The GarageBand sound library size depends on how much you've downloaded. The app is listed at about 730 MB in the Mac App Store, and its first instruments, loops and lessons add a couple of gigabytes. Apple publishes full figures only for Logic Pro and MainStage: 6 GB minimum, and 44 GB or more for the full Sound Library.
All of it is content Apple can send you again. GarageBand, Logic Pro and MainStage download it on demand, and each has a way to get it back. That makes it one of the few large things on a Mac you can remove without losing work, as long as you know which projects use it.
Remove it with Apple's own controls, not by deleting folders in Finder. In System Settings › General › Storage, the Music Creation category lists what GarageBand, Logic and MainStage installed. In Logic Pro 12, Manage Packs shows each sound pack's size with a Delete button, and the whole library can live on an external drive.
The one trap is sharing. GarageBand and older versions of Logic Pro use the same folders, and Logic Pro 12 keeps a copy that shares storage with them. Removing one app's sounds can affect the other, and removing the old folders frees little while the new library exists.
What's in the GarageBand and Logic Pro sound libraries
"Sound library" is Apple's name for everything the music apps play that isn't your own recording. It's the same idea in both apps, at different sizes.
What are Apple Loops?
Apple Loops are short recorded phrases you drop into a song: drum beats, bass lines, guitar riffs, synth patterns. Apple's GarageBand guide describes three kinds, shown in colors in the Loop Browser: audio loops in blue, MIDI loops in green and Drummer loops in yellow.
Audio loops are recordings, so they take the most space. MIDI and Drummer loops store notes and performance settings, and play through an instrument, so they're small, but they still need that instrument's samples to make a sound.
What are patches, instruments and samples?
A patch is a ready-made sound: an instrument plus its effects and settings. Behind most instrument patches sit samples, recordings of real instruments note by note, played by Logic's Sampler, Alchemy or Ultrabeat.
Samples are where the gigabytes go. A sampled grand piano or string section is many recordings, often several for each key. Synthesizer patches, which generate their sound as they play, need far less disk space.
What does Drummer need?
Drummer adds a virtual session drummer who plays along with your song. GarageBand's App Store listing says it offers 33 players across genres. Apple's guide lists drummers among the additional content GarageBand downloads, so each one you add takes space in the library.
What are the Learn to Play lessons?
GarageBand also teaches guitar and piano. Apple's guide says one guitar and one piano lesson come preinstalled, and you can download more, including Artist Lessons taught by the musicians themselves. On the Mac measured below, the two preinstalled lessons took about half a gigabyte.
What are sound packs in Logic Pro?
Logic Pro groups its content into sound packs, each with loops, patches, drum kits and samples around a style or an instrument. Apple's guide says some packs may be required for certain tasks, such as opening a GarageBand song made on another device, and Logic asks before downloading them.
Where the sound library lives on a Mac
Where the files go depends on the app and its version. Logic Pro 12 changed the layout completely, and GarageBand didn't follow.
Where does GarageBand keep its sounds?
GarageBand installs its content in shared folders at the top level of the startup disk, not in your home folder, so every account on the Mac uses one copy. Logic Pro 11 or earlier and MainStage 3 use the same folders.
| Path | What it holds |
|---|---|
/Library/Application Support/GarageBand | Instruments, Drummer content and Learn to Play lessons |
/Library/Application Support/Logic | Sampler, Alchemy and Ultrabeat samples, plug-in settings |
/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/Apple | Apple's own loops, in folders by collection |
~/Music/Logic Pro Library.bundle | Logic Pro 12 and MainStage 4's whole library |
~/Music/GarageBand | Your GarageBand projects, by default |
~/Music/Logic | Your Logic Pro projects, by default |
Loops from other companies can sit in other folders inside /. Those belong to whoever made them, not to GarageBand.
What changed in Logic Pro 12?
Starting with Logic Pro 12 and MainStage 4, Apple keeps every sound in a single file called ~/. Apple says it holds the instrument patches, Apple Loops, samples, plug-in settings and channel strip settings, and every sound pack you download goes into it.
The point of one file is portability. It's easier to move to an external drive or another Mac than a dozen folders spread across the disk.
Why removing the old folders frees little after the update
When Logic Pro 12 first opens, it builds the bundle from your existing library as an APFS clone. Apple says this takes no extra storage space, and that you don't have to delete the old files to optimize storage.
