On Friday, I ran into a frustrating issue that every digital creative dreads—my Mac ran out of space. As someone who regularly works with large files, I understand the importance of keeping my storage in check, but this time, something unusual happened.
The Mystery of Missing Space
I had been helping a friend recover files from an 8TB damaged hard drive. Using data recovery software, I recovered about 3.9TB of data. However, I could only find 2.5TB of recovered files when I checked my storage. At the time, I assumed the missing data was due to the drive’s damage and didn’t think much of it.
I didn’t realize that my Mac’s System Data had swallowed 1.5TB of space. I had always assumed that System Data was just a temporary cache used while working on files and that macOS would eventually distribute those files to their appropriate locations. However, this time, it didn’t work as expected, and my computer was stuck with a bloated System Data folder, leaving me almost no free space.
Troubleshooting the Issue
I tried everything—clearing cache files, rebooting in safe mode, manually deleting unnecessary files—but nothing freed up that mysterious 1.5TB of System Data. After a call with Apple Support, I realized the only real solution was to wipe my Mac and restore it from a Time Machine backup.
The Restore Process
Thankfully, I followed a 3-2-1 backup strategy and had a full Time Machine backup on my NAS (Network Attached Storage). The restoration process took about four hours because I was restoring over the network. While this worked, I quickly realized there was a much faster way to get back up and running.
The Faster Restore Solution
If I had copied my backup from the NAS to an external SSD and then restored it from that drive, the entire process could have been completed in under 30 minutes instead of four hours.
For reference:
- Restoring from a NAS over a network: ~4 hours
- Restoring from an external SSD via USB-C or Thunderbolt: ~25–30 minutes
Lessons Learned
Additionally, I learned that if I travel, as I did this week, I should carry an SSD with my latest Time Machine backup. This way, I could have completed the restore in just a few hours rather than waiting until I got home.
- System Data Can Get Stuck: While macOS is supposed to clear out temporary files, sometimes it doesn’t. Be mindful when working with massive data recovery projects.
- Keep a Fast Local Backup Option: NAS is great for redundancy, but an external SSD is the way to go for speed.
- Plan for Large Restores: If you ever need to restore your Mac, copying the backup to an external SSD first can save hours.
This experience was a wake-up call about the importance of not just backing up, but backing up efficiently. Next time, I’ll be better prepared—and hopefully, this post helps someone else avoid the same hassle!