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Application Support is too big on Mac: what you can delete

Updated 2026-10-21

Quick answer: Application Support mixes data you must keep with caches and downloads you can remove. Sort by size, identify the app, delete only cache-like folders (Cache, Code Cache, GPUCache) and re-downloadable assets, and leave databases, profiles and virtual machines alone.

What the folder is

~/Library/Application Support is where apps keep their own data: databases, settings, plug-ins, downloaded content and, often, their own cache folders. Unlike ~/Library/Caches, macOS does not treat it as disposable, so you have to decide what is safe.

Find the big ones

du -sh ~/Library/Application\ Support/* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -15

Four kinds of content

KindExamples from a real MacWhat to do
Re-downloadable assetsDownloaded wallpaper videos in com.apple.wallpaper/aerials/videos (1.0 GB), a browser updater's GoogleUpdater/crx_cache (748 MB)Safe to delete. They are fetched again if needed
Cache folders inside an app's folderCache, Code Cache, GPUCache, Service Worker/CacheStorage in Chromium and Electron appsSafe to delete after quitting the app
Your dataDatabases, Local Storage, IndexedDB, profiles, game saves, virtual machines, Wine bottles (2.3 GB for one CrossOver)Keep. Deleting signs you out or destroys data
Leftovers of removed appsFolders of apps you no longer haveSafe to remove once you are sure the app is gone

Step by step

  • Find the big folders with the command above.
  • Quit the app that owns the folder.
  • Look inside it and remove only the cache-like folders.
  • Relaunch the app. It rebuilds what it needs.
du -sh ~/Library/Application\ Support/SomeApp/* | sort -h | tail

Surprises to watch for

  • App-managed virtual machines. On one Mac a desktop AI app's folder grew from under 1 GB to 12.7 GB, almost all of it one virtual-machine bundle. The app creates and manages it, so check the app's own settings before deleting anything. Removing it by hand may reset the feature.
  • iPhone and iPad backups. They live in MobileSync/Backup and can be tens of gigabytes. Manage them through Finder as described in the questions below, never by deleting folders.

What not to do

  • Do not delete the whole Application Support folder.
  • Do not remove com.apple.* folders you do not recognise.
  • Do not delete a folder just because it is big. Big and useful is common here.

See Your Disk shows Application Support as its own block, so surprises like the ones above stand out. It marks updater downloads as Safe and the wallpaper videos as Review. Read how it decides. To measure the rest of System Data, use the Terminal audit.

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Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to delete the Application Support folder?

No, not the folder as a whole. It holds the data and settings of your apps, and removing it would reset or break many of them. Delete only cache-like folders and files you know you can regenerate.

Will deleting cache folders sign me out of apps?

Folders called Cache, Code Cache and GPUCache do not hold logins. Local Storage, IndexedDB and cookie files can, so leave those alone.

How do I know whether an app is still installed?

Look in /Applications and ~/Applications. If the app is gone and you will not reinstall it, its folder in Application Support is a leftover that you can remove.

Where are iPhone backups stored?

In ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup. Do not delete them there by hand. Connect the device, select it in Finder, open General and choose Manage Backups to delete the ones you no longer need. A deleted backup cannot be recovered.

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