"Other" storage on a Mac was the catch-all category in the storage view of About This Mac: everything that didn't fit the named categories. In macOS Monterey, released in 2021, Apple renamed it System Data. Apple's own article on freeing up space still refers to it as "System Data (or Other)".
So if you're looking for Other on a current Mac, it's System Data in System Settings › General › Storage. On macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe, it means what Apple's Big Sur guide said Other meant: logs, caches, virtual memory files, temporary files, fonts, app support files and plug-ins.
The rename is the simple part. What Other held changed far more. Before macOS Sierra, Other swallowed your documents, archives and disk images too, so a huge Other often meant your own files. From Sierra on, Apple gave those files categories of their own, and Other shrank to the leftovers.
If your Mac still says Other, it runs macOS Big Sur or earlier. This post explains what Other meant on each version, where its contents are counted today, and what to do on a Mac that still shows it.
For a piece-by-piece look at the modern category, see what System Data is.
What happened to Other storage on the Mac
The category kept its name for years, while everything around it changed. This table follows it from the OS X versions of the early 2010s to today.
| macOS version | Where you looked | Leftover category | What changed around it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before Yosemite | About This Mac › More Info › Storage | Other | Reached through More Info |
| Yosemite and El Capitan | About This Mac › Storage | Other | Only Audio, Movies, Photos, Apps and Backups have categories |
| Sierra and High Sierra | About This Mac › Storage › Manage | Other | Optimized Storage; Documents, iCloud Drive, iOS Files, Mail and more get categories |
| Mojave and Catalina | About This Mac › Storage › Manage | Other | Catalina splits iTunes into Apple TV, Music, Books and Podcasts |
| Big Sur | About This Mac › Storage › Manage | Other | Apple's guide describes Other for the first time |
| Monterey | About This Mac › Storage › Manage | System Data | Other renamed; System becomes macOS |
| Ventura to Golden Gate 27 | System Settings › General › Storage | System Data | Storage moves to System Settings |
The earliest rows come from guides written at the time, such as OS X Daily's from 2015, which says versions before Yosemite needed a click on More Info to reach the Storage tab. From High Sierra on, Apple's own guides list the categories.
Is Other the same as System Data?
Mostly. Apple's guide for Big Sur describes Other in nearly the same words its guides have used for System Data since Monterey: files that don't fall into the other categories, primarily files and data the system uses, which macOS manages and you can't manage there.
One thing moved in. Apple's guides up to Big Sur listed Time Machine's local snapshots under System. When System became macOS in Monterey, the snapshots weren't mentioned any more, and today they count in System Data, so the new category can be larger than the old one was.
Why did Apple rename it?
Apple hasn't said. The new name matches how Apple had described the category since Big Sur, as mostly data the system uses, and "Other" told people very little about what was inside.
macOS still carries the old name. In macOS 27, the storage framework's English text for System Data is filed under the key DISK_OTHER, a leftover from when that label read Other.
Where is Other in macOS 27 and macOS 26?
It's System Data, in the list of categories in Storage settings. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click General, then Storage. Apple's guides for the two versions describe it in the same words, and like Other before it, it has no information button and no list of files.
Which part of the bar was Other?
Its color changed over the years. OS X Daily's 2015 guide describes Other as the blue part of the bar in Yosemite, and yellow in earlier versions.
Don't go by color on a current Mac. Apple's guide for macOS 27 says light gray in the bar is free space, so move the pointer over each color instead: Storage settings shows the category's name and size.
Other before macOS Sierra: nearly everything
On OS X Yosemite, El Capitan and the versions before them, the storage bar had only a handful of categories. Anything that wasn't audio, a movie, a photo, an app or a backup went into Other, and that was most of what people kept on a Mac.
What counted as Other on El Capitan and earlier?
OS X Daily's 2015 guide lists what landed there. In plain terms:
- Documents and common file types, such as PDFs, Word files and Photoshop files.
