Where 'Other' storage goes and how to get it back

Apple has renamed this category a few times — Other, System Data, Documents — but the experience is the same: a large number with no obvious explanation. The fix is to find the biggest files, not to delete a folder called 'Other'.

Look in three places first

• Downloads: old installers, disk images, and ZIP files.
• Movies and Music: screen recordings, exports, and large media libraries.
• Library/Application Support: developer tools, virtual machines, and game data.

Use a visual browser

A tool that shows folders by size is more useful than a list of file types. Finder's list view works too. Sort by size, then open the largest folders one level at a time. Do not delete a folder just because its name is unfamiliar; look inside first.

Once you have found the big items, decide whether to delete, archive, or move them to an external drive. A 200GB folder of finished video projects is not a system problem. It is an archive problem.

Storage anxiety is usually a naming problem. Give the big files a home and the number stops being scary.