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

By EgeTech LTD · October 6, 2026 · 2 min read

If you plug an iPhone or iPad into your Mac to run an app, Xcode copies a large set of system files from the device. They let the debugger show readable crash logs and stack traces for Apple’s own code. Xcode keeps those copies in one folder, and that folder only ever grows.

Where it is

~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport

The folder contains one subfolder per device model and OS version. The names look like this:

iPhone17,1 26.5.2 (23F84)
iPad15,7 26.6 (23G71)

That is the model identifier, the iOS version and the build number. Similar folders exist for other devices: watchOS DeviceSupport, tvOS DeviceSupport and visionOS DeviceSupport.

How big it gets

Each folder is several gigabytes. Three of them, one iPhone and two iPad versions, took roughly 17 GB on one developer Mac. See your own:

du -sh ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS\ DeviceSupport/*

Note the backslash before the space in iOS DeviceSupport. Without it, the shell reads two separate words.

Is it safe to delete?

Yes. It is a copy of files that still exist on your device, so nothing is lost. Xcode builds the folder again the next time you connect that device. The only price is time: Xcode shows a message that it is preparing the device for development, and copying the symbols can take a few minutes.

What to delete

• Old OS versions. After you update your iPhone to a new iOS, the folder for the previous version is dead weight. Delete it.
• Versions of devices you no longer own.
• Everything, if you are short on space. Xcode will recreate the folder for the device you connect next.

Delete one version from Terminal, quoting the whole path because of the spaces and brackets:

rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS\ DeviceSupport/"iPhone17,1 26.5.2 (23F84)"

Or open the folder in Finder with Go → Go to Folder…, paste ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport, and drag the old ones to the Trash.

What you lose

Nothing permanent. Until Xcode copies the symbols again you cannot debug on that device, and you may see crash logs without readable system frames. After the next connection everything is back.

Tip: Quit Xcode before deleting, and keep the folder for the OS version that is currently on your device, so your next connection is instant.

Related folders

DeviceSupport is one of four big Xcode folders. DerivedData regrows with every build. Simulator runtimes are separate downloads. Archives are the one you should be careful with. The whole list is in how to free up disk space on a Mac as a developer.