What is safe to delete on a Mac comes down to one question: will the thing come back by itself? App caches, logs, crash reports and build files from developer tools are made again by whatever made them, and installers you've already used can be downloaded again. Removing them costs time, never data.
Your own files are a decision, not a rule. Videos, downloads, backups and archives are safe to delete only once you know they aren't your only copy.
And a short list of folders is never safe to touch in Finder: macOS's own folders, the Library folder itself, the insides of the Photos and Music libraries, and anything synced by iCloud Drive or another cloud service.
This post goes through the Mac folder by folder: your home folder, the Library folder inside it, Apple's app libraries, Applications, the folders at the top of the disk and developer tools. For each one, it says what's inside, whether it's safe to delete, and the right way to do it.
Whatever you delete, delete it the safe way. Quit the app it belongs to, move it to the Trash rather than deleting it outright, check that everything still works, and only then empty the Trash.
What is safe to delete on a Mac, and what makes it safe?
"Safe" isn't a property of a folder's name. It depends on what the file is, who made it, and whether anything else depends on it. Four questions settle most cases, asked in this order.
Will it come back by itself?
Caches, logs, build products and download caches are recreated by the app or tool that owns them. Apple's own guidelines for developers say an app's Caches folder holds data that can be regenerated, and that apps should never rely on cache files existing.
Items like these are the safest place to start. The only cost is time: an app rebuilds its cache, a project builds from scratch, a tool downloads a package again.
Can you get it again, and at what cost?
Some things come back only if you fetch them yourself: apps, installers, purchased music and films, local AI models, a project's dependencies. Deleting them is fine if you know where they came from and don't mind the download.
Is it the only copy?
Backups, videos, archives, documents, chat histories and app libraries may exist nowhere else. They need a decision item by item, and a copy elsewhere if there's any doubt.
Does macOS or an app manage it?
Some large things are managed for you: Time Machine's local snapshots, swap files, the Spotlight index, the Photos library and iCloud Drive. They have a setting or an app that controls them. Deleting their files in Finder is the wrong tool, and sometimes macOS won't let you.
The four levels at a glance
Those questions sort everything into four levels. The catalog behind this site uses the same four.
| Level | What it means | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Safe | The owner recreates it and nothing is lost | App caches, logs, crash reports, Xcode's DerivedData |
| Usually safe | It comes back, but at a cost you should know | A project's node_modules, an old macOS installer |
| Review first | It may be your only copy | Downloads, iPhone backups, Messages attachments |
| Managed by macOS | Leave it to macOS or the app that owns it | Snapshots, swap, the Photos library, iCloud Drive |
What about files you don't recognize?
Leave them. A file you can't place is the one most likely to belong to something you'd miss, and the space it frees is rarely worth the risk. If it's large, find out what it is first: its name, the folder it's in and File › Get Info usually give its owner away.
Your home folder: Desktop, Documents, Downloads and the rest
Your home folder is the one named after you, with the house icon in the Finder sidebar. Everything you save lives here, so the folders you see in it are never safe to clear wholesale. What's safe is a choice about each item.
Can you delete the Downloads folder's contents?
Its contents, yes, after you look at them. The folder itself stays. It's usually the easiest place to win back space, because most of what lands there was meant to be used once.
Disk images and installer packages, the .dmg and .pkg files, are rarely needed once an app is installed: it runs from Applications. Archives you've already opened, such as .zip files, often sit beside the extracted copy. Keep any installer you couldn't download again, such as a paid app's from a developer that has gone.
To find the largest files, open Downloads, choose View › as List, and click the Size column heading.
Desktop and Documents
These folders hold your work, so treat everything in them as possibly your only copy. Delete items you're sure of, never the folders themselves.
If Desktop & Documents Folders is turned on in iCloud Drive's settings, these folders live in iCloud Drive. Deleting a file there deletes it from iCloud and from your other devices too.
Movies, Music and Pictures
These folders hold your own media, and also the libraries Apple's apps keep: the Photos library in Pictures, the Music library in Music, and iMovie's library in Movies. Each library is a single package that its app manages.
