Old macOS installers and update files: can you delete them?

Yes, you can delete old macOS installers. An app named Install macOS and a version name, such as Install macOS Sequoia, is only needed to install that version again or to make a bootable installer. Removing it doesn't touch the macOS you're running, and Apple lets you download installers again for the versions your Mac supports.

Update files are different. A macOS update that Software Update has downloaded and is waiting to install lives in folders macOS protects, and macOS removes it itself: when the update installs, or when space is needed. Leave those alone.

So the job is to tell the two apart. Installer apps in your Applications folder, installer packages and disk images in Downloads, and iPhone and iPad software files are yours to remove. Files inside the System folder and the Library's Updates folder are macOS's to manage.

This post goes through each kind, where it lives, what removing it costs, when an installer is worth keeping, and how to keep one without giving up space on your startup disk.

What counts as an old macOS installer

Several different things get called "installers" or "update files" on a Mac. They come from different places and follow different rules, so it helps to name them first.

What it is	Where it lives	Typical size	Can you delete it?
Full macOS installer app	/Applications/Install macOS *.app	Many gigabytes	Yes, if you don't need it
Installer package or disk image	~/Downloads	Many gigabytes	Yes, after checking
A downloaded macOS update waiting to install	/System/Library/AssetsV2	A few to many gigabytes	No: macOS manages it
Software Update's own folder	/Library/Updates	Usually small	No: macOS manages it
iPhone and iPad software files	~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates	Several gigabytes each	Yes
Apple Configurator's device software	Its folder in Group Containers	Several gigabytes each	Yes, with the app quit

The first two are apps and files you downloaded, so you decide. The middle two belong to macOS and Software Update. The last two are copies of device software that Finder or Apple Configurator downloads again when they need it.

Why is there an installer in your Applications folder?

Because something downloaded a full installer and it wasn't run, or it was run and left in place. Apple's page on downloading macOS explains that when you get an older version from the App Store, the installer opens automatically after downloading to the Applications folder. If you quit it, it stays there for later use.

Some people download one on purpose: to make a bootable installer, to install the same version on several Macs, or to keep a copy of a version before upgrading. Others find one from an upgrade they started and didn't finish.

Is an installer the same as macOS itself?

No. The installer is an app that contains a copy of macOS to install. The macOS you're running lives on a separate, sealed system volume that Finder doesn't let you change.

Deleting an installer app removes only the installer. Your Mac keeps running the version it has, with its apps and files, exactly as before.

Do you need an installer to reinstall macOS?

No. Apple describes macOS Recovery as your computer's built-in recovery system, and it's what you use to reinstall macOS. On a Mac with Apple silicon, Recovery installs the current version of the macOS that was most recently installed, downloading it from Apple.

That needs a broadband internet connection over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and Apple notes that networks needing a login page can block it. Apple also says reinstalling doesn't remove your apps or personal files, though a backup first is still wise.

So an installer app isn't your Mac's safety net. Recovery is, and it lives on its own hidden volume that Finder doesn't show and you can't remove by accident.

How big are macOS installers?

Large. Apple says a 32 GB flash drive has more than enough storage space for any macOS installer when you make a bootable installer, and 16 GB is enough for most earlier versions. Recent full installers are well over 10 GB.

The full version of the macOS 26.3 update in Apple's catalog, the kind a Mac gets when it comes from an earlier major version, was 17.48 GB, according to Eclectic Light. Full installer apps are in the same range: the research behind the app's catalog puts them at about 13 to 20 GB.

• Full macOS installer app13–20 GB · Usually safe
• iPhone or iPad software file5–15 GB · Safe
• Waiting macOS update, latest version3–4 GB · Managed by macOS
• Waiting macOS update, full version17.5 GB · Managed by macOS

Installer and iPhone file ranges are typical figures from the research behind the app's catalog; iPhone files are per file. Update sizes are macOS 26.2 and 26.3 on Apple silicon, from Eclectic Light in 2025 and 2026.

How to delete old macOS installers

The installer apps are the biggest easy win. Each one is a single item in your Applications folder, and removing it is the same as removing any app.

Find them

Open a Finder window and choose Go › Applications. Look for names that start with Install macOS or, for older versions, Install OS X. Sorting by Name groups them together.

You can also choose Apple menu › System Settings, click General, then Storage, and click the information button next to Applications. Apple describes that list as all the apps installed on your Mac, excluding system apps, so an installer you downloaded should appear there with its size.

