know.


It’s not likely you’ll hear back from the other person.


They’re using an automated response system from the AI/LMM Chatbot to create responses, and they’re rarely available for follow-up.


We’ll do our best to fix some of the issues it’s caused and provide a human response. 

_____________________________________________


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

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