Delete your own loose files here as you like, once you're sure. Never open a library package and delete files inside it. Manage it in its app instead, as described further down.
Public and other folders
Public is for sharing files with other people on this Mac or your network, and its Drop Box folder holds files others have left for you. Look there before you assume it's empty.
Folders that apps or tools add to your home folder, such as a games launcher's library or a developer tool's dot folder, belong to those apps. Manage them in the app.
| Folder | What it holds | Safe to delete? |
|---|---|---|
~/Downloads | Installers, archives and files you saved once | Items yes, after a look |
~/Desktop, ~/Documents | Your work | Items you're sure of; never the folders |
~/Movies | Your videos, iMovie and Final Cut libraries | Your own files; libraries only in their app |
~/Music | Your Music library and its media | Through Music, not Finder |
~/Pictures | The Photos library and other images | Through Photos, not Finder |
~/Public | Files you share with others | Items you no longer share |
The Library folder: folder by folder
The Library folder in your home folder is where apps keep their own files: caches, settings, data and logs. Finder hides it, and most of it isn't meant to be managed by hand. Some of it is still safe to clear, and much of it isn't.
How do you open the Library folder?
In Finder, open the Go menu, press and hold the Option key, and choose Library. Or choose Go › Go to Folder, type ~/ and press Return.
Folders inside are usually named after an app, its developer, or its identifier, such as com.developer.appname. To see a folder's size, select it and choose File › Get Info.
Is it safe to delete the Caches folder?
The folders inside it, yes; the Caches folder itself, no. Apps keep data in ~/ that they can create again, so an app whose folder you remove rebuilds it. Quit the app first, and expect it to be a little slower while it does.
A few apps keep more than a cache there, such as downloaded music or updates waiting to install. The post on whether Library caches are safe to delete goes through the exceptions.
Logs and crash reports
The Logs folder holds text logs that apps and macOS services write, and its DiagnosticReports folder holds reports macOS saves when an app crashes or hangs. Nothing on your Mac needs either to work. Remove the files inside, and leave the folders themselves, which some background jobs expect to find.
The Console app is the tidy way to clear reports. Open it, choose a category under Reports in the sidebar, select a report, and choose File › Move to Trash.
Application Support
Apps keep the files they manage for you in Application Support, in a folder for each app. That can include your own data, such as a library, a chat history or projects, so it isn't a cache. Deleting an app doesn't remove its folder here.
For an app you still use, manage its data in the app. For an app you've removed, open its folder and check nothing inside is still needed before you move it to the Trash.
Containers and Group Containers
Sandboxed apps, such as most apps from the App Store, each get a private container in Containers, with their own Library inside: data, settings and caches. Group Containers hold data that apps from one developer share, such as an app and its widgets.
Both can hold documents you saved only inside an app, so they're a decision, not a cleanup. The Caches folder inside a container is different: it's safe to clear, like any other cache, with the app closed.
Preferences and Saved Application State
Preferences holds each app's settings as a small .plist file, and Saved Application State holds the windows an app reopens. They're tiny. Removing them frees almost nothing and resets the app, so they're not worth touching for space.
Mail, Messages and iCloud Drive
The Mail, Messages and Mobile Documents folders are managed by their apps. Mail keeps an index of its files, and Messages keeps attachments in coded folders only it understands, so removing files there leaves gaps in your mail and conversations.
Mobile Documents is iCloud Drive's folder on your Mac, and CloudStorage holds folders for Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive and similar apps. Deleting a file in either deletes it from the cloud and from your other devices. Use Remove Download or the app's online-only setting instead.