Before macOS Ventura, the same list was in Apple menu › About This Mac: click Storage, then Manage, then Applications. On macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27 Golden Gate, it's in System Settings as above.

How old is it?

Select an installer and choose File › Get Info. The window shows its size and when it was created and modified, which tells you roughly when it was downloaded. An installer from years ago is usually one you can let go.

If you're not sure whether you still need it, ask one question: is that version one you'll install again, on this Mac or another you look after? If not, it can go.

Remove them

1. If an installer is open, quit it first. One that opened by itself after downloading can be quit like any other app.
2. Select the installer in the Applications folder and choose File › Move to Trash, or drag it to the Trash. In Storage settings, select it and click Delete.
3. If asked, enter your administrator name and password.
4. Open the Trash, check what's in it, and click Empty.

The space comes back only when the Trash is emptied. Until then, the installer is still on the disk, and you can put it back with File › Put Back.

Why didn't the free space go up?

If you use Time Machine, a local snapshot may still hold the installer. Apple says Time Machine takes a snapshot about every hour and keeps each one for a day, and your Mac counts the space snapshots use as available. The space returns as the snapshot ages out, or sooner if you remove local snapshots.

The other common reason is that the installer is still in the Trash. Each Trash item keeps its space until you empty it.

What if an installer won't leave the Trash?

Some people report an old installer that won't empty from the Trash, with a message that it's in use, even after a restart. Restart, empty the Trash before opening anything else, and try again.

If Finder says items can't be deleted because of System Integrity Protection, don't follow advice to turn that protection off. It's one of macOS's main defenses. The post on why the Trash won't empty goes through each message and what to do instead.

Installer packages and disk images in Downloads

Not every installer lands in Applications. Some arrive as a file in your Downloads folder, and stay there after they've done their job.

What do these files look like?

• A disk image (.dmg). Apple's page says older versions, such as Sierra, El Capitan and Yosemite, download from a web browser as a disk image. It contains a package that installs the installer app.
• An installer package (.pkg). Opening the package puts the Install macOS app in your Applications folder. The package itself stays where it was.
• A developer download. On a developer's Mac, an Xcode download as a .xip archive is the same kind of leftover once Xcode is installed.

Once the installer app exists, the package or disk image that made it is a second copy. Once you've installed or upgraded, both may be.

Is it safe to delete them?

Usually, after a look. Everything in Downloads is your own choice, and a file there may be the only copy of something. An installer from Apple can be downloaded again; a package for a third-party app may not be, if its developer no longer offers it.

Open Downloads, choose View › as List, and click the Size column heading to put the largest files first. Check each disk image or package before you move it to the Trash.

File	What it's for	Safe to remove?
macOS disk image (.dmg)	Installs an Install macOS app	Yes, once you don't need that version
macOS installer package (.pkg)	Installs an Install macOS app	Yes, once the app exists or isn't needed
A third-party app's disk image	Installs that app	Usually, if you can download it again
Xcode .xip archive	Expands into Xcode	Yes, once Xcode is installed

What about installers on other disks?

Installers on an external drive or a USB flash drive don't use space on your startup disk. A bootable installer you made is worth keeping in a drawer if you look after several Macs. Remove it from a drive only when you need that drive for something else.

macOS update files: leave them to Software Update

A macOS update you haven't installed yet is a different thing from an installer. It's part of macOS's own update machinery, and macOS keeps it in protected places.

Where does a downloaded update wait?

According to Eclectic Light, the update is written to /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_MacSoftwareUpdate. macOS also uses /Library/Updates for information about available updates and some downloads.

Both are protected by System Integrity Protection, so only macOS can change them. The folder in the System Library also holds other parts of macOS that it downloads as features need them, such as voices, fonts, dictionaries and the models Apple Intelligence uses.

Can you delete a downloaded macOS update?

Not by hand, and you don't need to. Software Update doesn't offer a way to discard a downloaded update. Apple says that when space is needed, macOS clears caches and logs that are safe to delete, including staged macOS and app updates.

Installing the pending update is the other way to clear it. Software Update removes the files it no longer needs once the update is done. If you remove the files some other way, Software Update has to download the update again.

How do you stop updates downloading in the background?

Turn off automatic downloads. Open System Settings › General › Software Update, click the information button next to Automatic Updates, and turn off Download new updates when available. The setting is the same on macOS 26 Tahoe.

Your Mac then asks before downloading macOS updates. That's a choice about when updates arrive, not a way to skip them: Apple recommends keeping macOS up to date for security, and updates still need room when you do install them.

