But what does that mean, and how can you clear it?
We’ll explain everything in detail below.
What Is System Data Storage in macOS?
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System Data storage, known as “Other” storage in older macOS versions, is a catch-all term.
Most Mac users don’t knowor at least don’t have to knowabout anything related to System Data storage.
Perhaps this is you as wellbut what causes this category to balloon?
Let’s look at the specific actions you’ve got the option to take.
First, we’ll start with junk files.
To do that, Control-press theTrashicon in your Dock and selectEmpty Trash.
Delete Log Files
Log files, as the name suggests, are a record of files.
In my case, these files took up about 500MB of storage space on my Mac.
That’s a considerable amount, especially when they’re not useful to me in any way.
If not, it might be stored as System Data or “Other” storage on your Mac.
Now would be a good time to do erase any leftover scraps.
For example, I have some leftover files fromThunderbirdon my MacBook.
I used the app just once and then deleted it right away afterward.
Now, find the relevant folders for apps you’ve uninstalled.
Then,Control-hit the folder and selectMove to Trash.
Lastly, empty the Trash to remove the files permanently.
In short, they are containers that help you install apps on your setup.
For example, on my system, DMG files alone took up around 2GB of space.
So these files need to go.
Unless you intend to use them in the future, we recommend getting rid of them too.
Search for “.zip” and “.rar” files and remove them by repeating the steps above.
When you’re done, see to it to empty the Trash as well.
However, these extensions can contribute to your System Data or “Other” storage in macOS.
It’s thus wise to remove any extensions you don’t use regularly.
This is wherethird-party Mac cleaning appscan help you automate most of your cleaning processes.