Finding specific things
Xcode itself is 12 GB. The folder it quietly maintains in your Library is routinely five times that, and every part of it regenerates on demand.
Everything lives under ~/Library/Developer:
| Folder | What it is | Safe to delete? |
|---|---|---|
Xcode/DerivedData | Build products and indexes | Yes, always |
Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport | Debug symbols per iOS version | Yes, old versions |
CoreSimulator/Devices | Simulator disk images | Via simctl |
Xcode/Archives | Your shipped builds | Keep what you ship |
The classic. Every project you have ever opened leaves build products here:
du -sh ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData
rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedDataThe next build of each project recreates what it needs. Clearing it is also the standard fix for Xcode behaving strangely, so nothing is lost but build time.
Each iOS version you have ever plugged in left 2 to 5 GB of symbols:
ls ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS\ DeviceSupport/Delete folders for iOS versions you no longer debug against. They come back on the next connection if needed.
xcrun simctl delete unavailableremoves simulators for runtimes you no longer have installed. Whole runtimes are under Xcode → Settings → Platforms, several gigabytes each.
All of this sits inside ~/Library, which Spotlight does not index. The disk fills, the storage pane blames System Data, and nothing you can search for explains it. Any tool that indexes the full disk — du patiently, or an indexed search app instantly — makes the same folders obvious in seconds.
Yes. It contains only build products and indexes that Xcode regenerates. The first build afterwards is slower; nothing else changes.
Xcode's folders live in ~/Library, which the storage pane cannot attribute to an app, so simulators and DerivedData are counted as System Data.
Everywhere keeps track of every file on your Mac — including the folders Spotlight hides and drives you have unplugged. Free for a day, then $19 once.
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