Why does an update sometimes leave files behind?

An update that didn't finish installing can leave files in /Library/Updates. The catalog's advice: install pending updates in Software Update, and let macOS remove what it no longer needs.

If an update keeps failing, Apple's troubleshooting guide for update errors goes through the steps, starting with free space and a working internet connection. The post on how much space a macOS update needs explains why an update can need several times its download.

Update file	Who manages it	What to do
A downloaded update waiting to install	macOS	Install it, or let macOS clear it when space is needed
Software Update's folder in the Library	Software Update	Leave it; install pending updates
Assets macOS downloads for features	macOS	Leave them; macOS removes them as features stop needing them
A full installer app	You	Delete it when you don't need it

iPhone and iPad software files

Storage settings' iOS Files category is another place update files collect. Apple describes it as containing iOS backups and firmware, and the firmware part is safe to clear.

What are they?

When you update or restore an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch from Finder, macOS downloads the device's software as a file of several gigabytes and keeps it in ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates, with similar folders for iPad and iPod.

A file is only useful for one kind of device, and only while Apple still allows that version to be installed. Finder downloads the current version again when it needs one. The folder sits inside an iTunes folder for historical reasons, even though Finder now manages devices.

How do you delete them?

Open System Settings › General › Storage and click the information button next to iOS Files. Software files are listed alongside backups. Select the ones you don't need and click Delete.

Take care with the backups in the same list. A backup may be the only copy of a device's data, while a software file never is. The iPhone backups guide covers backups and software files in full.

Why do they keep coming back?

A new file arrives each time you update or restore a device from Finder on this Mac. Updates you install on the iPhone or iPad itself, in its own Settings, download to the device and don't use space on your Mac.

So a Mac that updates a family's devices through Finder collects one file per kind of device and version. Clearing them after each round of updates keeps the folder small.

What about Apple Configurator?

If you use Apple Configurator to manage devices, it keeps its own copies of device software, one for each model and version, so it can update more devices without downloading again. The catalog's entry for the Apple Configurator firmware cache describes it. Quit Apple Configurator before removing them in Finder; it downloads the current software again when it needs it.

When to keep an old macOS installer

Deleting an installer costs a download later. For most people that's a fair trade. For some, the installer is worth keeping, and there are better places for it than the startup disk.

Reasons to keep one

• You make bootable installers. Apple's steps expect the Install macOS app in your Applications folder. Once the bootable installer is made, Apple says you can delete the installer from your Applications folder.
• You look after several Macs. Apple suggests a bootable installer when you want to install macOS on multiple computers, so each one doesn't download it.
• You test software on an older version. An installer for that version saves finding it again when you need a test machine.
• Your connection is slow or metered. A download of well over 10 GB is a real cost on some connections.

Reasons to let it go

• You've already upgraded. The installer for the version you're running does nothing Software Update can't, and Apple says Software Update can use less storage space than other methods.
• It's for a version your Mac can't run. It's taking space for nothing on this Mac.
• You can download it again. Apple's page on downloading macOS lists ways to get each version, for Macs that support it.
• Space is short. An installer is one of the larger single items you can remove without losing anything of your own.

Your situation	Keep the installer?	Where
One Mac, already upgraded	No	Delete it
You make bootable installers	Make the bootable installer, then delete the app	A 32 GB flash drive
You manage several Macs	Yes	An external drive or a bootable installer
You test on older versions	Yes, the versions you test	An external drive
Slow or metered connection	Yes, until you've upgraded every Mac	An external drive

Should you keep one just in case?

For most people, no. If macOS needs reinstalling, Recovery downloads it from Apple, and Software Update brings it up to date. An installer app on the same disk as macOS doesn't help in the cases where that disk is the problem.

Apple suggests a bootable installer for when other methods won't work, or when you install on several Macs. If that's the case you're planning for, the copy belongs on a separate drive, not in your Applications folder.

How do you keep one without using the startup disk?

Two ways. The simple one is to copy the Install macOS app to an external drive, check the copy is the same size, then remove the one in Applications. Copy it back to Applications when you need it.

The other is a bootable installer on a flash drive or external drive; Apple says 32 GB is more than enough. Apple's own steps for it use Terminal, and there's no button for it in Finder or Disk Utility. They also erase the drive you use, so pick one with nothing on it you want to keep.

Can you download an installer again later?

