How to Delete Other Volumes in a Container on Mac? [What Does It Mean & Ways to Remove It]

Mac storage space is in urgent need? Solutions to "other volumes" take up space

Mac systems tend to accumulate a large number of useless files over time, resulting in a decrease in available storage space. When you are facing insufficient storage space, it is crucial to identify and clear redundant files on your device.

In the storage overview of system settings (About Native Systems) you may see an entry named Other Volumes in Container or Other Volumes. This entry usually lacks clear source information, which is puzzling. Don't worry, this article will dig into this issue and provide effective solutions to help you free up storage space on your Mac.

What are "Other volumes in containers" on Mac?

Apple introduced Apple File System (APFS) in macOS in 2017. It first appeared in High Sierra and continues to be used in subsequent Catalina, Big Sur and the latest Sonoma versions. In APFS, containers function similarly to partitioning. A top-level disk may contain multiple containers, each container may in turn contain multiple volumes. "Other volumes in containers" usually refer to the additional hidden volumes required for macOS to run correctly.

"Other volumes in containers" on your Mac include:

• Pre-boot: Assist the startup process of the Mac (using APFS). This volume is usually small in size and does not put too much pressure on storage space.
• Recovery: It is crucial for Mac maintenance and repair and should not take up a lot of space in the main container. If the recovery partition takes up too much space, there may be a problem.
• VM: A virtual memory volume is a swap file that allows macOS to use hard disk space like RAM. When memory is insufficient, the operating system (OS) can leverage the VM to ensure all processes run smoothly. This volume only holds temporary information and should not retain large amounts of data permanently. Restarting your Mac to clear VMs and RAM should resolve most issues related to this feature.

If you find that your iMac or MacBook is running slowly, it will help to process excess data on your system drive.

How to view "Other volumes in container" on your Mac?

You can use the operating system's built-in tools to understand what is taking up storage space on your Mac. For more information on how to find space-consuming content on your Mac, check out our dedicated guide.

1. Use "About this machine"

In older versions of macOS and OS X, you can view the breakdown of storage space in About Native. Just follow these steps:

1. In the menu bar, click Apple Icon and select About this machine.
2. Select the Storage tab.
3. Hover over each section to see if any sections show "Other volumes in the container".

2. In system settings

Newer versions of macOS operate differently, and the storage space summary is no longer displayed in About Native. Please use the following method instead:

1. In the menu bar, click Apple > System Settings.
2. Go to General.
3. Click Save. You will see a summary of the storage space at the top.

3. Through the terminal

If you use the terminal command line tool, you can learn more about how storage space is divided. Here is how to view each volume in a Mac container using the terminal:

1. Start "Terminal". Type diskutil list and press Return.
2. Read the output under "APFS Container Scheme".

Are you safely deleting "other volumes in container" on your Mac?

If you find "other volumes in containers", they may not contain important content. If you are sure of this, you can safely delete the volume. However, if you notice that there is a size problem with one of the important volumes in macOS, or that the obvious cause is not recognized, deleting the problem volume is not a good choice. Fortunately, we have some other suggestions that might help with this issue – check out our guide to learn how to get more space on your Mac for more options.

How to delete "Other volumes in container" on your MacBook?

If you checked other volumes in the container and found a large entry that shouldn't exist, you can delete it. But first, you should back up all important files and make sure you know exactly what the exception volume is for.

There are several ways to handle Mac storage displays “other volumes in containers”:

1. Using Mac Cleanup Tool
2. Create a new user account
3. Disable content caching
4. Delete additional APFS volumes
5. Find and delete suspicious programs
6. Using Disk Tools
7. Erase disk and reinstall macOS
8. Check your hardware

1. Use Mac Cleanup Tool

If you want to avoid manually clearing “Other volumes in container” data, MacKeeper can help you clean up your system easily. The app's "Safe Cleanup" feature automatically clears cluttered files on your Mac, allowing you to manually identify problems.

Here is how to use MacKeeper to delete Other Volumes in Container on your Mac:

1. Download and install MacKeeper . Launch the application and select "Safe Cleanup" from the side menu. Click Start Scan.
2. Select the project you want to delete and click Clean up junk files.

2. Create a new user account

If you don't have obvious entries to delete, creating a new user account can sometimes resolve failures involving other volumes taking up space on your Mac. Here is how to create a new user account on macOS:

1. In System Settings, select Users and Groups in the sidebar. Click Add User. Enter your password and click Unlock.
2. Add user account details and click Create user.

You can now log out of the current user and log in to your new account. After logging in, you can check that the Other Volumes in the Container have been reduced to a reasonable size. If nothing changes, you should try restarting your Mac and check again.

3. Disable content caching

Content caching allows you to store downloaded information, such as software updates and iCloud data, on your Mac for access by other local devices. This feature helps save bandwidth, but may lead to unexpected increase in storage space consumption. Here is how to disable content caching on macOS:

1. Go to System Settings > General > Share.
2. Use the switch next to Content Cache to disable it. If nothing changes immediately, you should try restarting your Mac and check again.

