Developer storage guide

Xcode is taking up all my space

Q: Is it safe to delete DerivedData?

Yes. It is entirely derived from your source. The only cost is that the next build of each affected project is a full one.

Q: Can I delete Xcode Archives?

You can, but archives hold the dSYM files for builds you shipped, and without them crash reports from those versions cannot be symbolicated. Keep anything still in users' hands.

Q: Why is Xcode.app itself so large?

Around 15 GB, because it ships toolchains, SDKs and simulator runtimes for every platform Apple supports. Unused simulator runtimes can be removed in Xcode Settings under Components.

Twenty to sixty gigabytes on a working Mac, spread across six folders, none of which Xcode ever cleans up on its own. Here is each one, what it is for, and whether you can delete it.

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Bytesweep listing Xcode's DerivedData and device support folders by size

Measure it first

One command tells you how the total splits across Xcode's folders, so you know which one to go after:

du -sh ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/* ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator 2>/dev/null | sort -h

The six folders

DerivedData — usually the biggest · safe to delete

Build intermediates, indexes and module caches, one folder per project, kept forever including for projects you deleted long ago.

~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData

Deleting it costs one slow rebuild and nothing else. It is also the standard fix for Xcode behaving strangely, which is why every iOS developer knows the path by heart.

iOS DeviceSupport — large · safe to delete

Symbol caches copied from every physical device you have ever connected, one folder per iOS build. Several gigabytes each, and they accumulate for phones you no longer own.

~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport

Xcode re-copies these the next time you plug in a device running that iOS version — a slow first connection, no other cost.

CoreSimulator devices — large · mostly safe

Each simulated device has its own filesystem, and they are never reclaimed. Use Xcode's own command rather than deleting folders, so its database stays consistent:

xcrun simctl delete unavailable

To go further, xcrun simctl delete all removes every simulator device. Simulator runtimes themselves are managed in Xcode → Settings → Components.

Archives — small but irreplaceable · keep

Every build you have ever shipped, with its dSYM debug symbols.

~/Library/Developer/Xcode/Archives

This is the one to leave alone. Without the dSYM for a released build you cannot symbolicate crash reports from users running it — the stack traces stay as hex addresses forever. If you must reclaim here, keep the archives for every version still in the wild.

And again after the next iOS release

DerivedData is back the day you build, DeviceSupport grows with every device you plug in, and this is a chore rather than a fix. Bytesweep finds all six folders in one pass, keeps Archives marked for review rather than sweeping, and undoes any clean-up for seven days — which matters on the day you clear the wrong project.

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Swift Package Manager cache — safe to delete

Cloned dependency repositories, re-fetched on demand.

~/Library/Caches/org.swift.swiftpm

Old simulator runtimes and old Xcode versions — safe with care

A previous Xcode.app is 15 GB on its own, and its runtimes another few. Keep the version you still need for an older project; delete the rest through the Finder, then remove its associated runtimes in Settings → Components.

Two habits that keep it down

Delete DerivedData per project, not wholesale

Each subfolder is named after a project. Clearing the whole folder forces a rebuild of everything you are currently working on; clearing the ones belonging to projects you finished last year costs nothing at all.

Check DeviceSupport after every iOS release

It grows by one folder per iOS build across every device you connect, so it climbs quietly all year. Two minutes each September keeps it from becoming 30 GB.

Find all six at once

Bytesweep detects each Xcode folder by name, shows its size, and marks Archives as worth reviewing rather than sweeping. Everything you clear goes to a restore point, so undo is one click for seven days.

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Questions

Is it safe to delete DerivedData?

Yes. It is entirely derived from your source, which is what the name means. The only cost is that the next build of each affected project is a full one.

Will deleting DeviceSupport break debugging on my phone?

No. Xcode re-copies the symbols the next time you connect a device running that iOS version. The first connection afterwards takes a few minutes longer.

Can I delete Xcode Archives?

You can, but think first. Archives hold the dSYM files for builds you shipped, and without them crash reports from those versions cannot be symbolicated. Keep anything still in users' hands; delete old betas freely.

Why is Xcode.app itself so large?

Around 15 GB, because it ships the toolchains, SDKs and simulator runtimes for every platform Apple supports. You can remove unused simulator runtimes in Xcode → Settings → Components, but the app bundle itself is what it is.

Does Xcode clean any of this up automatically?

No. None of these folders has a size limit or an expiry. That is the whole reason this page exists.