For versions your Mac supports, yes. Apple's page on downloading macOS lists the routes: Software Update for the latest compatible version, App Store links for macOS Sequoia back to High Sierra, and disk images for Sierra and earlier. Apple also documents a way through Terminal; the other routes need no commands.

If a version isn't compatible with your Mac, Apple says the Get button may be dimmed, or the App Store may say it's unavailable for your device. That's the one case where an installer you already have can't easily be replaced on that Mac.

Versions	Installer names	How Apple offers them now
macOS 27 and 26	Install macOS Golden Gate, Install macOS Tahoe	Software Update, as an upgrade
macOS 15 to 10.13	Install macOS Sequoia back to Install macOS High Sierra	App Store links on Apple's page
macOS 10.12 and some older OS X versions	Install macOS Sierra, Install OS X El Capitan and others	Disk images through a web browser

Apple's page doesn't list App Store links for the two newest versions. On a Mac that supports them, Software Update offers them as an upgrade, a route Apple says can use less storage space than the others.

App update files left behind

macOS isn't the only thing that downloads updates. Many apps from outside the App Store update themselves, and keep each downloaded update in their cache folder until it's installed. These are small next to a macOS installer, but they're the same idea: an update file that has done its job, or is waiting to.

Sparkle updates

Many Mac apps from outside the App Store update themselves with Sparkle. It keeps downloaded updates, and the files it prepares to install them, in a folder named org.sparkle-project.Sparkle inside the app's own folder in ~/Library/Caches.

Sparkle removes items older than 10 days on its own, but a recent update can take hundreds of megabytes. The catalog's entry is Sparkle update downloads.

Electron apps: ShipIt and electron-updater

Apps built with Electron often use one of two updaters. Squirrel downloads each update into a folder named after the app's bundle identifier with .ShipIt at the end, in your Caches folder, and its ShipIt helper installs the update when you quit the app.

Apps built with electron-builder often use electron-updater instead. It keeps each new version in a pending folder inside a cache folder named after the app, and installs it when you quit or restart the app. Either can hold several hundred megabytes for an update that was downloaded but not installed yet.

Google Updater

Google Updater keeps the last update package it downloaded for Chrome and each other Google app, at most one per app, so it can apply smaller updates next time. There's a copy in your own Library folder for your account, and one in the main Library folder for all users.

Is it safe to delete app update files?

Yes. If an update was waiting to be installed, the app downloads it again the next time it checks for updates. For Google's copies, the next update may download the full package instead of a smaller one. Quit the app first, then move only the folder named here to the Trash, not the app's whole cache folder.

Updater	Where its files are	What removing them costs
Sparkle	~/Library/Caches/*/org.sparkle-project.Sparkle	A waiting update downloads again
Squirrel (ShipIt)	~/Library/Caches/*.ShipIt	A waiting update downloads again
electron-updater	~/Library/Caches/*-updater/pending	A waiting update downloads again
Google Updater	~/Library/Application Support/Google/GoogleUpdater/crx_cache	The next update may be a full download

Mistakes to avoid when removing installers

Removing installers is low-risk when you stay with the items above. The trouble starts with things that look similar and aren't.

Check the name before you remove an app

The installers this post is about are apps directly in your Applications folder whose names start with Install macOS or Install OS X. Other apps with Install in their names, such as a driver's installer, belong to other developers; check what each one is before removing it.

Storage settings leaves system apps out of its Applications list, so nothing macOS needs is offered there. In Finder, stay with the names above.

Don't clear the System or Library update folders

/System/Library/AssetsV2 and /Library/Updates belong to macOS. Removing parts of them doesn't make a waiting update smaller; it makes Software Update download it again. Let macOS clear them, or install the update.

Don't turn off System Integrity Protection to delete anything

Some forum answers suggest it for an installer that won't leave the Trash. It switches off a core defense for the whole Mac, for the sake of one item. Put a stubborn item back and leave it for now if you have to.

Don't paste Terminal commands from a web page

Guides that tell you to paste a command to "clear update files" are ones to close. Commands that delete files can't be undone, and fake cleanup guides are a known way to install malware. Everything in this post works through Finder and System Settings.

Don't delete iPhone backups by mistake

iPhone backups and software files share the iOS Files list. Read each item's name before you click Delete. A software file can always be downloaded again; a backup of a device you've since wiped can't.

A worked example

Say Storage settings shows a large Applications category and a large iOS Files category, and System Data has grown since the last macOS update. Here's how the space might be found without touching anything that matters.