- Archives and disk images, such as zip and dmg files.
- Personal data and items in your Library folder, such as Application Support and iCloud files.
- Caches from browsers, apps and macOS.
- Fonts, plug-ins and extensions.
- Items in macOS's own system folders, including temporary files and swap.
- Files Spotlight couldn't identify, such as virtual machine disks.
Why was Other so large on older Macs?
Because your work counted there. A Mac with years of documents, downloads and projects could show an Other of a hundred gigabytes or more, and none of it was wasted space. People who went looking for "junk" to clear often found their own files.
That's the main lesson for anyone helping with an older Mac. On El Capitan or earlier, a large Other is a reason to look through Documents, Downloads and the Desktop first, not a sign that something is wrong.
What did the other categories cover?
The named categories were narrow. Audio, Movies and Photos counted media files by type, and Apps counted applications. Everything a Mac needs to run, including macOS itself, had no category of its own, which is another reason Other was large.
Other from Sierra to Big Sur: the leftovers
macOS Sierra, in 2016, changed the storage view. Apple introduced Optimized Storage, which it described as freeing space as a Mac fills up by storing rarely used items in iCloud and helping you remove apps and files you no longer need.
What changed with Sierra and High Sierra?
A Manage button opened a window with recommendations and a sidebar of categories. Apple's High Sierra guide lists Applications, Documents, iCloud Drive, iOS Files, iTunes and iBooks, Mail, Messages, Music Creation, Photos, Trash, Other users and System.
That took most of the old Other away. Your documents moved to Documents, synced files to iCloud Drive, device backups to iOS Files, and macOS itself to System. Other was left with what no category claimed.
Where did iPhone backups count?
Under iOS Files, not Other, from High Sierra on. Apple's High Sierra and Mojave guides describe it as iOS backups and firmware kept in iTunes. From Catalina, the guides drop the mention of iTunes, since Finder took over syncing devices, but the category stays the same.
Backups of devices you no longer own are often the largest single items in it, and they're listed one by one in the Manage window.
What did Other mean on High Sierra, Mojave and Catalina?
Apple's guides for these versions don't list Other at all, although the bar showed it. Their lists stop at Other Users and System, and the leftover space appeared as Other without a description.
Catalina split iTunes into Apple TV, Music, Books and Podcasts, after iTunes itself was split into separate apps. That moved a little more out of the way, but Other stayed the remainder.
What did Big Sur's guide say about Other?
Big Sur's guide was the first to describe it: files that don't fall into the other categories, primarily files and data used by the system, such as log files, caches, VM files and other runtime system resources, plus temporary files, fonts, app support files and plug-ins.
It added that you can't manage the contents of this category, that macOS manages them, and that its size varies with the current state of your Mac. Monterey kept that description, added a line pointing you to Finder and the apps that made the files, and changed the name.
Where were Time Machine's local snapshots counted?
Under System, according to Apple's guides from High Sierra to Big Sur, which list Time Machine local snapshots among System's examples. Apple says that since High Sierra, Time Machine also saves a snapshot before installing any macOS update.
So on those versions, a large System figure was often snapshots, and Other didn't include them. On Monterey and later, they're part of System Data instead.
How the old Other maps to today's categories
The same files have been counted in different places over the years. This table follows the main kinds of file from the old Other to macOS 27.
| Kind of file | El Capitan and earlier | Sierra to Big Sur | Monterey to macOS 27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Documents, downloads, archives, disk images | Other | Documents | Documents |
| iCloud Drive files on the Mac | Other | iCloud Drive | iCloud Drive |
| Mail and Messages | Other | Mail, Messages | Mail, Messages |
| Caches, logs and temporary files | Other | Other | System Data |
| App support files, fonts and plug-ins | Other | Other | System Data |
| Swap and virtual memory | Other | Other | System Data |
| macOS's own files | Other | System | macOS |
| Time Machine local snapshots | Not documented | System | System Data |
Two things stand out. Your own files left Other with Sierra and never came back. And System Data today is Big Sur's Other plus local snapshots, which is why the two figures can't be compared directly across an upgrade.