A clone shares its data with the original until one of them changes. So the old folders and the bundle each look full-size, but the space is counted once, and removing either frees almost nothing while the other exists. The post on why deleting files doesn't always free space explains clones further.
Are GarageBand's sounds in the Logic Pro Library bundle too?
GarageBand still uses the shared folders. Apple's article warns that the new bundle isn't compatible with older versions of the apps, so if you keep GarageBand, Logic Pro 11 or MainStage 3, keep the old folders.
That's why the catalog entry for the shared folders says removing them frees little while the bundle exists. It's one set of data with two names, and GarageBand needs one of the names.
GarageBand sound library size: what Apple says and what one Mac shows
Apple doesn't publish a size for GarageBand's full library. It does publish the app's size and Logic Pro's requirements, and the rest can be measured.
How big is GarageBand?
GarageBand is free, and its Mac App Store listing gives its size as 731.9 MB, for version 10.4.14, which requires macOS 15.6 or later. That's the download. Installed, the app takes a little more, and the content it installs on first launch comes on top.
When a task needs more, GarageBand asks. Its guide says a dialog appears when additional content is needed, and items in the Library and Loop Browser that aren't installed show a Download button.
How big is Logic Pro's full library?
Logic Pro's App Store listing says it needs 6 GB of available storage for a minimum install and "44 GB or more" for the full Sound Library installation. MainStage's listing gives the same two figures. The app itself is listed at 1.4 GB.
"Or more" matters. Apple keeps adding sound packs, and the full figure grows with them. Logic Pro's Manage Packs view shows the real total for your Mac at the top of its list.
One Mac, measured
Here is a Mac with GarageBand 10.4.11 on macOS 27 and no Logic Pro, measured in October 2026, next to Apple's figures for Logic Pro.
- GarageBand app, installed1 GB
- GarageBand's sound folders, installed2.3 GB · Usually safe
- Logic Pro, minimum install (Apple)6 GB
- Logic Pro, full Sound Library (Apple)44 GB · Usually safe
The first two were measured in October 2026 on one Mac with GarageBand 10.4.11 and no Logic Pro. The Logic Pro figures are from its Mac App Store listing, which says 44 GB or more.
On that Mac, the three shared folders came to about 2.3 GB: 0.9 GB of GarageBand's instruments and lessons, 0.9 GB of samples in the Logic folder, and 0.5 GB of Apple Loops. The lessons were 0.5 GB of GarageBand's share.
Why do Finder and Storage settings disagree?
Finder adds up every file it sees. After Logic Pro 12's update, it counts the bundle and the old folders in full, even though they share their data. Storage settings and tools that understand clones count that space once.
So if Finder says the music folders take twice what you expected, check whether you've opened Logic Pro 12 on that Mac. The second copy is probably a clone, not a duplicate.
How to see what music creation content takes
Three places show this content, each in its own way. Use the one that matches the app you have.
In Storage settings
Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then Storage. Apple describes the Music Creation category as content from GarageBand, Logic and MainStage. Click the Info button next to it to see the items.
Don't confuse it with Music, which holds purchases from the Music app, as the guide to every category in Storage settings explains. Your songs in the Music app aren't touched by anything in Music Creation.
In Logic Pro's Sound Library
In Logic Pro 12, choose Logic Pro › Sound Library, then click Manage Packs in the upper-left corner. Apple's guide says the total space used by all installed packs is shown at the top of the list, and each pack's size is shown next to it.
This is the most useful view of the three. It names each pack in Apple's words and lets you remove the ones you don't use right there.
In Finder
Choose Go › Go to Folder in Finder, enter one of the paths above, and choose File › Get Info to see its size. This works for looking, but remember that Finder counts clones in full. Don't move anything from here.
Why does GarageBand show sounds you never downloaded?
GarageBand's Library and Loop Browser list everything available, installed or not. Items that need downloading show the Download button. Seeing a sound in the list doesn't mean it's taking space on your Mac.
How to delete sounds you don't use
Each app has its own way to remove content. They all leave your projects where they are, and they all let you download the sounds again.
Removing GarageBand content in Storage settings
- Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click General, then Storage.
- Click the Info button next to Music Creation.
