MacBook Air System Data 70GB causing issues - can I clear?

I have a mac book air thats 2 years old and it has a system data of 70GB which is now causing me yo run into storage issues.. I can't even update my operating system anymore. I might have made the mistake of getting too little storage, I have the 245GB, and run apps such as Canva, Traktor and Illustrator. Is it still possible to reduce this storage down, or is the best solution to get a more powerful machine? Mine is a MacBook air 15 Inch 2024 8GB with 245 storage.

MacBook Air 15″, macOS 26.0

Posted on Nov 24, 2025 4:42 AM

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2 replies

Nov 24, 2025 4:54 AM in response to csilla55

Reducing System/Volume/Data is a common question. 


 Search - Apple Community


How to free up ‘System Data’ and other storage on your Mac from a fellow colleague  


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 .


Note - On Apple Silicon computers and newer Apple computers, the SSD drive and the Unified RAM are Soldered to the Logicboard and can not be upgraded


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. 

MacBook Air System Data 70GB causing issues - can I clear?

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