I updated MacBook Air (base model, M1) to 11.0.1 today and did a reset. Now I have this 17 GB volume, which disk utility reports as "APFS system snapshot". This is just after a fresh install, and I don't have time machine activated on this MacBook. How do I delete this and get the space back? Apple support said it is Big Sur installation file which I cannot delete.
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How to delete this APFS snapshot?
- Thread starter gautampw
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You can't delete that. Big Sur always boots from the snapshot. https://mjtsai.com/blog/2020/07/14/apfs-snapshots-of-the-big-sur-system-volume/
You can't delete that. That's the computer's operating system. Big Sur lives on a Sealed System Volume (snapshot).
eclecticlight.co
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Boot volume layout
A complete guide to the structure and layout of APFS startup disks from High Sierra to Big Sur (Intel), together with tear-out PDF charts.
eclecticlight.co
Big Sur’s Signed System Volume: added security protection
From SIP to a protected read-only System volume, macOS 11 takes system protection a big step further with cryptographic verification.
eclecticlight.co
Is Big Sur’s system volume sealed?
How can you tell whether your Mac’s shiny new Sealed System Volume is properly sealed? You could easily be misled into thinking it isn’t.
eclecticlight.co
Update - It was macOS Install Data. I removed it using the instructions mentioned here - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8376868
Got the storage back. No errors.
Got the storage back. No errors.
It's an M1 Mac, which can only run Big Sur. I'm a bit confused as to what the OP is describing.
Good point. The OP seems to have just deleted the snapshot containing his operating system. We might not hear back from him for a while. ?
It’s m1 Mac. It came with big sun. I never installed anything except 11.0.1 update
edit - I should’ve scrolled down before replying.
How did you delete it? I can't delete that snapshot in Big Sur on a test system, which makes sense since that's what the computer is booted from.
I disabled SIP from recovery, booted back into macOS, dragged the folder from finder to trash and emptied it. Then rebooted back into recovery and enabled SIP.
That snapshot was a signed system volume (see links above). You have no doubt messed up your system. I don't know what the consequences will be. You might not notice until the next Big Sur update, but I would recommend you boot to recovery and reinstall Big Sur.
Edit: Maybe you got lucky and deleted a snapshot of the previous 11.0 installation.
it was definitely previous installation snapshot. I haven't ran into any issues yet. I'll update when 11.1 arrives.
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Actually you can. Maybe it changed since your post, but some snapshots can be deleted when booted from a USB Installer via Monterey DiskUtility .
I know this is an old thread but there still seems to be crossed wires.
The OP screenshot clearly showed the booted sealed system snapshot as what he wanted to delete. As others have said you can't delete that.
The OP also showed 17.6 GB of "other" which he seems to have assumed was the same thing.
The OP said later in post#4 he had successfully deleted the folder "macOS Install data" which does sometimes appear at root level and can safely be deleted, and is nothing to do with the sealed system snapshot.
Yes, other snapshots appear on the boot drive which can be deleted, but not the sealed system boot drive.
The OP screenshot clearly showed the booted sealed system snapshot as what he wanted to delete. As others have said you can't delete that.
The OP also showed 17.6 GB of "other" which he seems to have assumed was the same thing.
The OP said later in post#4 he had successfully deleted the folder "macOS Install data" which does sometimes appear at root level and can safely be deleted, and is nothing to do with the sealed system snapshot.
Yes, other snapshots appear on the boot drive which can be deleted, but not the sealed system boot drive.
Apologies, I read your post as saying 'actually you can' (delete the sealed system boot snapshot).....and others.
Sorry, I could have put it more precisely in the first place. Because indeed, it was actually about the sealed system boot snapshot
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I would like to know if anybody knows how to delete 17.6 GB of "other"? I went back to Sierra on my Intel Macs just to get rid of the "other".
In the OPs case "Other" was the Mac OS Install data which can be deleted as he did successfully in post#4 above.
Your "Other" may be that or something else.
The About this Mac > Storage bar chart takes a while to fully categorise everything.....have you tried leaving it to see if "Other" gets replaced? After leaving mine for a few minutes I dont have any "Other".
Other over the years I believe are one two things:
1. Internet Cache
2. InTel app translation cache!
1. Internet Cache
2. InTel app translation cache!