Issue Description
System Data (formerly “Other”) consumes a large portion of storage and keeps growing.
Common Causes
- Local Time Machine snapshots
- App caches and logs
- Old macOS update files
Step-by-Step Solution
Step 1: Check Storage Breakdown
- Open System Settings → Storage
- Note System Data size
Step 2: Remove Local Time Machine Snapshots
- Open Terminal
tmutil listlocalsnapshots /
- Delete snapshots:
sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots <snapshot_date>
Step 3: Clear User Caches
- Finder → Go → Go to Folder
~/Library/Caches
- Delete contents (not folders)
Step 4: Restart Mac
- Recheck System Data size
Explore Further
- Review large log files
Prevention & Best Practices
Keep Time Machine backups current.