CleanLoupeYou can safely delete app caches, logs, old installers (.dmg and .pkg files) once the app is installed, zip files you have already extracted, iOS update files, backups of devices you no longer own, and rebuildable developer folders such as Xcode DerivedData. Be careful with iPhone backups you still rely on, ~/Library/Application Support, Mail and Messages attachments, and Xcode Archives. Never delete anything in /System, /private/var or the hidden system folders, and don't delete System Data as a whole.
The tables below give a one-line answer for each item and link to the guide that covers it in depth. If you want the step-by-step process instead, start with how to free up space on Mac.
How to read the tables
- Yes: removing it doesn't lose your data. Something rebuilds or redownloads it, or it was a leftover copy.
- Careful: often fine, but it can hold something you'd miss. Look before you delete.
- No: leave it. Either macOS manages it, or deleting it breaks things.
"How it comes back" tells you what happens if you change your mind. Wherever you can, move things to the Trash instead of deleting them in Terminal. Until you empty the Trash, Finder's Put Back undoes the move.
System and Library files
| Item | Safe to delete? | How it comes back | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
App caches in ~/Library/Caches | Yes, mostly. Skip folders that hold sign-in or sync state. | Apps rebuild them, so first launches are slower | Clear cache on Mac |
App logs in ~/Library/Logs | Yes | Apps write new ones | Clear cache on Mac |
| System Data (the Storage category) | No single delete. Clear its parts instead. | Not applicable | Clear System Data |
| Purgeable space and local snapshots | Let macOS handle it, or thin snapshots with tmutil | Time Machine makes new ones | Purgeable space |
~/Library/Application Support | No, not the whole folder. Folders of deleted apps are usually fine. | Often it doesn't. It can hold your app data. | Application Support |
| Leftovers of apps you deleted | Yes, after matching them to the app | Reinstalling the app starts fresh | Remove app leftovers |
| Apps you no longer use | Yes | Reinstall from the App Store or the developer | Uninstall apps completely |
/System, /private/var, /usr | No | Not applicable | Clear System Data |
Library files
Your user Library (~/Library, hidden by default; Option-click the Go menu in Finder to see it) mixes three kinds of files. Caches and logs are disposable. Preferences and Application Support hold settings and data. Containers and Group Containers belong to sandboxed apps and are managed by macOS. Only the first kind is safe to clear by folder. The rest you remove app by app, when the app itself is gone.
Temporary files
macOS keeps temporary files in per-user folders under /private/var/folders and clears them itself, mostly at restart. Don't delete them by hand: running apps may be using them, and the folder is protected for a reason. If you want temporary files gone, restart the Mac.
System files
The macOS system lives on a sealed, read-only volume. You can't shrink it, and no cleaner should try. Anything you can actually reduce shows up under System Data or another Storage category.
Downloads, attachments and personal files
| Item | Safe to delete? | How it comes back | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
.dmg and .pkg installers after installing | Yes. Eject a mounted disk image first. | Download again from the developer | Clean up Downloads |
.zip files you already extracted | Yes, once you've checked the extracted copy | Download again | Clean up Downloads |
Mail attachment copies (Mail Downloads) | Yes | Mail saves a new copy when you open the attachment | Mail taking up space |
| Email attachments inside messages | Careful. On IMAP accounts, removing them also deletes them from the server. | They don't come back | Mail taking up space |
| Messages attachments | Careful. Delete them in Messages or Storage settings, never in Finder. | Recently Deleted in Messages, for a limited time | Messages taking up space |
| iCloud Drive files downloaded to the Mac | Use Remove Download instead of deleting | Downloads again when you open the file | iCloud Drive taking up space |
| Old iPhone and iPad backups | Yes for devices you no longer own. Keep the newest of each device you use. | They don't. Only a new backup replaces one. | Delete iPhone backups |
| iOS and iPadOS update files | Yes | Finder downloads them again when needed | Delete iPhone backups |
| Large, forgotten files | Careful. Check each one. | They don't, unless backed up | Find large files |
| Byte-identical duplicate files | Yes, keep one copy | The kept copy is identical | Find duplicate files |
| Duplicate photos | Yes, merge them in Photos | Recently Deleted for 30 days | Find duplicate photos |
| Old screenshots | Usually yes | Not once deleted | Delete screenshots |
| The Trash | Yes, but it's permanent | It doesn't | Free up space on Mac |
