Free up your Mac, one folder at a time

What is safe to delete on a developer Mac, what grows back, and the exact commands. Commands are checked against the tools themselves wherever we can.

• Android Studio using too much space? Where it goes on a Mac

  Android Studio fills a Mac with the SDK, emulators, Gradle and IDE caches. See where the gigabytes are and which are safe to remove.

• Can I delete node_modules? What happens, and how to clean up

  Yes, you can delete node_modules and reinstall it. Here is what happens, the three cases where it bites, and how to clean old projects safely.

• How to clear the Cursor cache on a Mac, safely

  Cursor caches web data and extension downloads on disk. Find the folders, clear them with Cursor closed, and keep your settings and history.

• How to delete all node_modules folders at once, safely

  List every node_modules folder with its size, then delete them in one command. Plus how to spot old projects, so you do not break active ones.

• How to delete Xcode simulator runtimes and get gigabytes back

  Old iOS and watchOS simulator runtimes take several GB each. List them with simctl, delete the ones you no longer use, or remove them in Xcode.

• Docker Desktop using too much disk space on a Mac

  Docker Desktop keeps images, containers and volumes in one big disk file. See what takes the space and reclaim it with docker system prune.

• How to free up disk space on a Mac as a developer: 11 safe wins

  A checklist for developers with a full Mac: Xcode, simulators, node_modules, package caches and Docker. What is safe to delete and what grows back.

• Gradle cache too big? How to clear ~/.gradle safely

  The ~/.gradle folder grows with every project. See what is inside, stop the daemons and clear caches and old Gradle versions without losing config.

• brew cleanup: free the space Homebrew uses on your Mac

  Homebrew keeps old versions and downloads. Use brew cleanup, --dry-run, --prune=all and brew autoremove to reclaim space safely.

• Mac storage still full after deleting files? Here is why

  You deleted gigabytes and macOS still says the disk is full. Six real reasons, from the Trash to purgeable space and local snapshots, and what to do.

• npm cache clean --force: what it does and whether it is safe

  Why npm cache clean needs --force, what the npm cache holds, how big it gets, and when clearing it helps. npm cache verify is the better first step.

• pnpm store: how to prune or clear it and free up space

  Where the pnpm store lives, why deleting node_modules frees less than you expect, and how pnpm store prune reclaims the space safely.

• What is purgeable space on a Mac, and is it really free?

  Purgeable space is storage macOS can reclaim when it needs room. Why Finder and Terminal show different free space, and which number to trust.

• Reset or delete iOS simulators from Terminal with simctl

  Erase all simulator data, delete unavailable devices or remove one simulator with xcrun simctl. Commands that work, and what each one costs you.

• How to clear the Swift Package Manager and CocoaPods cache

  Clear SwiftPM, CocoaPods and Carthage caches on a Mac: the commands that work, where the folders are, and what gets downloaded again.

• Why is System Data so big on a developer Mac?

  System Data and the Developer category can swallow 100 GB on a Mac with Xcode. Find what fills them, and what is safe to delete.

• Xcode Archives: where they are and what is safe to delete

  Find your Xcode archives, see which are big, and learn which are safe to delete. The ones you shipped hold the dSYMs you may still need.

• Is Xcode DerivedData safe to delete? How to clear it

  Yes, DerivedData is safe to delete. See where it lives, how to clear it from Xcode or Terminal, and what your next build will do.

• iOS DeviceSupport in Xcode: what it is and can you delete it?

  The iOS DeviceSupport folder holds symbols Xcode copies from your iPhone or iPad. It is safe to delete and comes back when you reconnect.

• How to clear the Yarn and Bun cache on a Mac

  Find the Yarn and Bun caches, see how big they are, and clear them with yarn cache clean and bun pm cache rm. What it costs and when to skip it.