Clear System Storage on Mac – Macs are capable of all the same general functions as PCs, such as word processing, playing music and videos, games, accessing the internet, and more. Most features require different programs than those on a PC, however. Apple Macs have many advantages over PCs.
Storage space on your Mac is important and can be an issue when you run out. Modern Macs come with Solid State Drives (SSD) that are fast and durable, but with increased cost. That means many more users have Macs with lower onboard storage these days since the added cost of a MacBook is not affordable to some.
How to Clear System Storage on Mac?
Now that you know what system storage is, you’re likely still asking yourself “how do I clear my system storage?” We’ve got you covered.
1. Back up your Mac to remove Time Machine snapshots
Normally, Time Machine creates regular backups of your Mac to an external drive. But when your Mac isn’t connected to your backup drive, it saves snapshots of those backups to your System storage instead.
If you haven’t created a backup in a while, a build-up of Time Machine snapshots could be responsible for a lot of the System storage on your Mac. To fix it, connect an external drive and use Time Machine to back up your Mac.
2. Delete Time Machine snapshots using Terminal
If you can’t connect an external drive to complete a new Time Machine backup, you can manually delete them using Terminal instead. To do this, open Terminal from the Utility folder on your Mac and enter the following command:tmutil listlocalsnapshotdates.
You should see a list of all the dates your Mac saved Time Machine snapshots for. To delete one, enter the date into the following command: tmutil deletelocalsnapshots [snapshot date].
3. Clear System Storage on Mac – Delete cache files
If you want to free up some more space — the Caches folder is our next destination.
To clear system cache on your Mac:
- Open Finder — click the Go menu — choose Go to Folder.
- Type in ~/Library/Caches/ — click Go.
You’ll see your Mac’s Caches folder. Now you can choose what to delete.
4. Reduce storage usage with the Optimized Storage feature
If you’re running out of space because System files are using all your storage, the Optimized Storage feature in macOS might be able to help. This feature automatically removes files you no longer need, like old Tv shows, movies, and email attachments, to make space for new files.
It’s unlikely that optimizing the storage will clean up your System files, but it could still help create more space on your Mac.
To enable Optimized Storage in macOS:
- Open the Apple menu and go toAbout This Mac > Storage > Manage Storage.
- From the Recommendations tab, enable the Optimize Storage option.
5. Update macOS
If your Mac downloaded a new macOS update but didn’t install it yet, it could be taking up a lot of System storage on your hard disk. The simplest solution is to update your Mac to the latest operating system, which clears out any updates you already downloaded. To do this, open the System Preferences and click Software Update.
It’s also possible that System files are taking up too much space on your Mac because of a macOS bug. Updating your Mac is likely to fix this issue as well.
How to Clean System Storage on Mac with ease?
Remember that system storage holds important files, so don’t delete something just because you don’t understand what it is or why it’s on your Mac.
When you’re ready to start clearing your system storage, CleanMyMac X is the absolute best app you can have on your Mac. This ultra-powerful app has a ton of features, and can clean your Mac up on a scheduled basis, fleeting unnecessary files and emptying the trash – it even monitors your Mac for malware, and makes critical speed improvements via its Smart Scan feature.
System storage can be managed with CleanMyMac X, too. In the Space Lens module, you’ll see your system storage represented as a folder. Here’s how to access it:
- Open CleanMyMac X on your Mac
- Select “Space Lens” from the left side of the window
- Select “Run” at the bottom of the window
When the app is done running, you’ll see a folder named “System.” This is your system storage, and you can look through it to see what’s in there. Most of it will likely be unavailable for deletion, but it’s a way to view files in system storage, too.
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