--- title: "What is “Other” storage on Mac? (Now “System Data”)" description: "“Other” was the old name for System Data. macOS Monterey renamed it. Here’s what it holds, why it’s big, and how to shrink it on macOS 14, 15 and later." url: https://tidymac.space/guides/what-is-other-storage-on-mac/ updated: 2026-10-17 --- [Home](/) [Guides](/guides/) What is “Other” storage on Mac? (Now “System Data”) # What is “Other” storage on a Mac, and where did it go? “Other” was the old name for System Data. macOS Monterey renamed it. Here’s what it holds, why it’s big, and how to shrink it on macOS 14, 15 and later. 4 min readUpdated October 16, 2026By the Tidy Mac team Short answer “Other” storage is the name older macOS versions (Big Sur and earlier) used for files that don’t fit Apps, Documents, Photos or another category. macOS Monterey renamed it System Data. It’s the same thing: Time Machine local snapshots, caches, iPhone backups, developer files, logs and app data. The steps 1. Open System Settings › General › Storage; “Other” is now the grey System Data bar. 2. Thin Time Machine local snapshots with tmutil. 3. Delete old iPhone and iPad backups you don’t need. 4. Clear caches of closed apps in ~/Library/Caches. 5. Remove old installers and developer files with their own tools. ## Same category, new name In **About This Mac › Storage** on macOS Big Sur and earlier, the grey bar was called **Other**. From macOS Monterey on, it's called **System Data**. On macOS 13 Ventura and later, you find it in **System Settings › General › Storage**, as the grey bar at the end. The rename didn't change what's in it or make it easier to open. Apple still doesn't show what's inside. ## What "Other" / System Data holds - **Time Machine local snapshots**: often the biggest part. [How to thin them](/learn/time-machine-local-snapshots/) - **iPhone and iPad backups** made with Finder. [Where they live](/learn/iphone-backups-on-mac/) - **App caches** in ~/Library/Caches. [Safe to clear?](/learn/mac-app-caches/) - **App data** in Application Support and Containers. [What's inside](/learn/mac-application-support-folder/) - **Developer files**: Xcode, simulators, Docker, package caches. [For developers](/for/developers/) - **Logs, installers, virtual machines** and other files without a category. ![](/img/brand/tidy-128.png) ### Let Tidy Mac do this for you See every part of your storage explained, and clear junk to the Trash with Undo. $9.99 once, 2 Macs. [Download](/download/TidyMac.dmg) [Buy for $9.99 once](/buy/) ## How to shrink it today The steps are the same as for System Data. Start with the biggest wins: ``` tmutil listlocalsnapshots / sudo tmutil thinlocalsnapshots / 999999999999 4 ``` Then remove old device backups, caches of closed apps and installers. The full walk-through: [how to clear System Data](/guides/clear-system-data-macos-tahoe/). ## Where Tidy Mac fits Tidy Mac's Home screen opens up the grey bar: it splits System Data into named parts with a plain-English line for each, and marks what's Safe to clear, Worth a look or Kept. What you clear goes to the Trash with Undo. [See pricing](/#pricing) ## Frequently asked questions Is “Other” the same as System Data? Yes. macOS Monterey renamed Other to System Data. The contents are the same kind of files. Can I delete Other storage? Not as one block, and not from System Settings. You shrink it by removing the parts inside it: local snapshots, old backups, caches of closed apps and old installers. Why is Other storage so big? Usually Time Machine local snapshots, iPhone backups and developer files. Reports of 100–400 GB are common on Macs that have never been cleaned. Where is Other storage on macOS Sonoma or Sequoia? It’s called System Data, in System Settings › General › Storage. [What it is](/learn/what-is-system-data-on-mac/) ## Keep reading [What is “System Data” on a Mac, and why is it so big?](/learn/what-is-system-data-on-mac/)[Clear System Data on macOS Tahoe](/guides/clear-system-data-macos-tahoe/)[System Data is over 100 GB on my Mac: what’s using it?](/guides/mac-system-data-100gb/)[What is System Data?](/glossary/system-data/)[How to find and delete old node\_modules folders on a Mac](/guides/delete-node-modules-mac/)[How to find duplicate files on a Mac, with Finder, Photos or Terminal](/guides/find-duplicate-files-mac/) Share:[X](https://x.com/intent/post?text=What%20is%20%E2%80%9COther%E2%80%9D%20storage%20on%20a%20Mac%2C%20and%20where%20did%20it%20go%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftidymac.space%2Fguides%2Fwhat-is-other-storage-on-mac%2F)[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftidymac.space%2Fguides%2Fwhat-is-other-storage-on-mac%2F&title=What%20is%20%E2%80%9COther%E2%80%9D%20storage%20on%20a%20Mac%2C%20and%20where%20did%20it%20go%3F)[Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/submitlink?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftidymac.space%2Fguides%2Fwhat-is-other-storage-on-mac%2F&t=What%20is%20%E2%80%9COther%E2%80%9D%20storage%20on%20a%20Mac%2C%20and%20where%20did%20it%20go%3F)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftidymac.space%2Fguides%2Fwhat-is-other-storage-on-mac%2F) #### On this page [Same category, new name](#same-category-new-name)[What "Other" / System Data holds](#what-other-system-data-holds)[How to shrink it today](#how-to-shrink-it-today)[Where Tidy Mac fits](#where-tidy-mac-fits)[FAQ](#faq) **Tidy Mac** See this on your own Mac in under a minute. $9.99 once, 2 Macs. [Download](/download/TidyMac.dmg)