When I go to About This Mac and click on Storage it shows 421.93GB as Other. This only leaves 46.85GB of 499.25GB free. How do I find out what this "Other" is so I can remove the stuff I don't need?

What kind of use do you make of your MBP? A lot of photo or video? If so, you may be storing a lot of large files. Look at Finder and see what the file system looks like. Do you have large libraries of data files associated with applications?
You may want to think about an external hard drive to use for backups and data storage, you can point applications to the external drive as the default storage location.
A good source of external drives at a reasonable price is the Mac specialist, OWC, http://www.macsales.com
I bought their Mercury Elite Pro 2 TB dirve last September and set it up to use part for Time Machine backup and part for other work space. Setup with Disk utility into two partitions is very quick and easy. Just remember to format as Extended Journaled with GUID partition table. Setting the partition sizes is by using a braphical image on screen in DU so it is like falling off a log, so easy.

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HT204088 I've noticed a charge on my credit card for $8.49 each month. I looked at my Apple iTunes purchases and don't see it in my purchase history. How do I find out what this charge is for?

I've noticed a charge on my credit card for $8.49 each month. I looked at my Apple iTunes purchases and don't see it in my purchase history. How do I find out what this charge is for?

If it's happening every month then it's likely to be an auto-renewing subscription - there are instructions on this page for managing and stopping them : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4098

I can't remember my security questions and have used the maximum number of tries, how do I find out what my answers are so I can log in and buy some music?

I can't remember my security questions and have used the maximum number of tries, how do I find out what my answers are so I can log in and buy some music?

From a Kappy post
The Best Alternatives for Security Questions and Rescue Mail
1. Send Apple an email request at: Apple - Support - iTunes Store - Contact Us.
2. Call Apple Support in your country: Customer Service: Contact Apple support.
3. Rescue email address and how to reset Apple ID security questions.
An alternative to using the security questions is to use 2-step verification:
Two-step verification FAQ Get answers to frequently asked questions about two-step verification for Apple ID.

How do I find out what my settings are so I can change them

hi there, I have captured some clips. when I drag them to the timeline, it says "these clips dont match your settings, do you want to convert them to your current settings". I have to say yes. Trouble is, I look at the "item properties" on the clip inside the browser, and it is the same as the clip I put onto the timeline (which supposedly got changed when I dragged it to the timeline). What settings are conflicting and where do I find out?
My capture is set to HD using the HD 72030 codec. I filmed on my HD setting with the 30p frame rate. Is there something wrong with that setting? Please help! I appreciate anyone's help.

Hi again... sure. My camera is a Canon XH-A1s set to HD and 30F frame rate. I am not using the on-board mic, but an add-on mic (NTG-1) which has it's XLR input set correctly to ch1/ch2.
The clip properties in the browser:
type: clip
creator: quicktime player
source: ...
offline
size: 145mb
tracks: 1V.2A
vid rate: 29.97 fps
frame size: 1440 x 1080
compressor: Apple intermediate codec
data rate: 8.0 MB/sec
Pixel aspect: HD (1440x1080)
anamorphic (this is not set even tho it is by nature of HD)
field dominance: none
Alpha: none/ignore
Reverse alpha : blank
Composite: normal
Audio : 1 Stereo
Aud Rate: 48.0 KHz (left and right channel both say 48.0 KHz)
Aud Format: 16-bit Integer (left and right channel say 16-bit)
Ok, now after I dragged it down to the timeline and the msg came up and it was "converted", the properties are all the same EXCEPT for info about the audio.
Audio: blank
Aud Rate: interestingly, A1 has 48.0KHz but A2 has that same 48.0KHz greyed out
Aud Format: blank and again A1 has 16-bit integer, but A2 has 16-bit integer greyed out
also, on the timeline, there are 2 audio tracks but there is a small pink triangle at the beginning and the end. I moused over that triangle but I don't know what it is.
very interesting ! do you have any clues how this got this way? I appreciate it !

IPod 5th gen with limited storage space due to unknown space used? I don't have anything else loaded, how do I find out what this is?

I have a 5th gen 32gb iPod that I use only for music. Usually I update it via wi fi but it recently updated to the new IOS 8. Now it is saying there is limited space capacity for the music because there is 18.85 gb of used space. I don't have any apps or features on the iPod and all the options such as Siri or App store are turned off. I simply carry it in my car for travel music and use my iPhone for all other business that would need apps/etc.
I reset back to the factory settings and did not link back to the iCloud so it did not "reset" the old copy if it was corrupt. My iPhone has a ton of music plus apps, contacts, etc and does not show this same type of memory usage. Any idea what could be using so much and how to get rid of it??

