Step 3: The file breakdown below indicates that some Library and iOS Support files are the culprits. In this case, I clicked “System” folder to continue. Step 2: Soon it’ll show you a folder/file tree and you can hover your cursor over each block (i.e. Open it, under “Space Lens” module, first click the yellow “Grant Access” button to allow the app to access your Mac files and then select “Scan” to get started. Step 1: Download CleanMyMac and install the app on your Mac. Note that CleanMyMac isn’t freeware, but the new “Space Lens” feature is free to use and it allows you to scan your Macintosh HD, and then show you an in-depth overview of what’s taking up disk space on your Mac. Since I tested the app in our best Mac cleaner review, it immediately came to my head when I saw “System Data” was greyed out in Storage. Since it’s greyed out and we are unable to click on that category for deeper analysis, we’ll have to use a third-party app to assist.ĬleanMyMac X is perfect for this kind of analysis. Adobe video cache files), disk images, plugins & extensions in the System Data category. Clean Trash and other unnecessary files.ĭuring my research, I found many people report that Apple counts application leftovers (e.g. Sort all files by size and delete old large files. What Else Can I Do to Reduce System Data on Mac?.My hunch is that Apple does this on purpose to prevent users from deleting system files that could lead to serious issues. allow you to review the files based on size and type. I have no idea why “System Data” is greyed out while “Documents,” “Music Creation,” “Trash,” etc.

Although my Mac now has a decent amount of free disk space and I tend not to store large files on my Mac these days, I’m always wary of files that are taking up more space than they should. Questions like these may easily get to your head. Why does my Mac system require so much space? What does it contain? Is it safe to remove some of those system data files? How do I regain more storage space? Worse yet, you have no idea what’s included in “System Data” storage, because clicking the “Manage” button brings you to this System Information window… and the “System Data” row is greyed out. In the example above, the System Data takes an astonishing 232 GB of precious storage. To your surprise, you see a grey bar “System Data” that seems to occupy way more space than you think it should. My MacBook Pro “System Data” is taking a large amount of disk space You try to figure out what’s taking up your disk space by clicking the Apple logo on the top-left of the screen, selecting About This Mac, and hitting the Storage tab.

Macbook pro how to free up disk space