Applications

The Applications list shows Install macOS Sequoia and Install macOS Sonoma, both downloaded years ago. The Mac now runs macOS 27. Neither is needed to keep it running, and both can be downloaded again from Apple. Move them to the Trash.

If you look after an older Mac that still runs Sequoia, copy its installer to an external drive first, then remove the app.

Downloads

Sorted by size, Downloads holds an installer package for macOS and an Xcode archive from the last time Xcode was installed. Both made apps that already exist. Move them to the Trash after a quick check of their names and dates.

iOS Files

The list shows two iPhone software files and one backup of an iPhone that was traded in. The software files can go. The backup needs a decision: if it's the only copy of anything on that phone, keep it or copy it to an external drive first.

System Data

Software Update shows a macOS update downloaded and waiting. Don't look for its files. Install it, or leave it for macOS to clear if space runs short. Then empty the Trash, and give Time Machine's snapshots a day to age out before judging how much space came back.

What came back

Two installer apps, at the typical 13 to 20 GB each, and two iPhone software files, at 5 to 15 GB each, add up to tens of gigabytes. None of it was anyone's work, and all of it can be downloaded again. The backup and the waiting update stayed, because each needed something other than a quick removal.

How the app does it

Wombit is a native Mac app that shows what's using your storage, explains every item in plain language, and clears it safely: Trash first, undoable and logged. File names and paths never leave your Mac.

To name things, the scan reads small files that describe them, such as the version of a macOS installer. Each installer, update folder and software file is an entry in the app's catalog, written and checked by hand with sources:

• /Applications/Install {macOS,OS X} *.app

  macOS installers

  Full macOS installer apps, such as Install macOS Tahoe, left in your Applications folder after a download.

  Usually safe · Moves it to the Trash

• ~/Downloads/*.{dmg,DMG,iso,ISO,pkg,PKG,mpkg,xip}

  Disk images and installer packages in Downloads

  Disk images and installer packages you downloaded, often for apps you've already installed.

  Review first · Moves it to the Trash

• ~/Library/iTunes/{iPhone,iPad,iPod} Software Updates

  iPhone and iPad software updates

  Software files that were downloaded to update or restore an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch connected to this Mac.

  Safe · Moves it to the Trash

• ~/Library/Group Containers/K36BKF7T3D.group.com.apple.configurator/Library/Caches/Firmware

  Apple Configurator firmware cache

  Device software files Apple Configurator downloaded to update or restore iPhone, iPad and other devices.

  Safe · Moves it to the Trash

• ~/Library/Caches/*/org.sparkle-project.Sparkle

  Sparkle update downloads

  Updates that apps using the Sparkle framework downloaded and prepared for installation.

  Safe · Moves it to the Trash

• ~/Library/Caches/*.ShipIt

  Squirrel update files (ShipIt)

  Updates that apps built with Electron, such as VS Code, downloaded and staged here before installing them, plus the updater's logs.

  Safe · Moves it to the Trash

• ~/Library/Caches/*-updater/pending

  electron-updater pending updates

  Updates that apps built with electron-builder downloaded and are waiting to install.

  Safe · Moves it to the Trash

• ~/Library/Application Support/Google/GoogleUpdater/crx_cache

  Google Updater download cache

  Update packages for Google Chrome and other Google apps, kept by Google Updater so later updates can be smaller.

  Safe · Moves it to the Trash

• /Library/Updates

  Software update downloads

  Files Software Update downloads and keeps until an update is installed.

  Managed by macOS · Explained only: never removed

• /System/Library/AssetsV2/*

  macOS downloaded assets

  Parts of macOS downloaded after installation, such as speech and language data, voices, fonts, dictionaries and on-device models.

  Managed by macOS · Explained only: never removed

iPhone and iPad software files, Apple Configurator's copies and apps' update downloads are Safe: they start checked in Cleanup, and they count in the headline number. macOS installer apps are Usually safe, because you'd have to download one again to use it, so they never start checked.

Disk images and packages in Downloads are Review first, because one may be the only copy of something. macOS's update downloads and its downloaded assets are Managed by macOS: the app explains them and leaves them to Software Update and macOS.

The Apple Data pages let you choose installers one by one; nothing there is selected for you. Removing them, like everything the app removes, goes to the Trash first, with Undo and Put Back, and a log in Cleanup History.

Scanning, the map, the explanations, Undo, Put Back and Empty Trash are free. Cleanup and the Apple Data actions for installers are PRO: one payment of $4.99 with lifetime access. Every Pro tool's review is free to open, so you see what would go and why before you buy.