OTHER
Connect the iPod to your computer and look at the storage used by the various categories as shown in the colored bargarph in iTunes.
Come back with the results.
An "other" larger than about 1 1/2 GB indicates corrupted files.
What is the Other on my iPhone and How to Remove It
What is "Other" and What Can I Do About It?
Next, usually restoring from backup eliminated the corrupted files. However, sometimes restoring to factory settings/new iPod is required.
To restore from backup see:
iOS: How to back up
To restore to factory settings/new iPod see:
iTunes: Restoring iOS software

How do I find out what an error code found on running the hardware test, means?

After running the hardware test on my Mac Pro I got an error code of: 4HDD/11/40000004: SATA (4,0) -- HOW DO I FIND OUT WHAT THIS MEANS?

It means your one of your SATA Hard drives is having trouble (or possibly your DVD drive, but not likley).
Got good backups? Now would be a good time to try to make some if you don't.

In "About This Mac, on OSX MAVERICKS, under "Storage" How do you find out what is in "other" ? how do you delete what is in "other" without loosing important files?

In "About This Mac, on OSX MAVERICKS, under "Storage" How do you find out what is in "other" ? how do you delete what is in "other" without loosing important files?

About "Other":
    http://pondini.org/OSX/LionStorage.html
Hope this helps.
1. Start up in Safe Mode
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11212
2. Empty Trash.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10677
3. Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
    Hold the option key down and click "Go" menu in the Finder menu bar.
    Select "Library" from the dropdown.
    Library > Mail > V2 > Mailboxes
    Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
    Empty Trash. Restart.
4. Repair Disk
    Steps 1 through 7
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836
5. Disk space / Time Machine ?/ Local Snapshots
   http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4878
6. Re-index Macintosh HD
   System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy
   http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2409

Mac Air 11" - how do I find out what files are showing up in "About this MAC" Storage "other" category?

Hi - I am having storage trouble with my storage. When I go into About this Mac, Storage, the category "Other" has a very large amount of gigs stored. I have already dumped my email, downloads when in to Trahs, emptied secure trash, etc. How do I find out what is included in the "other" category?

First, empty the Trash if you haven't already done so.
Use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper (ODS) to explore your volume and find out what's taking up the space. You can delete files with it, but don't do that unless you're sure that you know what you're deleting and that all data is safely backed up. That means you have multiple backups, not just one.
Proceed further only if the problem hasn't been solved.
ODS can't see the whole filesystem when you run it just by double-clicking; it only sees files that you have permission to read. To see everything, you have to run it as root.
Back up all data now.
Install ODS in the Applications folder as usual.
Triple-click the line of text below to select it, then copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C):sudo /Applications/OmniDiskSweeper.app/Contents/MacOS/OmniDiskSweeper
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste (command-V) into the Terminal window. You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
I don't recommend that you make a habit of doing this. Don't delete anything while running ODS as root. If something needs to be deleted, make sure you know what it is and how it got there, and then delete it by other, safer, means.
When you're done with ODS, quit it and also quit Terminal.

HT6337 Allow handoff between this mac and your iCloud devices not showing up in general preferences

Is anyone not seeing this? the Allow handoff between this mac and your iCloud devices not showing up in general preferences
Imac 2011 21" mid 2011

nevermind, Just figured out that my iMac does not support it. Thanks Apple, once again coming up with stupid functionality that only works when you pay more money. 3yr old machine, I guess I need to send it to scrap heap.

My mac book pro has got 41 GB of other stuff on it clogging it up how do I find out what is rubbish and delete it

my mac book pro has got 41 GB of other stuff on it clogging it up how do I find out what is rubbish and delete it. To free up some memory. I can't believe I have filled it up intentionally.