Folder in ~/Library | What it holds | Safe to delete? |
|---|---|---|
Caches | Data apps can rebuild | Safe: folders inside, with the app closed |
Logs | Logs and crash reports | Safe: files inside, not the folders |
Application Support | Data apps manage for you | Review first: may hold your work |
Containers, Group Containers | Sandboxed apps' data and settings | Review first; their Caches folders are safe |
Preferences, Saved Application State | Settings and window state | Not for space: tiny, and resets apps |
Mail, Messages | Your mail and conversations | Only in Mail and Messages |
Mobile Documents, CloudStorage | iCloud Drive and other cloud files | Never in Finder: use Remove Download |
Keychains | Your saved passwords and keys | Never |
Photos, Music and iPhone files
Apple's apps keep some of the largest things on a Mac, and they share one rule: manage them in the app, not in Finder. Their libraries are databases, and changing them from outside can damage them.
Is it safe to delete files inside the Photos library?
No. The Photos library is one package that Photos manages, with your originals, edits, albums and previews inside. Changing files inside it in Finder can damage it.
To make it take less room on this Mac, turn on Optimize Mac Storage in Photos' iCloud settings, or quit Photos and move the library to an external drive. The post on Photos taking up space covers both routes.
Deleting photos you don't want helps too, but they keep their space in Recently Deleted for 30 days unless you delete them there as well.
Music, TV and podcast downloads
Purchases and Apple Music songs you've downloaded can be downloaded again. In Music, click the More button next to a downloaded album and choose Remove Download: it stays in your library to stream.
Songs you imported yourself, from CDs or files, may exist only on this Mac. Keep a copy before you delete those. Music's own cache, of album artwork and Apple Music pages, is safe to clear with Music closed.
iPhone and iPad backups
Backups of your devices live in ~/, one folder per device. Backups of devices you no longer have stay until you delete them, and each can be tens of gigabytes.
They're a review-first item: a backup may be the only copy of what's in it, and an encrypted one also holds saved passwords and Health data. Delete them in Storage settings: click the Info button next to iOS Files, select a backup, and click Delete.
iPhone software update files
When you update or restore a device from Finder, macOS keeps its software file, several gigabytes each, in ~/. These are safe to delete. If Finder needs one again, it downloads the current version from Apple.
GarageBand and Logic sound libraries
GarageBand, and Logic Pro 11 or earlier, install instruments, loops and lessons for everyone on the Mac. They can be downloaded again, so they're usually safe, at the cost of a download. Remove them in Storage settings: click the Info button next to Music Creation, select what you don't need and click Delete.
Applications and installers
Apps themselves are usually smaller than the data around them. Still, a few large apps you've stopped using can add up, and removing them is safe as long as you do it the right way.
Is it safe to delete apps on a Mac?
Apps you installed, yes. Quit the app, then open its folder in Applications and use its uninstaller if it has one. Otherwise drag the app to the Trash. Apple warns that files you made with an app may not open once it's gone, so think about those first.
You can't delete apps that macOS needs, such as Mail, Music, Books, Notes and Maps. macOS won't let you.
Old macOS installers
If you downloaded a full macOS installer and didn't run it, an app such as Install macOS Tahoe sits in Applications and takes many gigabytes. It's usually safe to delete: you only need it to install that version again or to make a bootable installer, and Apple lets you download installers again for versions your Mac supports.
Can you delete files inside an app?
No. Old advice suggests removing language files or other parts from inside apps to save space. Gatekeeper checks that downloaded software hasn't been altered, so an app with files removed from inside it may refuse to open.
Leftovers from apps you've removed
Dragging an app to the Trash removes the app and nothing else. Its caches, logs and data folders stay in your Library folder, sometimes for years. Caches and logs of a removed app are safe to clear; its Application Support folder and containers need a look first.
The guide to uninstalling apps properly lists every folder to check, and how to turn off login items a removed app left behind.
Folders at the top of the disk
Open Macintosh HD in Finder and you'll see a few folders at the top level, shared by everyone on the Mac. Most of what's here belongs to macOS. A few parts are safe to clear, with an administrator's password.
/Library: caches and logs for all users
/ and / hold caches and logs that apps, helper tools and macOS services keep for every user. Like your own, they can be recreated, but most items belong to the system, so moving them needs an administrator password, and a service may only rebuild its cache after a restart.
That makes them usually safe rather than simply safe. Remove folders you recognize, such as those of an app you've removed, and restart afterwards.
