Is it safe to delete Time Machine local snapshots?

Hourly snapshots of your startup disk that Time Machine keeps on the disk itself, so you can restore files even without your backup disk.

Managed by macOS

macOS manages it. It's never moved to the Trash.

It isn't in a folder: macOS reports its size.

What it is

When Back Up Automatically is on, Time Machine saves a snapshot of your startup disk about every hour and keeps each one for 24 hours. It also keeps a snapshot of your last successful backup, and macOS saves one before each update. A snapshot holds on to files you've changed or deleted since it was taken, so snapshots take more space when large files change. Your Mac counts this space as available, and Time Machine removes snapshots as they age or when the space is needed.

If it's removed

You can no longer restore files from the removed snapshots. Backups on your Time Machine disk aren't affected.

How it's removed

Time Machine removes local snapshots on its own. To remove them now, open System Settings > General > Time Machine, click Options, set Backup Frequency to Manually, wait a few minutes, then set it back. To remove one snapshot, open Disk Utility and choose View > Show APFS Snapshots.

PRO

The free analyzer finds it and explains it. From System Data › Local Snapshots, the app can remove it with its owner's own tool, after a review sheet that lists every step. Runs tmutil for Time Machine's own snapshots, through the helper. It's never checked 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.