If you’re unable to check the amount of storage available on your Mac because of System Data being stuck on calculating, you can fix this by rebuilding the Spotlight Index. While macOS works well for the most part, software glitches can lead to indexing problems that might prevent it from calculating the storage consumed by System Data. Whatever the reason behind the issue, here’s how to fix it.
How to Fix macOS System Data Stuck on Calculating
Indexing files and calculating their storage consumption can be a slow process if you’ve just started using your Mac for the first time. As such, it’s recommended to wait it out until your Mac completes the process.
1. Rebuild the Spotlight Index
Time needed: 5 minutes
You may face issues like System Data being stuck on calculating due to glitches related to Spotlight indexing. Rebuilding the Spotlight index can be a quick solution to resolve such glitches. However, as Apple’s official steps don’t work as expected, you may use a tool like OnyX to rebuild the Spotlight index.
- Download and install OnyX from its official website.
- Launch OnyX and grant all the necessary app permissions.
- Navigate to the Maintenance tab and uncheck all the options.
- Check the Spotlight Index option under the Rebuilding section.
- Hit Run Tasks to start the process and rebuild the Spotlight index.
2. Re-enable Apple Intelligence
System storage can get stuck on calculating if macOS is experiencing issues downloading AI models required to use Apple Intelligence. You may re-enable Apple Intelligence to restart the download and resolve issues.
- Click the Apple logo in the menu bar and select System Settings.
- Navigate to Apple Intelligence & Siri from the sidebar on the left.
- Disable Apple Intelligence and click Turn off Apple Intelligence.
- Finally, turn on Apple Intelligence and wait for it to download.
(If Apple Intelligence is already turned off, simply turn it on.)
3. Turn off iCloud Sync for Desktop
macOS counts temporary sync caches and iCloud metadata as part of System Data. As a result, macOS can experience problems calculating System Data if you have enabled iCloud Sync for desktop and documents. It’s recommended that you turn the feature off and check again after a couple of minutes.
- Click the Apple logo in the menu bar and open System Settings.
- Navigate to iCloud from the sidebar and click on Drive.
- Then, turn off Desktop & Documents Folders.
- Finally, click Turn Off to confirm the action.
4. Delete System Cache & Log Files
Unnecessary cache files and logs can take up significant storage capacity and slow down indexing on Macs. Deleting these files will help ensure it doesn’t take forever to calculate your Mac’s System Data.
- Open the Finder on your Mac. Then, click Go > Go to Folder in the Menu bar.
- Type
~/Library/Caches/in the resulting search box and press Return.
- Select the unnecessary files and folders. Then, hit Delete to get rid of them.
- Once again, click Go in the Menu bar on your Mac and select Go to Folder.
- Type
~/Library/Logs/in the resulting search box and press Return.
- Select all the unnecessary log files and hit Delete to get rid of them.
5. Check for Disk Errors with First Aid
Issues related to the Mac’s SSD can often prevent macOS from indexing System Data and calculating its storage usage. Hence, you should run a First Aid scan in Disk Utility to check for any disk-related errors.
- Navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities and open Disk Utility.
- Click the First Aid icon in the toolbar at the top.
- Hit Run when a “Run First Aid on Macintosh HD” dialog appears.
- Click Continue to start scanning the Macintosh HD for errors.
- Wait for First Aid to complete, then click Done.
6. Update macOS to the Latest Version
At times, unpatched bugs in macOS can cause system storage to perpetually get stuck on calculating. Updating macOS should help you resolve such issues as software updates include essential bug fixes.
- Click the Apple logo in the menu bar and select System Settings.
- Navigate to General from the sidebar and select Software Update.
- If a new macOS update is available to download, click Update Now.
7. Erase Macintosh HD & Reinstall macOS
If System Data on your Mac is still stuck on calculating, there might be a problem with your installation of macOS. You should be able to fix the problem by reinstalling macOS after formatting the Macintosh HD.
- Click the Apple logo in the menu bar and select Shut Down.
- Press and hold the power button on your Mac or MacBook.
- Let go when you see a System Volume and Options icon.
- Hit Options > Continue and enter your Mac’s passcode.
- Select Disk Utility > Continue. Then, click Erase Disk in the nav bar.
- Now, click Reinstall macOS Sequoia > Continue, and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