What lands in System Data that never had a home?
Developer tools are the usual example. Docker's disk image, package managers' caches, virtual machines and local AI models fit no category, so they counted as Other then and count as System Data now. Xcode is the exception: on a Mac with Xcode, Storage settings can show a Developer category for some of its files.
The post on every category in Storage settings covers what each of today's categories counts and what its information button lets you do.
- Downloads and large old files (Documents)5–100 GB · Review first
- Messages attachments (Messages)5–100 GB · Review first
- App caches (System Data)2–30 GB · Safe
- Per-user temporary files (System Data)1–70 GB · Managed by macOS
- Swap and sleep image (System Data)1–20 GB · Managed by macOS
- Logs and crash reports (System Data)0.1–5 GB · Safe
Typical ranges on Macs that have these items at all, from the research behind the app's catalog. Many Macs have far less. Before Sierra, all of these counted as Other.
Macs that still show Other
A Mac shows Other if it runs macOS Big Sur or earlier. Most of them do so because they can't run anything newer.
Which Macs still show Other?
Apple's compatibility lists draw the line. Monterey needs a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro from early 2015 or later, an iMac from late 2015 or later, a Mac mini from late 2014 or later, a MacBook from early 2016 or later, or a Mac Pro from late 2013 or later.
| Mac | Models whose last macOS is Big Sur | Category they show |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air | Mid 2013 and Early 2014 | Other |
| MacBook Pro | Retina, Late 2013 and Mid 2014 | Other |
| MacBook | Retina, Early 2015 | Other |
| iMac | Mid 2014, Late 2014 and Retina 5K Mid 2015 | Other |
| Older models of any of these | Stop at Catalina or earlier | Other |
Every Mac in this table has an Intel processor. All Macs with Apple silicon can run Monterey or later, though one still running Big Sur by choice shows Other too.
How do you check which macOS you have?
Choose Apple menu › About This Mac. The window shows the name and version of macOS. If it says Big Sur, Catalina or an earlier name, the storage view calls the leftover category Other.
Where is storage on these Macs?
On Big Sur and the versions before it back to Yosemite, choose Apple menu › About This Mac and click Storage. The bar shows each category's size when you move the pointer over it, and Manage opens the detailed window with recommendations and a sidebar of categories.
Other appears only in the bar. Like System Data today, it has no list of files to open.
Why does Other change while the window is open?
Because the figures are still being worked out. Apple's Monterey guide warns you to wait until every category has finished calculating, since values are refined as each one is counted. Until then, space can move between categories.
Close the window, wait a minute and open it again before you trust a large Other. The same goes for System Data on current versions.
What to check first on each version
Because Other meant different things on different versions, the first place to look depends on which macOS the Mac runs. This table puts the likeliest causes first.
| macOS version | What a large leftover figure usually means | Where to look first |
|---|---|---|
| El Capitan and earlier | Your own documents, downloads and disk images | Finder: Documents, Downloads, Desktop |
| Sierra to Catalina | Caches, app data and files no category claims | Your Library folder's Caches and Application Support |
| Big Sur | The same, with snapshots counted under System instead | Library folders first; System for snapshots |
| Monterey to macOS 27 | Snapshots, caches, app data and developer tools | Time Machine settings, then Library folders |
Why does the version matter so much?
The same advice gives opposite results on different versions. Clearing caches on El Capitan barely moves an Other made mostly of documents. Sorting documents by size on macOS 27 barely moves System Data, because documents count elsewhere.
Knowing which version you're looking at saves time and avoids removing the wrong things.
What about developer tools on older Macs?
They've always landed in the leftover category, apart from the Xcode files that newer versions count under Developer. Virtual machines, Docker and package caches can each take tens of gigabytes. On any version, check the tools you use before anything else, and remove their data in the tool itself.
