If you’re reading this, you might be dealing with the same frustrating issue I faced on my MacBook M1:

System Data was taking a crazy amount of storage.

In my case, it was around 120GB, and my Mac had almost no free space left, which made it hard to work, download files, or even run apps smoothly.

This blog is my personal story of what happened, what I tried, what worked, and why my System Data is still high even after cleanup.

The Problem: Mac M1 System Data Using 120GB

One day I checked my storage from:

Apple Menu → About This Mac → Storage

And I was shocked.

Instead of my files taking space, the biggest thing was:

✅ System Data: 120GB

This was confusing because I didn’t install anything huge that should be counted as “system.”

At that moment, I felt stuck because:

• I couldn’t install updates
• My Mac was showing “storage full” warnings
• Apps were slow and sometimes freezing
• I couldn’t save new files properly

I Asked for Help Online

Like most people, I searched online and also asked on Reddit. Many Mac users said the same thing:

“System Data is not always real system files. It can be cache, logs, backups, temporary files, and hidden data.”

That gave me hope, because it meant this issue was fixable.

What I Tried (The Fix That Helped Me)

After trying different suggestions, I found that my Mac was holding a lot of cache and log files, so I decided to clean them.

⚠️ Important Note: I’m sharing what I personally did. Be careful with Terminal commands because deleting the wrong files can cause problems. Always double-check before running commands.

Here are the commands I ran:

sudo rm -rf /Library/Caches/*
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/*
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/*
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/CrashReporter/*

Result: I Recovered a Lot of Space

After running those commands, I immediately noticed:

✅ I freed up a lot of storage
✅ My Mac felt smoother
✅ I finally had space to work again

My System Data dropped from:

120GB → around 83GB

That was a big improvement.

But My System Data Is Still 83GB…

Even after cleaning, I checked storage again and saw:

✅ System Data still around 83GB

So now my main question is:

Is 83GB System Data normal on a Mac M1?

Because from what I understand, System Data usually should be much lower.

What “System Data” Actually Includes (Simple Explanation)

One thing I learned is that macOS doesn’t show everything clearly.

System Data can include:

• App caches (Chrome, Safari, Adobe, etc.)
• System logs
• Temporary files
• Crash reports
• iPhone/iPad backups
• Old macOS updates
• Virtual memory / swap files
• Time Machine local snapshots (if enabled)
• Large hidden folders inside ~/Library

So even if you delete a lot of cache, the system can still keep a big “System Data” number.

What Is Normal System Data on Mac?

This depends on your usage, but generally:

✅ 20GB–50GB = normal
⚠️ 50GB–80GB = can happen with heavy usage
❌ 80GB+ = usually too high, especially on small SSDs

So 83GB is still high, but not as scary as 120GB.

My Question to Other Mac Users

After doing all this cleanup, I want to ask:

What is the actual System Data size on your MacBook?

• MacBook Air M1 256GB?
• MacBook Pro M1 512GB?
• macOS Sonoma / Ventura users?

Because I want to compare and understand if my Mac is still holding unnecessary files.

Final Thoughts

This storage issue was honestly very stressful because when your Mac has no free space, everything becomes difficult.

But at least I learned one thing:

✅ A lot of “System Data” is just cache, logs, and temporary files.

Cleaning those helped me recover space and get my Mac usable again.

Still, I’m trying to figure out why my System Data is stuck at 83GB, and if there are more safe ways to reduce it without harming macOS.

If You’re Facing the Same Issue…

If your Mac M1 System Data is 100GB+, don’t panic.

Start with:

1. Restart your Mac
2. Empty Trash
3. Check large folders
4. Clear cache/log files carefully
5. Look inside ~/Library