/ holds data apps share between users, and / holds files Software Update needs. Leave Updates to Software Update; installing pending updates lets it remove what it no longer needs.
/System: never
/ holds macOS itself. It's on a read-only volume that System Integrity Protection guards, so there's nothing in it you could or should delete. Apple Intelligence's models and other parts of macOS downloaded later live under it too, and macOS manages them.
The hidden private folders
The / folder is hidden in Finder, and it's where macOS keeps working files. Everything in it is managed by macOS:
/holds private temporary folders and caches for each user. macOS removes old temporary items on its own, and apps manage the caches.private/ var/ folders /is a shared temporary folder. Each day, macOS removes items that haven't been opened or changed for three days.private/ tmp /holds swap files and the sleep image. Restarting clears the swap files.private/ var/ vm /holds the unified log, Rosetta's translations of Intel apps and other system databases.private/ var/ db
Deleting files here while apps are using them can make apps lose work or quit, and can make your Mac stop responding. Leave all of it to macOS.
Hidden folders at the top of the disk
A few hidden folders at the top of each disk belong to macOS services. The Spotlight index, in .Spotlight-V100, can be rebuilt in System Settings › Spotlight: click Search Privacy, add the disk, wait a few seconds, then remove it again. Earlier versions call these Siri & Spotlight and Spotlight Privacy.
Earlier versions of documents, in .DocumentRevisions-V100, are removed one at a time in the app: open the document, choose File › Revert To › Browse All Versions, select a version, then choose File › Revert To › Delete This Version. The .fseventsd folder belongs to macOS too; leave it alone.
Users, Shared and Deleted Users
/ holds every account's home folder, plus a Shared folder for files everyone on the Mac can use. Check Shared for files nobody needs to share any more.
When an account is deleted with Save the home folder in a disk image, the image goes to /, and it keeps its space until someone removes it. Open it, check whether anyone still needs what's inside, and remove it if not.
| Folder | What it holds | Safe to delete? |
|---|---|---|
/Applications | Apps for all users | Apps you installed; not macOS's apps |
/Library/Caches, /Library/Logs | Shared caches and logs | Usually safe, with an admin password |
/Library/Updates | Software Update's files | No: install pending updates instead |
/System | macOS itself | Never |
/private/var/folders, /private/tmp | Temporary files and caches | No: macOS clears them |
/private/var/vm | Swap files and the sleep image | No: restart instead |
/Users/Deleted Users | Archived home folders of deleted accounts | Yes, once nobody needs them |
Developer tools and their folders
On a developer's Mac, the largest folders usually belong to tools: Xcode, package managers, containers and local AI models. Much of it is safe to delete, but each tool has its own rules, and some of it can't be made again.
Xcode
Xcode's DerivedData, in ~/, holds build products and indexes for every project you've built. It's safe to delete with Xcode closed; the cost is a slower next build. Device support files are safe too, though files for versions you no longer have a device for can't be copied again.
Archives are different. Each holds a build you shipped and the files needed to read its crash reports, so review them in Xcode's Organizer. Simulators and simulator runtimes are removed in Xcode, not Finder. The post on why Xcode takes so much space covers every part.
Package caches and project folders
Homebrew keeps the packages it downloads in ~/, a plain folder that's safe to move to the Trash. Other package managers, such as npm, pnpm, pip and uv, keep caches they're meant to clear with their own cleanup command, and most have no button in an app.
A JavaScript project's node_modules folder is usually safe to delete from a project you've finished: it can be installed again from the project's own files. It's not simply safe, because the project won't run until its dependencies are installed again, and any changes made inside the folder are lost.
Docker and local AI models
Docker Desktop keeps every image, container and volume in one disk image file. Never delete that file in Finder: it takes your volumes' data with it. Remove what you don't need in Docker Desktop's Dashboard instead.
Local AI models are among the largest files most people keep. Remove them in the tool that downloaded them, such as Ollama or LM Studio. Ollama stores models as layers that models share, so deleting its files in Finder can break the models you keep.
