Is it safe to delete Tart image cache?
Virtual machine images Tart has pulled from registries, and macOS restore images it has downloaded.
Review first
It's your own data, or hard to recreate. Decide item by item.
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What it is
When you pull or clone an image from a registry, Tart keeps a copy here so it can clone it again without downloading it, along with the macOS restore images (IPSW files) it uses to create new machines. Tart removes the least recently used entries by itself when it needs room for a new pull or clone. If you run an image directly by its registry name instead of cloning it, the changes you make are kept here too.
If it's removed
Images download again the next time you pull or clone them. Changes made while running an image directly by its registry name are removed with it, until you restore it from the Trash.
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's never checked for you: it waits for your choice.
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.