4. Delete additional APFS volumes

If you have explicitly identified the exception entry to delete (and data has been backed up), you can use Disk Utility to delete unwanted APFS volumes from your Mac. Here is how to delete "Other volumes in container" on your Mac:

1. Start Disk Utility from Applications > Utility. Click View icon and select Show all devices.
2. Identify the volume you want to delete and mount it if necessary. Right-click the entry and select Delete APFS volume.
3. Click Delete to confirm.

Once the process is complete, you can recheck the storage space, which macOS should have recycled.

5. Find and delete suspicious programs

Suspicious third-party applications on your Mac can take up valuable storage space. In some cases, this is because they are actually malware, but even legitimate applications can cause problems if the code is not written properly. Deleting these applications completely may be enough to help you reclaim space on your Mac:

1. Open your Applications folder.
2. If you see any apps you don't recognize, delete them and remember to clear your Trash later.

6. Use Disk Tools

If there is corrupt data on your Mac's main drive, you may see a lot of storage space taken up by "other volumes". You can use the Disk Utility feature of Disk Utility to resolve this issue. Please follow these steps:

1. Open Disk Utility and select your primary storage drive in the sidebar. Click Disk Utility.
2. In the pop-up window, click Run.
3. You will see a warning window. This explains that the Disk Utility process may take a while and that your Mac may not respond during this time. Click Continue and wait for the scan results to be viewed.

7. Erase disk and reinstall macOS

If your Mac is particularly stubborn about storage, you can fix the "other volumes in container" problem by erasing the hard drive and reinstalling the operating system. This step is a last resort and rarely required. However, sometimes it does need to reset your Mac to factory settings. Here's how to erase the hard drive and reinstall macOS:

1. Use the Time Machine or other method to back up your data.
2. Start to recovery mode using the process that suits your Mac model.
3. Select Disk Utility and click Continue.
4. Click the View icon and select Show All Devices.
5. Select your system volume, usually "Macintosh HD".
6. Click Erase, set the format to APFS, and then click the Erase button.
7. Control-click any old volumes in the container, and select Delete APFS volumes to delete them, leaving Macintosh HD.
8. Close Disk Utility, select Reinstall macOS, and complete the installation process.
9. After the installation is complete, you can set up your Mac and check if the issue is resolved before transferring or migrating any data.

8. Check your hardware

A problem with the boot disk may mean that you see "Other volumes in the container" on your Mac. You can use Apple Diagnostics to check the hardware of your Mac. Follow these steps to run Apple Diagnostics on an Apple chip Mac:

1. Turn off your Mac.
2. Press and hold the power button to view the Startup Options screen.
3. Press and hold the Cmd D key.
4. Wait for the scan to run, and then check the results.

If you have an Intel Mac, do the following to enter the Apple Diagnostics:

1. Turn off your Mac and turn it on again. Press and hold the D key immediately.
2. Release the D key when you see a progress bar or screen about selecting a language.
3. After the scan is completed, check the results.

How to delete "Other volumes in container" on external drive?

You may also want to delete "Other volumes in container" on the external disk. Most of the solutions we introduce for internal system disks are also suitable for external devices. However, an important difference is that external drives do not store your operating system, so resetting them is easier.

Therefore, you can simply back up the external drive to a folder on your Mac and then use Disk Utility to wipe the external drive completely. After that, you can transfer the data back to the external drive.

Control the storage space of your Mac

While some failures can cause macOS to store too much data in other volumes, this problem is often reasonably explained. Exceptional or missing volumes may take up space, or the storage space used is within the expected range.

However, if you have trouble determining the cause of the problem, MacKeeper can save you a lot of time and effort. Its "Safe Cleanup" feature helps you clean up your Mac storage in just a few clicks. Additionally, it includes a host of other features that can help you solve problems with a reliable Apple computer.

Frequently Asked Questions about Deleting "Other Volumes in Container"

1. How to access Other Volumes in Container on Mac?

To get a complete and detailed look at Mac storage space, you can use a terminal. Open it from Applications > Utilities, then type diskutil list and press Return. It will then provide you with a summary of how storage space is divided.

2. What is the difference between deleting an APFS volume and erasing a volume group?

APFS volumes emulate separate disk drives. The APFS volume group introduced in macOS Catalina collects multiple volumes into a single entity. If you delete an APFS volume group, all APFS volumes in it are erased.

3. What happens if I delete "Other volumes in container" on my Mac?

Hopefully nothing else will happen except reclaiming some storage space. However, if you are not sure what they are for or contain, it is best not to delete them. You may lose valuable data or corrupt macOS. Use MacKeeper instead to delete unwanted applications and junk files on your Mac. It is faster, easier and safer than trying to process data manually.

4. Why are the “other volumes in the container” so large?

"Other volumes in containers" can contain various data. If you find it very large, there may be problems with your Mac, such as:

• Failed hard drive causes inaccuracy in macOS
• Rogue app downloads files to your Mac
• Remaining files installed in previous macOS
• Lots of junk files and other unwanted data on Mac storage space

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