- Select the content you don't need.
- Click Delete, and confirm.
To get sounds back later, open GarageBand and choose GarageBand › Sound Library › Download All Available Sounds, then click Get. Or download single items with their Download buttons as you need them.
Deleting sound packs in Logic Pro 12
- In Logic Pro, choose Logic Pro › Sound Library.
- Click Manage Packs in the upper-left corner.
- Click Delete next to each pack you don't use.
- Click outside the Manage Packs area when you're finished.
Apple's guide also describes a Delete button next to All Installed Packs, which removes every pack at once. Use it only if you're moving to a fresh library or giving up Logic Pro, since projects lose their sounds until you download packs again.
Can you remove GarageBand's sounds and keep Logic's?
Not if they're the same files. With Logic Pro 11 or earlier, both apps play from the shared folders, so removing content for one removes it for the other. With Logic Pro 12, the bundle is a clone, so Logic keeps its copy while GarageBand's goes, and little space comes back.
If you use Logic Pro and only want GarageBand gone, delete the app and leave the sounds. The section on removing GarageBand below covers that.
Is it safe to delete Apple Loops in Finder?
It isn't harmful in the way deleting system files is, but it's the wrong tool. Folders like / are shared by every account and every music app on the Mac, and removing them by hand can leave GarageBand's Loop Browser listing loops it can't play.
The catalog rates these folders Usually safe: the apps can download the content again, but songs that use it play without those sounds until you do. Storage settings and the apps' own controls remove content in a way the apps expect.
What about Learn to Play lessons?
GarageBand's guide explains how to download lessons and how to reset a lesson's history, which removes your scores and recordings of earlier performances. It doesn't describe deleting a downloaded lesson. Check Music Creation in Storage settings for the content GarageBand installed.
Does Clean Up Project remove sounds?
No. In GarageBand, File › Clean Up Project deletes audio files a project doesn't use. In Logic Pro, File › Project Management › Clean Up can delete unused and unreferenced audio files and old backups, after showing each file. Both trim your projects, never the sound library.
| What you want to remove | Where to do it | Gets it back |
|---|---|---|
| GarageBand content | Storage settings, Music Creation | Download All Available Sounds |
| One Logic Pro 12 pack | Manage Packs, Delete | Get next to the pack |
| Every Logic Pro 12 pack | Delete next to All Installed Packs | Get All |
| Unused audio in a project | Clean Up in either app | Nothing; keep a copy first |
| The GarageBand app | Finder, Move to Trash | The App Store |
What happens to songs that use removed sounds
Your projects don't store most of the sounds they play. They store which patch, loop or sample to use, and the app loads it from the library. Remove the library, and the project still opens, without those sounds.
In GarageBand
GarageBand's guide says that when additional content is needed, a dialog asks whether you want to download it. A song that uses a removed instrument or loop is the usual case. Download, and the song plays as it did.
The catalog's entry puts it plainly: songs that use removed instruments or loops play without them until you download them again. Nothing in the song itself is lost, only the sound until it's back.
In Logic Pro
Projects that use a deleted pack open with missing patches, samples or loops until you download the pack again from the Sound Library. Apple's older Logic Pro guide said Logic prompts you to download missing content the next time you use the patch or instrument.
If the library is on a drive that isn't connected, Apple's article says Logic offers three choices: Retry once you've connected it, Ignore, which replaces affected tracks with basic tones, or Reset, which installs a new library on your Mac.
How do you protect a project before removing sounds?
Logic Pro can copy what a project uses into the project itself. Choose File › Project Management › Consolidate, select the asset types, and click OK. Apple says this includes Sampler, Alchemy and Ultrabeat audio and Sound Library content such as Apple Loops.
To make it the default for a project, choose File › Project Settings › Assets and select Copy Logic Pro Library content into project. The project grows by what it uses, but it no longer depends on the library.
Which projects are worth consolidating?
Finished songs you might reopen years from now, and projects you'll share or archive on another drive. A sketch you're still working on can rely on the library, because you'll have the sounds when you need them.
GarageBand has no consolidate command. To keep a GarageBand song's sound for good, export it with Share › Export Song to Disk, which renders an audio file you can play anywhere.
Does freezing or bouncing help?
