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How to delete Time Machine local snapshots on Mac
Quick answer: list them with tmutil listlocalsnapshots /, delete one with sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots <date>. macOS also removes local snapshots automatically when it needs the space. Leave the com.apple.os.update-… snapshot alone.
What local snapshots are
When Time Machine is on, macOS keeps local APFS snapshots of your disk on the Mac itself, so you can restore recent versions of files even when the backup disk is not connected. They count towards System Data in Storage settings. In normal use macOS treats them as space it can free, and removes them automatically when you run low on storage, so a big number in Storage settings may shrink on its own.
List them
tmutil listlocalsnapshots /
tmutil listlocalsnapshotdates /A snapshot is named like com.apple.TimeMachine.2026-10-21-091500.local. The part between TimeMachine. and .local is the date you use to delete it. If the list is empty, you simply have none right now. That is common on a Mac where Time Machine is not used.
Delete one snapshot
sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots 2026-10-21-091500Run it once per snapshot. macOS asks for your administrator password.
Ask macOS to free a set amount
Instead of deleting by date you can ask macOS to thin the snapshots until a target amount is freed. The amount is in bytes and the last number is the urgency from 1 to 4:
sudo tmutil thinlocalsnapshots / 10000000000 4This asks for about 10 GB. Check Storage settings again after a few minutes.
The snapshot you should leave alone
A different kind of snapshot can show up in the full list of APFS snapshots:
diskutil apfs listSnapshots /A snapshot named com.apple.os.update-… is created for a macOS update. On one test Mac it was the only snapshot, it was marked as not purgeable, and the output noted that it can limit the minimum size of the APFS container. Do not delete it by hand with diskutil. macOS removes it itself after the update has settled, and a restart plus waiting is usually all it needs.
Why Storage settings may not change right away
Storage settings recalculates in the background and can lag behind what you just removed. Wait a few minutes, reopen the pane, or restart the Mac.
If snapshots are not your problem, see what System Data contains and the step-by-step guide to clearing it. See Your Disk also shows the part of your disk that no folder explains as its own System Data block.
A map of your Mac's disk, and a safe way to clean it.
Frequently asked questions
Will deleting local snapshots delete my Time Machine backups?
No. Local snapshots are separate copies kept on your Mac. Your backups on the Time Machine disk are not touched. You only lose the ability to restore those recent versions from the local copy.
Do I need sudo?
Deleting or thinning snapshots normally needs administrator rights, so put sudo in front of the command. Listing them does not.
I have no local snapshots but System Data is still huge. Why?
Snapshots are only one possible cause. Caches, developer files and an update snapshot are more common. See the guide on what System Data contains.
Is it safe to delete the snapshot named com.apple.os.update?
Do not delete it by hand. It belongs to a macOS update, macOS removes it on its own, and removing it manually can cause trouble.
Related guides
- What is System Data on Mac, and why is it so big?: What the grey bar in Storage settings contains, why it grows and why its size jumps around.
- How to clear System Data on Mac safely: Step-by-step, from safest to most effort, with the Terminal commands and the things you should not delete.
- Is it safe to delete ~/Library/Caches on Mac?: When clearing app caches is safe, how to do it step by step, and why some folders refuse to be deleted.