OneDrive and System Data on Mac OS

Hi Scott,

Thanks for sharing what you discovered it’s a really insightful observation, and I totally get how confusing it must’ve been to see your Mac’s System Storage take up nearly 600GB. That’s a huge chunk of space, and it’s easy to assume something’s wrong when it’s labeled as “System.”

So, what’s going on?

When OneDrive is installed on macOS, it stores your synced files in a special folder inside the Library directory:

~/Library/CloudStorage/OneDrive

Because this folder lives in the Library, macOS automatically counts it as System Data, even though it’s really just your personal files. It’s not a bug it’s just how macOS categorizes anything in that location. Unfortunately, that means your OneDrive files can make System Storage look way bigger than it actually is.

What you can do:

Use “Free Up Space” in OneDrive: Right-click files or folders and choose “Free up space” to remove local copies and keep them cloud-only.

Adjust sync settings: In OneDrive preferences, go to Account > Choose Folders and uncheck anything you don’t need stored locally.

Unlink and re-sync: If the folder’s gotten too large, you can unlink your account, delete the local folder, and re-sync only what you need.

Send feedback: You’re absolutely right—this could be labeled more clearly. You can share your thoughts with Apple and Microsoft through their feedback portals.

Let me know if you’d like help adjusting your settings or writing up a feedback message. You’ve done a great job figuring this out, and I’m here to help however I can!