Developer files
| Item | Safe to delete? | How it comes back | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xcode DerivedData | Yes, with Xcode closed | The next build recreates it | Xcode DerivedData |
| Xcode Archives | No, unless you no longer need crash reports for that version | They don't. They hold the dSYMs. | Xcode DerivedData |
| iOS DeviceSupport folders | Yes for iOS versions you no longer debug | Xcode copies them again from the device | iOS DeviceSupport |
| Unavailable simulators and old runtimes | Yes | Download a runtime again in Xcode | Delete Xcode simulators |
node_modules in old projects | Yes | npm install | Delete node_modules |
| npm, Yarn and pnpm caches | Yes | Packages download again on install | Clear npm caches |
| Gradle caches | Yes, with the daemons stopped | The next build downloads them | Clear the Gradle cache |
| pub, CocoaPods, Cargo and Go caches | Yes | Each tool downloads them again | Flutter, CocoaPods, Cargo, Go |
| Unused Docker images and build cache | Yes, through Docker's own prune | docker pull or a rebuild | Docker taking up space |
| Docker volumes | Careful. They hold databases and other data. | They don't | Docker taking up space |
| Homebrew downloads and old versions | Yes, with brew cleanup | brew install downloads again | Homebrew cleanup |
| pip cache, old virtual environments | Yes for the cache. Careful with environments. | pip install | Python cleanup |
Three checks before you delete anything
- Know what it is. If you can't name the app or tool that made a folder, look it up before deleting it. Folder names in
~/Libraryusually follow the app's bundle ID, such ascom.company.app. - Know how big it is. A 200 MB cache isn't worth the risk if a 30 GB video sits next to it. What is taking up space on your Mac shows four ways to measure.
- Know how to get it back. Prefer the Trash over
rm -rf, and make sure Time Machine or another backup has run recently.
How CleanLoupe answers "can I delete it?"
CleanLoupe's Cleanup module is built around this question. It checks a fixed list of locations, explains each item in one line and labels it Safe, Review or Careful. Locations outside that list are never proposed, and protected system paths are refused. Its Clean button removes only items marked Safe. Review and Careful items wait for you to tick them.
Most rows above map onto that list:
- Safe: app caches (skipping the iCloud, Find My and Wallet caches), app logs, iOS update files, Mail attachment copies, Xcode DerivedData and device support files, Gradle caches, npm, pnpm and Yarn caches, Docker Desktop logs, and installers in Downloads older than 14 days.
- Review: iPhone backups, archives in Downloads older than 14 days, the pub, Cargo and Go caches, dependencies of old projects, Docker's prune of unused images and build cache, and the Trash.
- Careful: Xcode Archives. They are never preselected.
Removed files go to the Trash and appear in History, where Put Back restores them until you empty the Trash. Three actions can't be put back: emptying the Trash, removing simulators with xcrun simctl, and Docker's prune.
It doesn't handle everything in the tables. Its cleanup lists never include Messages attachments, emails, Docker volumes, old Homebrew versions in the Cellar, Python virtual environments, conda environments or Android emulators. For those, follow the linked guides. For a broader view of what to look for in any cleaner, see are Mac cleaners safe.
CleanLoupe is free, with no subscription, trial, ads or account, and runs on macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Scans run on your Mac, and no file, file name or photo leaves it. The app sends anonymous usage and crash reports, which you can turn off in Settings › General.
FAQ
What files can I delete on my Mac to free up space?
Start with old iPhone backups, installers and archives in Downloads, large videos you no longer need, and duplicates. Those free the most space with the least risk. Caches and logs are safe too, but they're usually smaller and grow back.
Is it safe to delete everything in ~/Library?
No. ~/Library holds your app settings, mail, messages and app data as well as caches. Clear ~/Library/Caches and ~/Library/Logs if you want, and remove other folders only for apps you have deleted.
Can I delete System Data on a Mac?
Not as one block. System Data is a mix of caches, logs, snapshots, backups and app data. You shrink it by clearing those parts one at a time, as the System Data guide explains.
Can I delete temporary files on a Mac?
macOS removes its own temporary files, mostly at restart. Restarting is the safe way to clear them. Don't delete folders under /private/var by hand.
Is it safe to delete the Downloads folder?
Don't delete the folder itself, because browsers and Mail save to it. Emptying its contents is fine once you've kept what you need.
To see the safe-to-delete items on your own Mac, each one labelled and undoable, download CleanLoupe.