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my macs storage is literally only other and system, how do i get rid of it?

my macs storage is literally only other and system, how do i get rid of it?

Posted on Jul 31, 2021 10:43 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 31, 2021 11:01 AM

You don't get rid of it.


“Other” storage on Mac is files that don’t easily fall into the defined categories of “Audio" “Movies” “Photos” “Apps” and “Backups”. The types of files found in “Other" would include: 

• Browser and Mail caches

• Documents like .pdf, .psd, .doc,

• Disk images and archives like .dmg, .tar, .zip

• macOS system files

• Temporary files

• App plugins and extensions

• Any files that Spotlight doesn’t recognize as belonging in the main categories.


You cannot directly manage the contents of this category. That is done by macOS, and the category varies in size depending on the current state of your Mac.

What you can do...

• Empty the Trash in the Dock.

• Empty the trash in the Photos app.

• Delete unused and unneeded installers from your downloads folder and desktop


This from Apple on the subject of storage management:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206996


And this for a better, more thorough explanation:

What is “Other” and what can I do about it? - Apple Community (Kappy)


2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 31, 2021 11:01 AM in response to catangelika

You don't get rid of it.


“Other” storage on Mac is files that don’t easily fall into the defined categories of “Audio" “Movies” “Photos” “Apps” and “Backups”. The types of files found in “Other" would include: 

• Browser and Mail caches

• Documents like .pdf, .psd, .doc,

• Disk images and archives like .dmg, .tar, .zip

• macOS system files

• Temporary files

• App plugins and extensions

• Any files that Spotlight doesn’t recognize as belonging in the main categories.


You cannot directly manage the contents of this category. That is done by macOS, and the category varies in size depending on the current state of your Mac.

What you can do...

• Empty the Trash in the Dock.

• Empty the trash in the Photos app.

• Delete unused and unneeded installers from your downloads folder and desktop


This from Apple on the subject of storage management:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206996


And this for a better, more thorough explanation:

What is “Other” and what can I do about it? - Apple Community (Kappy)


Aug 1, 2021 6:13 AM in response to catangelika

See used and available storage space on your Mac

OtherContains files that don’t fall into the categories listed here. This category primarily includes files and data used by the system, such as log files, caches, VM files, and other runtime system resources. Also included are temporary files, fonts, app support files, and plug-ins. You can't manage the contents of this category. The contents are managed by macOS, and the category varies in size depending on the current state of your Mac.



Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac and this may give a more accurate view of Used Space on the drive.


my macs storage is literally only other and system, how do i get rid of it?

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