Mac disk space guides

What fills a Mac's disk, what each thing is for, and whether it is safe to remove. The same explanations broza explain prints, one page per topic.

• Is it safe to delete Xcode DerivedData?

  Yes: DerivedData is build output Xcode regenerates on the next build. What it is, why it grows, and how to clear it with a dry run first and a 30-day undo.

• Find and remove orphan node_modules on a Mac

  How to find node_modules folders whose project is gone or untouched for a year, and reclaim the space safely with a dry run and a 30-day undo.

• Docker.raw taking up space on your Mac? What to do

  Docker Desktop keeps every image and volume in one virtual disk, Docker.raw. Why it grows, why you should not delete it by hand, and how to shrink it.

• Delete unused iOS simulators and runtimes on a Mac

  Each iOS simulator is a full copy of an iOS release plus app data. Which ones are safe to remove, and how to clear them with a dry run and a 30-day undo.

• What is "System Data" on a Mac, and how to shrink it

  System Data is mostly local snapshots, swap, caches and logs. What each part is, which parts are safe to remove, and which only macOS should manage.

• Purgeable space on Mac: why "available" is not free

  Finder counts purgeable space as available, but your apps cannot use it yet. What purgeable space is, where it comes from, and how to see the real free number.

• Time Machine local snapshots eating disk space

  Local snapshots are why a Mac shows gigabytes of purgeable space. What they are, why they must go through tmutil, and how to list and remove them safely.

• Old iPhone backups on your Mac: find and remove them

  Where Finder keeps iPhone and iPad backups on a Mac, how to tell which are old, and how to remove them with a dry run first and a 30-day undo.

• Free space on a Mac without deleting iCloud or Dropbox files

  Deleting a synced file deletes it from the cloud and every device. How to see how much iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive keeps locally, safely.

• Is it safe to delete ~/Library/Caches on a Mac?

  Yes, with one exception Broza handles for you. What lives in ~/Library/Caches, why it only grows, and how to clear it with a dry run first and a 30-day undo.