macOS – Understanding ‘Purgeable’ in Storage under About This Mac Section

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I updated to macOS Sierra (16A319) and was checking my storage where I saw this extra division greyed out saying Purgeable.

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What is the significance/meaning of Purgeable?

Best Answer

These are files that the system, or you, hasn't accessed in a long time and so are stored in iCloud. If you're running low on disk space, macOS can safely delete them, keeping a 'shortcut, on your system.

When you need the file again, the system will download it for you in he background. This site has a good overview of the feature if you want to read more.

As your Mac begins to run out of space, your oldest files are quietly and automatically stored online, leaving Download icons in their places on your Mac, so that you can retrieve them if you need them. (A new graph in the Disk Utility program shows how much space you stand to retrieve this way, marked Purgeable.)

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