- App caches2–30 GB · Safe
- Logs and crash reports0.1–5 GB · Safe
- Xcode DerivedData5–100 GB · Safe
- iPhone software files, each5–15 GB · Safe
- Shared caches in /Library1–10 GB · Usually safe
- An old macOS installer13–20 GB · Usually safe
- Leftovers of one removed app0.1–15 GB · Review first
Typical ranges on Macs that have these items, from the research behind the app's catalog. Many Macs have far less, and sizes change as you use your apps.
How to delete anything on a Mac safely
Knowing what's safe is half of it. The other half is how you delete it, so that a mistake costs a click to undo rather than a file you can't get back.
Quit the app first
An app that's open may be writing to the files you're removing. Quit it, including any icon it keeps in the menu bar, before you move its caches, data or the app itself. Open it again afterwards to check it still works.
Move it to the Trash, then wait
Move items to the Trash rather than deleting them outright. In the Trash, select an item and choose File › Put Back to return it to where it was. Give it a day or two of normal use before you empty the Trash, especially after a large cleanup.
Emptying the Trash is the step that frees the space, and it's permanent. Finder can't bring an item back afterwards.
Keep a backup
A recent Time Machine backup turns most mistakes into a restore. If you don't back up, copy anything you're unsure about to an external drive before you delete it, and open the copy to check it works.
What a careful pass looks like
Say Storage settings shows a large Documents category and System Data has grown. Start in Downloads: trash the installers of apps you've installed and archives you've already opened. Then sort Documents by Last Accessed and copy old videos you want to keep to an external drive before removing them.
Next, open the Library folder's Caches and remove the folders of apps you no longer have, with everything else closed. Leave Application Support for last, and open each leftover folder before you move it.
Use your Mac normally for a day. If nothing is missing, empty the Trash. If something is, select it in the Trash and choose File › Put Back.
Check the space came back
After you empty the Trash, look at the available space in System Settings › General › Storage. If a large deletion didn't show up, a Time Machine local snapshot may still hold the files for a while; Time Machine removes snapshots as they age or when space is needed.
| Step | Why | What it protects |
|---|---|---|
| Quit the app | It may be writing to those files | The app's data |
| Move to the Trash | Put Back works until it's emptied | Against mistakes |
| Use the app normally for a day | Problems show up quickly | Against surprises |
| Empty the Trash | Frees the space | Nothing: it's permanent |
What never to delete on a Mac
Some folders look like easy wins and aren't. Removing them loses data, breaks apps or leaves macOS repairing itself.
The list
| Never delete | Why | Instead |
|---|---|---|
/System and other macOS folders | macOS protects and manages them | Nothing |
| The Library, Caches or Application Support folders themselves | Every app keeps its files there | Single items inside, after checking |
| Files inside the Photos or Music library | They're databases | Manage them in the app |
| iCloud Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive files you only want off this Mac | Deleting removes them everywhere | Remove Download, or online-only |
Keychains | Your saved passwords and certificates | Nothing |
| Swap files and the sleep image | macOS is using them | Restart |
| Docker's disk image | It holds every image, container and volume | Clean up in Docker Desktop |
| Anything you can't identify | It may be something you'd miss | Find out what it is first |
Why is the Developer folder on that list?
Advice to move all of ~/ to the Trash is common, and it's the version to avoid. Most of it can be made again, but archives of builds you shipped and device support files for devices you no longer have can't.
Don't trust a list that calls whole folders junk
A guide or a tool that marks a whole folder as junk, such as Application Support or Containers, is skipping the question that matters: what's inside. The same folder holds a removed app's leftover cache and another app's only copy of your notes.
Don't paste Terminal commands from a web page
A guide that asks you to paste a command into Terminal to delete files is one to close. Commands that delete files skip the Trash, so there's no Put Back, and fake cleanup guides are a known way to install malware. Everything in this post works in Finder, System Settings and the apps themselves.
How the app does it
Wombit is a native Mac app that shows what is using your Mac's storage, explains every item in plain language, and clears it safely: Trash first, undoable and logged. File names and paths never leave your Mac.
