How to check and free up storage on a Mac (and what System Data is)

Device

Mac

Shown on

macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo)

App

System Settings

Path

System Settings › General › Storage

Real screenshots

4 of 4 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open Storage

   Choose Apple menu, System Settings, General, Storage. Wait for the bar to finish.

   Done

2. 

   Hover over the bar

   Each colour shows its size. macOS was 30,58 GB on ours.

   Done

3. 

   Find System Data

   It is the last row, with no (i) button: you cannot open it.

   Done

4. 

   Free space elsewhere

   Click (i) next to Documents. Large Files lists the biggest files; ours were two disk images (.dmg).

   Done

If you do not see this option

• No System Data row? Scroll the list to the bottom and wait until Storage finishes calculating.
• Called Other? Apple says this category may be called Other on some Macs. Source: Free up storage space on Mac

If this does not work

• System Data keeps growing? Use the Recommendations at the top of Storage, and delete nothing in the system folders by hand. Source: Free up storage space on Mac
• Old iPhone or iPad backups? Apple lists deleting backups you no longer need as a way to free space. Source: Free up storage space on Mac
• Still large? Apple says starting up in safe mode clears some system caches. Restart normally afterwards. Source: Free up storage space on Mac

About this guide

System Data is the storage that macOS does not put in another category.

The screenshots are from our MacBook Neo with macOS 27.0.1, taken on 18 October 2026. Ours had 91,15 GB of 494,33 GB used.

Good to know

Apps you no longer use: how to uninstall apps on a Mac.

In short: System Settings, General, Storage, last row. Free space through Recommendations and Documents.