How to shrink Other on an older Mac
The parts of Other are the same as the parts of System Data, so the same approach works, through the older menus. On El Capitan and earlier, remember that Other also holds your documents.
Which parts of Other can you remove?
| Part | Where it lives | What to do on an older Mac |
|---|---|---|
| App caches | ~/Library/Caches | Quit the app, then move its folder to the Trash |
| Logs and crash reports | ~/Library/Logs | Remove the files inside; keep the folders |
| App data of apps you removed | ~/Library/Application Support | Check each folder, then move it to the Trash |
| Temporary files | /private/var/folders | Leave them; macOS manages them |
| Swap files | /private/var/vm | Restart the Mac to clear them |
| Documents and downloads, El Capitan and earlier | Your home folder | Sort by size in Finder and decide |
The post on Photoshop's scratch disks covers one large kind of temporary file, and why it's best left to the app and macOS.
To open a Library folder, choose Go › Go to Folder in Finder and type the path. The same steps work on every version this post covers, up to macOS 27.
How do you find large files in Finder?
On El Capitan and earlier, most of a large Other is usually your own files, so finding the big ones comes first. Finder's search can do it on Big Sur as on macOS 27, using the steps in Apple's guide to narrowing search results:
- Open a Finder window and choose File › Find.
- Click the add button below the search field, then click the first pop-up menu and choose Other.
- Select File Size in the list of attributes and click OK.
- Choose is greater than, type a size such as 1, and choose GB.
Add Last opened date as a second criterion to find large files you haven't opened in years. Look at each one before you move it to the Trash, or copy it to an external drive first.
What does the Manage window help with?
On Sierra to Big Sur, open Apple menu › About This Mac › Storage and click Manage. Apple's Big Sur guide lists four recommendations: Store in iCloud, Optimize Storage, Empty Trash Automatically and Reduce Clutter.
The sidebar helps with everything that isn't Other. Documents shows large files and downloads, iOS Files lists device backups and software files, and Trash has Empty Trash. Apple says iCloud Drive, Photos, Music Creation and Mail offer general recommendations there rather than lists.
How do you remove local snapshots on an older Mac?
On High Sierra to Big Sur, snapshots count under System, not Other, but they're still worth knowing about. Apple says Time Machine deletes them as they age or as space is needed. The guide to Time Machine local snapshots explains them in full.
To remove them sooner on Monterey or earlier, Apple's steps are to open Time Machine preferences, deselect Back Up Automatically or use the Off/On switch, wait a few minutes, and turn automatic backups on again. Backups on your backup disk aren't affected.
Does safe mode help?
A little, for a one-off job. Starting up in safe mode clears some system caches, which macOS rebuilds as you use the Mac. On an Intel-based Mac, turn it on or restart it, then press and hold Shift right away, and let go when the login window appears.
Will updating macOS shrink Other?
Updating to Monterey or later renames the category, but it doesn't remove anything. The same caches, logs and app data move with you and appear as System Data. An upgrade also needs free space to install, and macOS saves a snapshot before installing an update, so clear space before you start, not after.
How much free space does an upgrade need?
Apple published a figure for Big Sur, the last version many of these Macs can run: 35.5 GB of available storage when upgrading from Sierra or later, and up to 44.5 GB from an earlier release. That's the free space to have before you start, on top of what you keep on the Mac.
The post on how much space a macOS update needs covers later versions, and how much room their updates have needed in practice.
What changes when an older Mac upgrades
If a Mac on Big Sur moves to Monterey or later, its storage figures shift in ways that can look alarming. Nothing is lost; the same files are counted under new names, and one of them changes category.
