Is it safe to delete OrbStack data?
The disk image that holds OrbStack's containers, images, volumes and Linux machines.
Review first
It's your own data, or hard to recreate. Decide item by item.
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What it is
OrbStack keeps all its Docker data and Linux machines in one virtual disk image, data.img, in this folder. The image is a sparse file: Finder can show a size of several terabytes, but it only takes the space your data uses and shrinks by itself when you delete data in OrbStack. Volumes and Linux machines can hold files you made, so check what's inside before removing anything.
If it's removed
Whatever you delete in OrbStack is gone. Images download again when you next need them, but files in volumes and Linux machines can't be recovered.
What to do instead
In OrbStack, delete the containers, images, volumes and Linux machines you no longer need. The disk image shrinks on its own as data is removed.
The free analyzer finds it and explains it, with these steps. The app doesn't remove it for you.
Sources
Last checked on 26 Sep 2026. Every entry is written and checked by hand; the app and the command-line tool use the same words.