Where is storage information on an older Mac?

On macOS 12 Monterey and earlier, choose Apple menu › About This Mac, then click Storage. On macOS 13 Ventura and later it’s in System Settings › General › Storage.

Does Store in iCloud delete my files?

No. It keeps your Desktop and Documents files, photos and messages in iCloud, and when space is needed it keeps only recently opened files in full on the Mac.

Can I delete System Data to fix a full disk?

Not from Storage settings, and deleting system files by hand is risky. Shrink the reclaimable parts instead: old device backups, local Time Machine snapshots and developer caches. The System Data guide covers each.

Why do the Recommendations only apply to part of my disk?

If the disk is partitioned, Storage recommendations apply only to the partition that holds your home folder.

Mac file guides

My Mac’s storage is full. What do I do first?

By Vishva Variya · Updated November 2, 2026 · 5 min read

Short answer

Open System Settings › General › Storage to see what’s using the space. Empty the Trash first, because files there still count. Then work through Documents and Applications, the categories you can clear yourself. System Data and macOS are read-only. If you need room right now to install an update, starting up in safe mode clears some system caches.

What do the categories in Storage settings mean?

The bar at the top of System Settings › General › Storage is split by kind of file. Click the ⓘ button next to a category to open it:

Applications: apps you installed. Apps that come with macOS count under macOS instead.
Documents: files in your home folder that fit no other category, including photos and videos that aren’t in your Photos library. It offers views of large files and downloads, plus a File Browser that shows space by folder.
iCloud Drive: files kept in iCloud Drive, which can include your Desktop and Documents folders.
iOS Files: iPhone and iPad backups and software updates.
Photos: your system Photo Library. Mail and Messages: emails, conversations and their attachments.
TV, Music, Books and Podcasts: purchases you can delete and download again.
Trash: what you’ve deleted but not yet emptied.
Other Users & Shared, macOS and System Data: read-only. You can see their size but not pick files in them.

What is “Other” in Mac storage?

“Other” is the old name for what Storage settings now calls System Data: a general category for Apple and third-party files that don’t fit anywhere else, mostly logs, caches and virtual memory files that macOS manages. You can’t clear it from Storage settings. It deserves its own look when it’s the biggest slice, and the System Data guide linked below covers what’s inside and what’s safe to shrink.

What should I clear first when the disk is full?

1Empty the Trash. A file in the Trash still takes space until the Trash is emptied.
2In Storage, click ⓘ next to Documents. Check large files and downloads, select what you don’t need and click Delete.
3Click ⓘ next to Applications and remove apps you no longer use.
4Click ⓘ next to iOS Files and delete backups of iPhones and iPads you no longer have.
5Turn on the recommendations that suit you: Store in iCloud, Optimize Storage (removes Apple TV movies and shows you’ve watched) and Empty Trash Automatically (after 30 days).

Large photo and video libraries can go to an external drive if you have one. For a fuller walk through every place space hides, see the free-up-space guide below.

I need space right now for a macOS update. What’s quickest?

Start up your Mac in safe mode. Apple says that clears certain system caches, which can give a task such as an update enough room while it runs. The caches are created again as they’re needed, so it’s a stopgap: restart normally afterwards and free real space with the steps above.

Why did free space not go up after I deleted things?

The files are still in the Trash, or in Photos’ Recently Deleted album.
The files lived in iCloud Drive and were already only in iCloud, so deleting them freed nothing on the Mac.
The Storage figure is still recalculating. It updates on its own as you free space; give it a minute.
System Data moved the other way. macOS clears caches and logs it considers safe to delete only when space is needed, so the figure swings.

Seeing what filled the disk with Peekaboo

Storage settings give you one bar. Peekaboo’s Disk Usage lists every folder on the disk by size, and shows separately the space macOS frees on its own, such as iCloud copies, caches and local snapshots, so you don’t chase gigabytes that will come back anyway. Space Map draws the same thing as a map you can click into. Clean Up then gathers forgotten downloads, old installers, big old videos and unused apps, and every cleanup goes to the Trash where it can be put back.

1Open Disk Usage to see every folder by size.⇧⌘U
2Or open Space Map and click into the largest slice.⇧⌘M
3Run Clean Up and review each group before anything moves.⇧⌘K
4Turn on Settings › Cleanup › Notify me when space is low, so you hear about it before the disk fills again.

Questions

Where is storage information on an older Mac?: On macOS 12 Monterey and earlier, choose Apple menu › About This Mac, then click Storage. On macOS 13 Ventura and later it’s in System Settings › General › Storage.
Does Store in iCloud delete my files?: No. It keeps your Desktop and Documents files, photos and messages in iCloud, and when space is needed it keeps only recently opened files in full on the Mac.
Can I delete System Data to fix a full disk?: Not from Storage settings, and deleting system files by hand is risky. Shrink the reclaimable parts instead: old device backups, local Time Machine snapshots and developer caches. The System Data guide covers each.
Why do the Recommendations only apply to part of my disk?: If the disk is partitioned, Storage recommendations apply only to the partition that holds your home folder.