Which categories change on the upgrade?
| On Big Sur | On Monterey and later | Why it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Other | System Data | Renamed, with the same description |
| System | macOS | Renamed; Apple's examples no longer include local snapshots |
| Local snapshots, inside System | Part of System Data | No category of their own any more |
| Other Users | Other Users, then Other Users & Shared in Sonoma | Renamed to include shared files |
| About This Mac › Storage | About This Mac in Monterey, System Settings from Ventura | Storage moves to System Settings in Ventura |
Why is System Data bigger than Other was?
Often because local snapshots moved in. On Big Sur, they counted under System; afterwards, they count in System Data. If you back up with Time Machine, the new figure includes them, so it can be noticeably larger than the old Other even though nothing new arrived.
Apple says Time Machine keeps hourly snapshots for 24 hours, and saves another before installing any macOS update. Right after an upgrade, that extra snapshot is part of the figure too.
Why did the macOS figure end up smaller than System?
Often for the same reason, in reverse. Snapshots no longer count there, so macOS holds only macOS's own apps and files. On a Mac that kept many snapshots, the drop can be large.
Later versions push the other way. On Macs that support Apple Intelligence, its models count under macOS, so on macOS Sequoia and later that figure can grow again by several gigabytes.
Why do the numbers keep changing after an upgrade?
Storage settings works its figures out in the background, and after an upgrade it has a lot to count. Snapshots also age out over the following day. Give it a day and a restart before comparing the new figures with the old ones, or looking for something to remove.
Other names that sound like Other
A few other labels contain the word, and they mean different things. Mixing them up sends people looking in the wrong place.
| Label | Where you see it | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Other | About This Mac, Big Sur and earlier | The leftover category, now System Data |
| Other Users, Other Users & Shared | Storage, in every version | Files of other accounts on the Mac |
| Other Volumes | Disk Utility | Space used by the other volumes in your disk's container |
| Other, in a Finder search | Finder's search criteria menu | The item that lists more attributes, such as File Size |
| System Data | Storage settings, Monterey and later | The leftover category, formerly Other |
Is Other Users part of Other?
No. Other Users has been a separate category since at least High Sierra, when Apple described it as files created and modified by other user accounts on your Mac. It's been called Other Users & Shared since Sonoma, and the post on Other Users & Shared explains it.
Is Other Volumes the same as Other?
No. In Disk Utility, Other Volumes is the space taken by the volumes that share your disk's container with the one you selected, such as the macOS system volume, Preboot and Recovery. It's a measure of volumes, not a category of files.
Is purgeable space part of Other?
Not as a category. Apple's guides from High Sierra to Big Sur explain that available space includes free space and purgeable disk caches, and that space can be both available and used at the same time. Local snapshots are the usual example: they hold space that macOS can free when it's needed.
Myths about Other storage
Advice about Other dates back years, and some of it was never right. These are the ones that still circulate.
"Other is junk"
It never was. On El Capitan and earlier, Other included your documents. Since Sierra, it has held caches, logs and app data that apps and macOS use, plus the data apps keep for you, some of which can't be made again.
"You can delete Other"
There's no button and no folder called Other. You can remove some of its parts, such as caches of apps you no longer use, but others belong to macOS, which manages them. Apple's own description says you can't manage the category's contents in the storage view.
"Reinstalling macOS clears Other"
Reinstalling macOS over your current system keeps your apps, files and settings, so the caches and app data come back with them. Erasing the Mac and starting again clears everything, and it grows back the same way.
"Other means hidden files"
Not quite. Many of the files that count as Other or System Data sit in folders Finder hides, such as your Library folder, so they're easy to miss. But on El Capitan and earlier, plenty of Other was visible: documents on the Desktop and files in Downloads.
The category is about what Storage settings can't name, not about what Finder shows.
"A cleanup app can empty Other"
No app can empty a category, because a category is only a way of counting. Any tool, including the ones built into macOS, can remove some of the parts that make it up, and leaves the rest to macOS. Treat a promise to empty Other or System Data in one click with caution.
