TL;DR
To clear system data on your Mac:
- Clear cache to free space.
- Remove unused app files.
- Delete old iOS backups.
- Erase email attachments.
- Remove Time Machine backups.
- Clear system logs.
Tried and Tested ✅: The methods and steps mentioned in this article have been tried and tested firsthand by Ojash Yadav on his MacBook Pro M3 and rechecked for errors on Hashir’s MacBook Air M2.
If your Mac is running slow, it could be due to system data buildup. In this post, I’ll show you simple steps to clear system data on your Mac to free up space and boost performance.
6 Easy Ways to Clear System Data on Your Mac
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Below, I’ve shared simple and safe ways to clear system data on your Mac:
🚨 Be careful when deleting or changing system data—it can cause serious Mac performance issues if done without proper knowledge.
1. Clear Cache and Temporary Files
Here’s how to clear temp files on your Mac:
- Open Finder, click Go in the top menu bar, and select Go to Folder.
- A pop-up box will appear with an empty search bar. Type the following path into the search bar and press Enter:
~/Library/Caches/
- This will open the Caches folder. Here, select the folder for the system data you want to clear.
- Right-click the files and select Move to Bin.
- Permanently delete the cache from your Mac by right-clicking the Bin icon and selecting Empty the Bin.
2. Clear Application Logs and Support Files
Here’s how you can check and clear application logs and support files on Mac:
- Open a Finder window.
- Click Go in the menu bar and select Go to Folder.
- In the dialog box, type the following path and press Enter:
~/Library/Application Support
- In the Library folder, look for folders related to specific applications or developers and delete them if you no longer need the associated logs and support files.
Be careful when managing System Data manually. Avoid randomly deleting cache files or folders.
3. Remove Old iOS Backups
If you have backed up your iOS devices on your Mac, those backups can take up a significant amount of space. Here’s how to remove old iOS backups:
- Open Finder on your Mac.
- Use a USB cable to connect your device and click Trust Your Device if it’s the first time you’re connecting it.
- In the General tab, click Manage Backups to see a list of your backups.
- Right-click the backup you want and select Delete, Archive, or Show in Finder.
- If you select Show In Finder, a Finder window will open.
- Once you’re done, click OK to return to Finder.
4. Delete Old Email Attachments
When you don’t delete Email attachments for a longer time, they can also take up space on your Mac. Here’s how to delete old email attachments on your Mac:
- Open the Mail app on your Mac.
- Click Mailbox in the menu bar and select Erase Deleted Items.
- Click Mailbox in the menu bar again and select Rebuild.
5. Remove Old Time Machine Backups
If you want to delete system data on a Mac by removing Time Machine backups, follow the steps below.
⚠️ This action will erase the local copies of your backups. So, don’t do it if you may need them in the future.
- Open Terminal from the Utilities folder in Applications.
- In the Terminal window, type the following command and press Enter:
sudo tmutil delete /path/to/backupReplace /path/to/backup with the actual path to the Time Machine backup you want to remove. For example, if the backup is located in an external hard drive called BackupDrive, the command would be:
sudo tmutil delete /Volumes/BackupDrive/Backups.backupdb/ComputerName/YYYY-MM-DD-HHMMSSReplace ComputerName with the name of your Mac and YYYY-MM-DD-HHMMSS with the specific backup date and time.
- You’ll be prompted to enter your admin password. Type it and press Enter.
- Terminal will start deleting the Time Machine backup. This process may take some time, depending on the size of the backup.
6. Clear System Logs
Clearing system logs using the console is a safe and effective way to free up space on your Mac’s hard drive. Here’s how to clear system logs on your Mac:
- Open the Console app on your Mac.
- Click All Messages at the top of the app.
- Click Action in the menu bar, and select Clear from the drop-down menu.
- This will remove system logs from your Mac.
Streamline System Cleanup with Smart Tools
Third-party tools make clearing system data easy by removing junk files and unused apps safely, improving performance and freeing up space. Tools like MacKeeper simplify the process and help keep your Mac efficient.
Stop Mac System Data From Piling Up
Clearing system data on a Mac can free up storage space, improve performance, enhance privacy, resolve software issues, and maintain a healthy system. Here are some more tips related to optimizing your Mac’s performance:
- Apart from clearing caches, you can also clear cookies from browsers to secure your Mac and free up space.
- Organize your files on Mac to keep clutter from burdening your system resources and have it running without lag or crashes.
- Consider using a system cleaning tool to automate clearing out system data. You can install and activate MacKeeper for this purpose.
