Is it safe to delete Sparkle update downloads?
Updates that apps using the Sparkle framework downloaded and prepared for installation.
Safe
Its owner recreates it by itself when it needs it, and nothing you made is lost.
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What it is
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 this folder inside the app's cache folder. Sparkle removes items older than 10 days on its own, but a recent update can take up hundreds of megabytes.
If it's removed
If an update was waiting to be installed, the app downloads it again the next time it checks for updates.
How it's removed
Moved to the Trash, where you can restore it.
The free analyzer finds it and explains it. Removing it is Pro, after a review sheet that lists every move and command. It starts checked in the Cleanup checklist, except inside Documents or Desktop.
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.