"Paste this command to clean Other"
Guides that ask you to paste Terminal commands to "clean Other" are worth closing. Commands that delete files can't be undone, and fake cleanup guides are a known way to install malware. Everything above works through Finder and the storage view.
How the app does it
Wombit runs on macOS 26 or later, so it can't help on a Mac that still shows Other. On a current Mac, it's a native app that shows what's using your storage, explains every item in plain language, and clears it safely: Trash first, undoable and logged.
What used to be Other is now System Data, and System Data, explained splits it into named buckets, such as local snapshots, caches, logs, swap and sleep image, app data and developer files. It shows how much it couldn't explain, instead of hiding it in a total. These are the entries for the parts in this post:
Hourly snapshots of your startup disk that Time Machine keeps on the disk itself, so you can restore files even without your backup disk.
Managed by macOS · Runs tmutil for Time Machine's own snapshots, through the helper
~/
Library/ Caches/ * Data that apps and macOS services keep so they can load things faster. Apps create it again when they need it.
Safe · Moves it to the Trash
~/
Library/ Logs/ DiagnosticReports/ * Reports macOS saves when an app crashes, stops responding or uses a lot of resources. You can view them in the Console app.
Safe · Moves it to the Trash
/
private/ var/ folders Per-user temporary files and caches
Private temporary folders and caches that macOS creates for each user account, in hidden folders with random names.
Managed by macOS · Explained only: never removed
/
private/ var/ vm Disk space macOS uses as extra memory when RAM runs low, and a copy of memory it can save before a long sleep.
Managed by macOS · Explained only: never removed
~/
Library/ Application Support/ * Data that apps create and manage for you, such as libraries, databases, downloads and settings, in a folder for each app.
Review first · Explained only: the app shows you how
Safe items, such as app caches and crash reports, start checked in Cleanup and are the only ones counted in the headline number. Review first items, such as Application Support folders, wait for your choice, and Managed by macOS items, such as swap and temporary files, are explained and left to macOS.
Seeing System Data explained is part of the free analyzer. Cleanup and removing Time Machine snapshots are PRO: one payment of $4.99 with lifetime access. Every Pro tool's review is free to open, so you see what would go and why before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Other storage the same as System Data on a Mac?
Mostly. Apple renamed the leftover category from Other to System Data in macOS Monterey and kept Big Sur's description of it. One thing changed: Time Machine's local snapshots, which Big Sur counted under System, now count in System Data.
Why can't I find Other storage on my Mac anymore?
Because it's called System Data now. On macOS Ventura and later, choose Apple menu, System Settings, click General, then Storage, and look for System Data in the list. On Monterey, it's in About This Mac under Storage.
Why does my Mac still show Other in storage?
It's running macOS Big Sur or earlier. Many Macs from 2013 and 2014, such as the MacBook Air from Mid 2013 and the MacBook Pro from Late 2013, can't run anything newer than Big Sur. Choose Apple menu, About This Mac to see your version.
How do I clear Other storage on an older Mac?
Clear the parts you can identify: caches of apps you no longer use in your Library's Caches folder, old logs, and data left by apps you've removed. Restart to clear swap files. On El Capitan and earlier, Other also includes your documents, so sort your own files by size first.
Why was Other storage so big on El Capitan?
Before macOS Sierra, the storage bar had only a few categories, and documents, archives, disk images, caches and app data all counted as Other. A large Other often meant your own files, not wasted space.
Does updating macOS get rid of Other storage?
It renames it to System Data on Monterey or later, but nothing is removed. The same caches, logs and app data come with you. An upgrade also needs free space to install, so make room before you start.
Sources
- Free up storage space on Mac · Apple
- See used and available storage space on your Mac (macOS Big Sur) · Apple
- See used and available storage space on your Mac (macOS Monterey) · Apple
- macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Apple
- macOS Monterey is compatible with these computers · Apple
- What is "Other" storage space on Mac and how to clear it up · OS X Daily