For information about the Other category in the Storage display, see this support article.
Empty the Trash if you haven't already done so. If you use iPhoto, empty its internal Trash first:
iPhoto ▹ Empty Trash
Then reboot. That will temporarily free up some space. Do the same in other applications, such as Aperture, that have an internal Trash feature.
According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation. You also need enough space left over to allow for growth of your data. There is little or no performance advantage to having more available space than the minimum Apple recommends. Available storage space that you'll never use is wasted space.
If you're using Time Machine to back up a portable Mac, some of the free space will be used to make local snapshots, which are backup copies of files you've recently deleted. The space occupied by local snapshots is reported as available by the Finder, and should be considered as such. In the Storage display of System Information, local snapshots are shown as Backups. The snapshots are automatically deleted when they expire or when free space falls below a certain level. You ordinarily don't need to, and should not, delete local snapshots yourself.
See this support article for some simple ways to free up storage space.
You can more effectively use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper (ODS) to explore your volume and find out what's taking up the space. You can also delete files with it, but don't do that unless you're sure that you know what you're deleting and that all data is safely backed up. That means you have multiple backups, not just one.
Deleting files inside an iPhoto or Aperture library will corrupt the library. Any changes to a photo library must be made from within the application that created it. The same goes for Mail files.
Proceed further only if the problem isn't solved by the above steps.
ODS can't see the whole filesystem when you run it just by double-clicking; it only sees files that you have permission to read. To see everything, you have to run it as root.
Back up all data now.
If you have more than one user account, make sure you're logged in as an administrator. The administrator account is the one that was created automatically when you first set up the computer.
Install ODS in the Applications folder as usual. Quit it if it's running.
Triple-click anywhere in the line of text below on this page to select it, then copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:
sudo /Applications/OmniDiskSweeper.app/Contents/MacOS/OmniDiskSweeper
Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
The application window will open, eventually showing all files in all folders, sorted by size with the largest at the top. It may take a few minutes for ODS to finish scanning your files.
I don't recommend that you make a habit of doing this. Don't delete anything while running ODS as root. If something needs to be deleted, make sure you know what it is and how it got there, and then delete it by other, safer, means. When in doubt, leave it alone or ask for guidance.
When you're done with ODS, quit it and also quit Terminal.

I have recently got a new replacement iPhone 4. since I got this I have found that my data allowance is getting used up during the night while my phone is charging on the bedside table. How an I find out what is causing this and stop it happening

I have recently got a new replacement iPhone 4. Since I got this I have found that my data allowance is getting used up during the night while my phone is charging on the bedside table. How an I find out what is causing this and stop it happening? Some nights the usage is 150 meg!

You can not access the backup directly.
Did you restore your replacement from this backup?
If so then you already have everything in the backup on your device.
If not, you can wipe the device and restore from this backup:
Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content & Settings
What is it you are worried about losing that isn't already on your current device?

HT201240 I just got my Mac yesterday. My kids want to access sites that need the adobe player. When I try and download it asks for a password. I do not even remember setting one up? How do i find out what it is?

I just got my Mac yesterday. My kids want to access sites that need the adobe player. When I try and download it asks for a password. I do not even remember setting one up? How do i find out what it is?

FYI this is the legitimate Flash Player installer:
This one is bogus:
As X423424X wrote do not download it from any site other than the one he linked.
Adobe does not require a password to download the Flash installer. Generally speaking passwords are not required to download software, unless you must register with the website so as to log in. In that case you should never use the same name and password you use to administer your Mac.

I have a new 16g nano and I have only added about 600 songs and I only have less than a gig left of space. It says I have used over 9G of other. I have no movies, pictures, tv shows or anything else on it. How do I find out what the "other" is?

I have a new 16g nano. I have only added about 600 songs so far. It is telling me that I 4.47G of songs and 9.92G of other and only 3.297MB of space left. I have no tvshows, no movies, no pictures on the Ipod. How do I find out what the "other" is and get rid of it?

You most likely have some corrupted files in other. Restore it and resync.

I've emptied trash, removed files, discarded everything I don't use and my startup disc is still full. Half of it is 'other'. How do I find out what 'other' is and remove it?

I've emptied trash, removed files, discarded everything I don't use and my startup disc is still full. Half of it is 'other'. How do I find out what 'other' is and remove it? I'm using a Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5 (11G63). Any help will be treasured!

Linda Steider wrote:
How do I find out what 'other' is and remove it?
See Pondiini's The Storage Display, for details.

How do you find out what information is in the 'other' section of itunes when iphone is connected

How do you find out what information is in the 'other' section on the bottom of itunes

You don't
If it is much more than a gb or so, then it indicates corrupt files. A restore should resolve.

When I go to About This Mac and click on Storage it shows 421.93GB as Other. This only leaves 46.85GB of 499.25GB free. How do I find out what this "Other" is so I can remove the stuff I don't need?

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