The map is the home screen. Select any folder to see what it is, which level it's at and what removing it costs, with a Move to Trash or Clean Up button.
Explanations come from a catalog written and checked by hand, with sources. Items no rule explains get a Best guess, written on your Mac by Apple Intelligence and labelled as a guess.
The levels are the four in this post:
- Safe items, such as app caches, logs and crash reports, start checked, and only they count in the headline number.
- Usually safe items, such as shared caches and old macOS installers, wait for you.
- Review first items, such as Application Support folders, backups and large old files, wait for your choice, and nothing inside Documents or Desktop is ever checked for you.
- Managed by macOS items, such as snapshots, swap and the Photos library, are explained and handled through macOS's own mechanism, never moved.
~/
Library/ Caches/ * Data that apps and macOS services keep so they can load things faster. Apps create it again when they need it.
Safe · Moves it to the Trash
~/
Library/ Logs/ DiagnosticReports/ * Reports macOS saves when an app crashes, stops responding or uses a lot of resources. You can view them in the Console app.
Safe · Moves it to the Trash
~/
Library/ Application Support/ * Data that apps create and manage for you, such as libraries, databases, downloads and settings, in a folder for each app.
Review first · Explained only: the app shows you how
/
private/ var/ folders Per-user temporary files and caches
Private temporary folders and caches that macOS creates for each user account, in hidden folders with random names.
Managed by macOS · Explained only: never removed
Items no catalog entry explains are never offered for removal. Tools with their own cleanup command run that command instead of having their files deleted, after the review sheet, which says that what a command removes can't be put back.
The analyzer, the map, the explanations, Undo, Put Back and Empty Trash are free. Cleanup and the uninstaller, which shows what each app left behind and why each file belongs to it, 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.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to delete the Library folder on a Mac?
No. The Library folder holds every app's caches, settings and data, and apps expect it to exist. Some items inside it are safe to remove, such as the folders in Caches and old logs, but never the Library folder itself or whole folders such as Application Support.
Can I delete Application Support files on a Mac?
Only for apps you've removed, and only after a look inside. Apps keep the data they manage for you there, which can include libraries, chat histories and projects. For an app you still use, manage its data in the app itself.
Is it safe to delete cache files on a Mac?
Yes, for the folders inside your Library's Caches folder, with the app they belong to closed. Apps rebuild their caches, so they may be slower at first and download some data again. Clearing caches frees space but doesn't make a Mac faster.
What happens if I delete system files on a Mac?
Usually nothing, because macOS won't let you: its own files are on a read-only volume protected by System Integrity Protection. Files macOS manages elsewhere, such as swap and temporary files, can make apps lose work or your Mac stop responding if they're removed while in use. Leave them to macOS.
Is it safe to delete log files on a Mac?
Yes. Logs and crash reports in your Library's Logs folder aren't needed for anything to work, and apps write new ones as they run. Remove the files, not the folders, or use the Console app's File menu to move reports to the Trash.
Is it safe to delete .dmg files after installing an app?
Usually. Once an app is installed, it runs from Applications and doesn't need its disk image or installer package. Keep any you couldn't download again, such as a paid app's installer from a developer that has gone.
Can I delete old iPhone backups from my Mac?
Yes, once you're sure you don't need them. A backup may be the only copy of what's on a device, so check the device backs up to iCloud first. Delete backups in System Settings, General, Storage, with the Info button next to iOS Files.
What should I never delete on a Mac?
The System folder, the Library, Caches and Application Support folders themselves, files inside the Photos and Music libraries, your Keychains folder, swap files, and iCloud Drive files you only want off this Mac. Leave anything you can't identify until you know what it is.
Sources
- Free up storage space on Mac · Apple
- Install and uninstall apps from the internet or a disc on Mac · Apple
- Go directly to a specific folder on Mac · Apple
- View reports in Console on Mac · Apple
- macOS Library Directory Details (File System Programming Guide) · Apple
- Gatekeeper and runtime protection in macOS · Apple