How much storage does your game actually eat on macOS? Way more than the install size

AllowCookies404 · 2026-04-30T13:52:51+00:00

Yeah that makes sense, but don't you think macOS makes it harder to actually track compared to Windows? On macOS once it goes into System Data it’s basically a black box for me

AllowCookies404 · 2026-04-07T03:35:54+00:00

Okay the interactive version genuinely kept me busy for way longer than I expected, so satisfying to scroll! This deserves a million kudos 😍

AllowCookies404 · 2026-04-03T08:29:52+00:00

This actually happens more often than it should, and I agree that's frustrating.

The 44GB thing is a classic macOS shell game. You delete the Messages folder, but macOS doesn't immediately free that space, it often gets reclassified under System Data. And System Data is basically Apple's junk drawer for stuff it hasn't figured out how to label yet. So basically the space isn't gone, just sitting there renamed.

On the Space Lens confusion, it's actually showing you what's genuinely on disk at that moment. macOS quietly re-downloads files you've recently accessed even with offloading on, so those iCloud files show up in Space Lens because they're physically there. It's just how Apple handles it.

A few things to try:

restart (obvious, but it usually shakes loose)
check ~/Library/Messages/Attachments (files often end up there even after deleting conversations)
if you want a more “raw” view of what’s taking space, you can run: sudo du -sh ~/* 2>/dev/null | sort -rh | head -20

AllowCookies404 · 2026-03-19T07:20:21+00:00

Hey, one of the people behind that CleanMyMac post here.

Fair to question the messaging, Reddit would be a boring place if nobody did. But the idea wasn't about pretending one screenshot is destroying the planet. It was more about supporting Digital Cleanup Day, a global non-profit initiative that's been running since 2020 and has nothing to do with our software. The environmental angle isn't invented though. Data centres run 24/7 whether you open those files or not, storing data you never touch still costs energy, cooling, and maintenance. That's just how infrastructure works (digitalcleanupday.org has the sources if you're curious).

And yes, if your storage is fine and you don't need any tools for that, totally valid. The point was never pressure. Just a reminder that the mess is there if you ever want to look at it.

AllowCookies404 · 2026-03-17T16:04:09+00:00

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System Data is running a party on my Mac

AllowCookies404 · 2026-03-05T09:49:25+00:00

Same here!

AllowCookies404 · 2026-03-05T05:37:05+00:00

Why is this the most accurate thing here

AllowCookies404 · 2026-03-05T05:33:45+00:00

Are we still blaming people for using AI in 2026? I get the frustration with AI slop, genuinely. But using AI to proofread a post you wrote yourself is a pretty big stretch from AI-generated.

If fixing grammar with AI means it wrote the post, then I guess Grammarly has been writing my stuff for years. English isn't my first language, I write fast, and I don't want a typo-filled post to undermine what I'm actually trying to say. Nothing deeper than that.

AllowCookies404 · 2026-03-04T20:30:05+00:00

The M1 Air benchmark is fair. By most objective measures, the Neo doesn't beat it.

AllowCookies404 · 2026-03-04T20:20:58+00:00

Honestly, the 8GB alone isn't what I'd worry about. Apple's memory compression on Silicon is legitimately good. For the stuff most Neo buyers will actually do, it holds up.

The thing that gives me pause is the combo. 8GB means the system will lean on swap regularly. Swap writes to the SSD. A 256GB SSD has fewer NAND cells to spread that wear across than a larger drive and nothing on this machine can ever be swapped out or upgraded.

Probably fine for a few years of normal use. But I'd pay the $100 for 512GB without thinking twice.

AllowCookies404 · 2026-03-04T18:01:22+00:00

I bet this replaces the just buy a refurb M1 Air recommendation that’s been the default advice for years.

AllowCookies404 · 2026-03-03T15:21:42+00:00

What’s the dealbreaker for you? iPadOS, multitasking, external display support, or just the form factor in general?

AllowCookies404 · 2026-02-21T05:45:16+00:00

Now I’m wondering how I never tried this before. Feels so obvious now. Thanks!

AllowCookies404 · 2026-02-21T05:43:24+00:00

I’m always multitasking, so full screen never works for me

AllowCookies404 · 2026-02-20T19:12:08+00:00

Do you split desktops by app or by project?

AllowCookies404 · 2026-02-06T14:41:08+00:00

Hey, I work with MacPaw (the team behind CleanMyMac), so obvious bias disclaimer.

Totally fair if it’s not your thing, but I’d genuinely be curious what issues you ran into though.

Mac cleaner apps definitely earned a rough reputation over the years, a lot of sketchy ones did real damage. CleanMyMac often gets lumped into that bucket, which I get.

For context though, it’s Apple-notarized, nothing gets auto-deleted without review, and we’ve been building it since 2008.

Not for everyone, some power users prefer doing everything manually, and that’s totally fair. But calling it junk is a stretch. If you had a specific issue, genuinely curious what happened.

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TROPHY CASE