Bouncing a track to audio turns its sound into a recording that no longer needs the instrument. Logic Pro's Bounce in Place does that for tracks or regions. It's useful for a few tracks that use a pack you're about to delete, while keeping the rest of the project editable.
Moving the sound library to an external drive
If you use the sounds but need the room, move them. Apple supports it for Logic Pro and MainStage, and the steps depend on the version.
Logic Pro 12 and MainStage 4
- Quit Logic Pro and MainStage.
- In Finder, open your Music folder and find Logic Pro Library.bundle.
- Drag it to the external drive, which copies it.
- Open Logic Pro, choose Logic Pro › Settings › General, and in Sound Library click Locate, then double-click the bundle on the drive.
Apple's article says that once the bundle is copied to an external device, you can delete the original to free space on your Mac. Move it to the Trash, check that Logic opens with the drive's library, then empty the Trash.
Why didn't moving the bundle free much space?
Because of the clone. If the bundle on your Mac was cloned from the old folders, it shares most of its data with them. Copying it away and trashing it frees only what you downloaded after the update, while the old folders still hold the rest.
To get all of it back, the old folders would have to go too. Only do that if nothing on the Mac still uses them: no GarageBand, no Logic Pro 11 and no MainStage 3. Use Storage settings, not Finder, to remove them.
Logic Pro 11 or earlier
Apple's steps for Logic Pro 11.2.2, MainStage 3.7.1 and earlier versions use a command instead:
- Log in as an administrator, and connect the drive.
- Choose Logic Pro › Sound Library › Relocate Sound Library.
- Click Allow if asked, select the drive, then click Relocate.
Apple's older guide said relocating moves everything except Apple Loops and impulse responses, and that GarageBand and MainStage share the location, so it moves for them too. To bring it back, use the same command and choose Macintosh HD.
Which drive should you use?
Apple suggests an external SSD or a USB drive, formatted as APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and says not to use a Time Machine backup volume. Don't rename the drive afterwards, or the apps won't find the library.
If you get an error that the library can't be relocated, quit the app and open System Settings › Privacy & Security, then Files & Folders. Apple's fix is to click Logic Pro or MainStage there and turn on Removable Volumes.
What if the drive was formatted for Windows?
When Logic Pro 12 meets an old library on a drive formatted as Mac OS Extended, MS-DOS (FAT) or ExFAT, it can't clone it, so it copies it, and the drive needs room for both. Apple says you can then delete the original files, unless older versions of the apps still need them.
Can several accounts or Macs share one library?
Apple's Logic Pro guide suggests an administrator move the library to the Shared folder in the Users folder, then each account chooses it in Logic Pro's settings. Space used there shows up as Other Users & Shared in Storage settings.
Between Macs, Apple's two documents differ. The support article says each Mac needs its own library; the user guide describes a library on a network drive used by several computers. If you try it, keep a local library you can return to.
| Version | How to move it | Where it goes back |
|---|---|---|
| Logic Pro 12, MainStage 4 | Drag the bundle, then Locate | Drag it back, then Locate |
| Logic Pro 11 or earlier | Relocate Sound Library | Relocate to Macintosh HD |
| GarageBand alone | No command of its own | Follows Logic Pro 11's relocation |
| Drive not connected | Retry, Ignore or Reset | Reset puts a library on the Mac |
GarageBand and Logic Pro: one library or two?
Most people who meet this question have both apps, or used GarageBand before buying Logic. Here's how the content overlaps.
Do GarageBand and Logic Pro share sounds?
Up to Logic Pro 11, yes: one set of folders, used by GarageBand, Logic Pro and MainStage alike. Downloading in one app made the sound available in the others, and removing it removed it for all of them.
From Logic Pro 12, the two apps keep separate libraries that share storage. GarageBand reads the old folders, Logic reads the bundle, and the clone keeps them from costing the space twice.
What happens when you download a new pack in Logic Pro 12?
Apple says new downloads go into the bundle. They're new data, so they take new space, and GarageBand doesn't see them. The clone covers only what existed when Logic built the bundle.
Should you keep GarageBand if you have Logic Pro?
Apple's guide says Logic Pro opens GarageBand projects directly, with no import or conversion, so many people stop using GarageBand after switching. Removing the app frees about a gigabyte. Removing its sounds frees little while Logic's bundle is a clone of them, and takes them from any older app that still needs them.
