How to get rid of other space on mac book pro?

Question

On my computer I have 209 GB of other stored and I have no idea how to get rid of it. I've tried deleting downloads and finding backups to delete but after I did it the other category had only decreased by around 200 MB which seems way too small of a gain considering backups take up a lot of space and I deleted like 400 files. Help?

I have a MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010) and I am running OS X Yosemite version 10.10.5

Answer 1

If you had a brand new MacBook Pro, and started it up, you would be able to see PLENTY of "Other", even before you use the computer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Other" is not alien invaders or evil intentioned dust bunnies.



https://answersrip.com/question/index?qid=20140201081833AAwUacn (Best Answer for “What is ‘other’?”)



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Answer 2

Try installing Grand Perspective: http://grandperspectiv.sourceforge.net



This is a disk visualiser utility. Run it on your entire HD first, which will take an hour or more, and then examine the visual results.



This is a clever way of seeing which files/folders are taking up most space.



Once you've run it on the entire HD and maybe found some rogue files, run it again on just your login user space.

Answer 3

Why are you even trying to make 209 GB of files disappear???



Are you ACTUALLY running out of hard disk storage space?



If not, don't worry about it, the space is likely made up of hidden System files that users should not even try to delete. If so, use Time Machine to fully back up your internal hard drive, then Upgrade your hard drive to the largest drive you can afford. Finally, restore all your personal Data to the new hard drive.



TIP: Never delete files, unless you are 100% sure that they won't break your computer...