System Data is a very important part of the Mac system, and for a very good reason. It will help you figure out what’s stored on your device, and it covers stuff outside of documents, music, apps and so on. However, that can also make it very confusing, because your Mac won’t automatically say what is a part of System Data. And obviously, you end up trying to figure things out on your own. When you try to go online and figure stuff out, that can prove to be extremely difficult. But it’s certainly worth learning more about System Data in this guide.
What’s included in the System Data?
The System Data part of your storage is all about stuff that your system creates as your Mac is running. For example, app data and system junk are a part of the System Data. The same thing can be valid when it comes to the local snapshots of your Time Machine, but also browser plugins, extensions and so on. Pretty much any type of data made on your system is going to be included one way or the other. And that’s why it can be a very good idea to understand what’s included, if possible.
Remove system junk
Using a Mac cleanup tool is a great idea because it can help you remove system junk fast and without a problem. It gives you the means to remove any system junk without any manual work from your side. Instead, the app automatically figures out where and how to remove the system junk, and you can do so without concerns. A lot of people have clutter and junk in their device, so being able to remove system junk effectively like this can help more than expected.
Delete browser extensions
Browser extensions are known for requiring quite a bit of resources. But they also eat up plenty of space, especially for the larger extensions. What you want to do is to enter your browser and then its adjacent section with all the extensions. Check all of those and see which extensions fit your needs the most. Once you do that, you can delete the extensions that you are not ok with. In the end, that will provide a much better experience and your Mac should remove unwanted system data.
Start deleting those old iOS backups
If you have an iOS device and connect it to your Mac often, it will automatically create backups. And while some of those could be handy, having dozens of them is just a waste of space. The best approach in our opinion is to enter the Application Support in your Library folder. And here, you can check Mobile Sync and then Backup. Keep the most recent backup/s and then you can delete those that are very old. Realistically, we don’t need a plethora of backups, just the latest ones. So the others are very safe and easy to delete.
Find and remove duplicate files
Duplicate files are also a part of the system data. And they eat up a lot of space, for a file that you already have on your device. You can go to the Download folder and spot duplicates. Or you can use a duplicate finder to help you narrow down the duplicate items and delete them. You can do this on your entire Mac, as it can help ensure you have plenty of space left, so keep that in mind!
Remove apps you barely use
Those apps just eat up space on your device and they don’t offer any value. So the best approach here is to just delete them and make sure that you avoid keeping stuff that barely gets any use. It just clutters your device while lowering performance, and that’s not exactly ok.
Delete extra languages
Extra languages are basically clutter if you only use the default system language. You can go to Applications, select an app and then right click to Show Package Contents. And here you want to select Resources. Any files ending with .lproj can safely be deleted and you can move them to the trash.
Remove unwanted items from the Library folder
The Library folder is where you can find a lot of remaining files from apps. You can see what apps you deleted and then go onward to delete their counterparts and remaining stuff from the Library folder. It’s actually a very good idea to remove stuff this way, as it does save time, while delivering a much better experience.
We think that deleting some of the stuff within System Data can speed up your Mac. It’s a great idea to think about, and one that can provide a very good result. It will take some trial and error to narrow stuff down, but if you manage it rightfully, you will be very happy with the results. Yes, it’s definitely a challenge to delete System Data on your Mac, but at the same time, it can be worth the effort since your device will run smoothly!