Logic Pro bought once and through Apple Creator Studio
Apple now offers Logic Pro and MainStage both as one-time purchases and in its Apple Creator Studio subscription, and says both versions can be installed on one Mac. Either way, the sound library works as described here, so check which versions you have before removing shared content.
Removing GarageBand itself
GarageBand is a free App Store app, and unlike Music or Podcasts, it isn't one of the apps macOS requires. You can remove it like any other app and download it again whenever you like.
How do you delete GarageBand on a Mac?
- Quit GarageBand.
- In Finder, click Applications in the sidebar.
- Drag GarageBand to the Trash, or select it and choose File › Move to Trash.
- Enter an administrator's name and password if asked.
Until you empty the Trash, File › Put Back returns it. Apple notes that deleting an app doesn't remove the documents you made with it, so your songs in ~/ stay.
Does deleting GarageBand delete its sounds?
No. The sounds live in the shared folders, outside the app, so they stay behind. Remove them from Music Creation in Storage settings first, while you can still check what they are, then remove the app.
If you use Logic Pro 11 or earlier, or MainStage 3, skip the sounds and remove only the app, because those apps play from the same folders. The post on leftover files after uninstalling apps covers what other apps leave behind.
What about your songs?
GarageBand projects are packages with a .band extension, and they hold your recordings. Before deleting old ones, export the songs you care about as audio. A song that only uses loops and instruments can be rebuilt; a vocal take can't.
How do you get GarageBand back?
Download it again from the App Store at no cost. If its sounds were removed or seem damaged, choose GarageBand › Sound Library › Reinstall Sound Library and click Reinstall, which Apple says restores patches, loops and other content to their correct location.
Is GarageBand's app bundle worth trimming?
No. The app is around a gigabyte, the sounds are elsewhere, and changing a signed Apple app can stop it opening. If you've seen advice about trimming apps, the post on language files covers whether it's worth doing in general.
Third-party plug-ins and sample libraries
Many musicians add instruments from other companies. Their samples can dwarf Apple's library, and they follow their makers' rules, not Apple's.
Where do Audio Units plug-ins live?
Apple's Logic Pro guide says Audio Units plug-ins, also called AUv2, are installed in /, and Audio Unit Extensions, also called AUv3, are installed in the Applications folder. Both appear in GarageBand and Logic Pro's plug-in menus.
The plug-in file itself is usually small. The samples it plays are the large part, and each maker decides where they go, often in a folder you choose when installing.
How do you move or remove a third-party library?
Use the maker's own app or installer. Apple's guide points to each plug-in's documentation for installation, and the same goes for moving content. A plug-in keeps a record of where its samples are, and moving them in Finder can leave it unable to find them.
Removing a plug-in doesn't always remove its samples, and the reverse is true too. Check both places before you decide you've freed the space.
What about third-party Apple Loops?
GarageBand's guide says you add them by dragging loops from Finder into the Loop Browser, which then indexes them. Loops from other companies are their files, not Apple's: Storage settings and Reinstall Sound Library don't manage them, and they can't be downloaded again from Apple.
Which plug-ins can you remove?
The ones you haven't opened in a project for a long time, and trials that expired. Before removing one, open an old project that uses it, or bounce its tracks to audio, so the project still plays afterwards.
Deciding what to keep
Space taken by sounds is easy to get back, so the question is what you'll miss and how long a download takes when you do.
A quick way to decide
- You don't make music on this Mac. Remove the content in Music Creation, then the app. Everything can be downloaded again.
- You use GarageBand now and then. Keep the basic content and remove extra downloads. GarageBand asks for what a song needs.
- You use Logic Pro. Delete packs in Manage Packs you never use, and move the library to an SSD if space is still short.
- You use both. Leave GarageBand's folders alone, and manage Logic's packs in Logic.
Mistakes to avoid
- Deleting the shared folders while Logic Pro 11 or MainStage 3 still uses them. Every app on the Mac loses its sounds at once.
- Trashing the old folders after Logic Pro 12's update for space. They share storage with the bundle, so little comes back, and GarageBand loses its sounds.
- Renaming the external drive. The apps look for the library by the drive's name.
- Deleting old projects before exporting the ones with recordings. The sounds come back; your takes don't.
- Removing a vendor's sample folder by hand. Its plug-in goes on looking for the samples there.
Other Apple apps that keep downloads
The same pattern, content an Apple app downloads and can send again, shows up across the Mac. Podcasts and TV app downloads work this way, as does what the Music app downloads.
Video and notes are different. iMovie and Final Cut libraries hold footage that may exist nowhere else, and Notes and Freeform attachments are your own content. Treat those as your files, not as downloads.
How the app does it
Wombit shows the music apps' content on the map with its real size, and explains it from the catalog: what each folder holds, which app installed it, what happens to songs that use it, and how to remove it with Apple's own controls.
Hard links and APFS clones count once, so Logic Pro 12's bundle and the old folders aren't counted twice.
/
Library/ Application Support/ GarageBand GarageBand and Logic Pro sound library
Instruments, samples, Apple Loops and lessons that GarageBand, and Logic Pro 11 or earlier, install for everyone on this Mac.
Usually safe · Explained only: the app shows you how
~/
Music/ Logic Pro Library.bundle The sound library of Logic Pro 12 and MainStage 4: patches, samples, Apple Loops and the sound packs you download.
Usually safe · Explained only: the app shows you how
Both are Usually safe: the apps can download the content again, but projects that use it lose those sounds until you do. Neither starts checked or counts in the safe-to-remove total. The app doesn't move them itself; it shows the steps in Storage settings, GarageBand and Logic Pro's Manage Packs, and leaves the choice to you.
The Applications section lists GarageBand and Logic Pro with their sizes and what they've left around the Mac. The scan, the map and the explanations are free. Cleanup and the uninstaller are PRO, one $4.99 payment with lifetime access. Every Pro tool's review is free to open, so you see what would go and why before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the GarageBand sound library?
Apple doesn't publish a figure for GarageBand's full library. The app is listed at about 730 MB in the Mac App Store, and on one Mac we measured, its installed instruments, loops and lessons took about 2.3 GB more. For Logic Pro and MainStage, Apple lists 6 GB for a minimum install and 44 GB or more for the full Sound Library.
How do I delete the GarageBand sound library?
Open System Settings, click General, then Storage, and click the Info button next to Music Creation. Select the content you don't need and click Delete. GarageBand can download it again from GarageBand › Sound Library.
Is it safe to delete Apple Loops on a Mac?
The apps can download Apple's loops again, so nothing is lost for good, but songs that use them play without those sounds until you do. Remove them through Storage settings or the apps, not by deleting folders in Finder, because GarageBand, older Logic Pro versions and MainStage share them.
What is Music Creation in Mac storage?
Apple describes the Music Creation category in Storage settings as content from GarageBand, Logic and MainStage: instruments, loops, samples and lessons. It's separate from the Music category, which holds purchases from the Music app.
Can I move the Logic Pro sound library to an external drive?
Yes. In Logic Pro 12, drag Logic Pro Library.bundle from your Music folder to the drive, then point Logic Pro to it with Locate in Settings › General › Sound Library. In Logic Pro 11 or earlier, choose Logic Pro › Sound Library › Relocate Sound Library.
Why didn't deleting the old sound library folders free space after updating to Logic Pro 12?
Logic Pro 12 builds its new library bundle as an APFS clone of the old folders, so the two share the same data on disk. Removing one copy frees almost nothing while the other exists. Apple says you don't need to delete the old files to optimize storage.
Does deleting GarageBand remove its sounds?
No. GarageBand's sounds live in shared folders outside the app, so they stay when you move the app to the Trash. Remove them from Music Creation in Storage settings first, unless Logic Pro 11 or earlier or MainStage 3 still uses them.
What happens to my songs if I delete sound packs?
The songs stay, but they open without the deleted sounds until you download them again. GarageBand and Logic Pro ask to download what a song needs. In Logic Pro, Consolidate copies the sounds a project uses into the project first.
Sources
- About the Logic Pro and MainStage sound library on Mac · Apple
- Move Logic Pro for Mac and MainStage content · Apple
- Change Storage settings on Mac · Apple
- Get more sounds and loops for GarageBand on Mac · Apple
- Download additional sound packs in Logic Pro for Mac · Apple
- Logic Pro on the Mac App Store · Apple