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GarageBand and Logic sound content paths

Updated 2026-10-28 · 7 min read

GarageBand's loops and instruments live in top-level Library folders shared by every account, while Logic Pro 12 packs its whole sound library into one file in your Music folder. Here is where each one is and how to reclaim the space.

The folders

GarageBand and older Logic Pro versions keep their sound content outside your home folder, in the top-level Library shared by every account on the Mac:

/Library/Application Support/GarageBand/
/Library/Application Support/Logic/
/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/

Logic Pro 12 (and MainStage 4) changed this. Apple's Logic Pro guide says it keeps all its sound files, including Apple Loops, patches, channel strip and plug-in settings and samples, in a single file in your Music folder:

~/Music/Logic Pro Library.bundle

Note the leading slash on the first three. That is /Library at the top of the startup disk, not ~/Library in your home folder. If GarageBand was installed but its extra sounds never downloaded, these folders can be nearly empty: on the Mac checked for this article, the GarageBand folder held only lesson content (ChordTrainer and Learn to Play, 17 MB in total) and the other two were empty.

Your own files sit elsewhere:

~/Music/GarageBand/
~/Music/Audio Music Apps/

~/Music/GarageBand is the default folder for GarageBand projects. ~/Music/Audio Music Apps holds your own patches and settings, in subfolders such as Patches, Plug-In Settings, Sampler Instruments and Databases.

Open them

In Finder choose Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G) and paste a path. In Terminal:

open "/Library/Application Support/GarageBand"
open "/Library/Audio/Apple Loops"

Finder shows Logic Pro Library.bundle as a single file. Logic's own Settings > General > Sound Library has a Show in Finder button for it. To see how much space everything takes, read only:

du -sh "/Library/Application Support/GarageBand" "/Library/Application Support/Logic" "/Library/Audio/Apple Loops" ~/Music/"Logic Pro Library.bundle"

du prints a "No such file" line for any folder you do not have, which is harmless.

What is in each

Location	Holds
/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/	Apple Loops for the Loop Browser (GarageBand, and Logic before version 12)
/Library/Application Support/GarageBand/	GarageBand content such as instruments and Learn to Play lessons
/Library/Application Support/Logic/	Logic Pro's instrument and sampler content before version 12; GarageBand uses some of the same content
~/Music/Logic Pro Library.bundle	Logic Pro 12 and later: the whole sound library in one bundle
~/Music/Audio Music Apps/	Your saved patches, plug-in and channel strip settings, sampler instruments

If you have both apps, they share content, so deleting a folder because "GarageBand is not installed any more" can break Logic, and the reverse.

Downloading and reinstalling content

Apple's GarageBand guide lists two commands, both in the GarageBand menu:

• GarageBand > Sound Library > Download All Available Sounds fetches the full library.
• GarageBand > Sound Library > Reinstall Sound Library puts the content back in its correct location if it is damaged.

In Logic Pro 12, choose Logic Pro > Sound Library to open the Sound Library window, where each pack has a Get button. When a project opens with a message about missing sounds, it is asking you to download a pack, not telling you the project is damaged.

Deleting loops and sounds to free space

The full library runs to many gigabytes. Use the supported route first:

1. In Logic Pro 12, choose Logic Pro > Sound Library, click Manage Packs, and use Delete next to each pack you do not use. The list shows each pack's size and the total installed.
2. GarageBand's guide describes no per-pack remover. If you delete GarageBand content by hand, quit GarageBand and Logic first.

Deleting from Finder:

• Measure first with the du command above.
• Only remove content you can download again. Apple's loops and instruments come back through the Sound Library menu; your own projects in ~/Music/GarageBand and presets in ~/Music/Audio Music Apps do not.
• Move folders to the Trash in Finder rather than using rm. Finder may ask for an administrator password for the top-level /Library.
• Expect GarageBand to offer to download required sounds again the next time a project needs them.

Moving the sound library to an external drive

This depends on the app:

• Logic Pro 12 and later: quit Logic, drag Logic Pro Library.bundle from your Music folder to the new drive, then point Logic at it with Locate in Logic Pro > Settings > General > Sound Library. Apple says that once the copy is on the external drive you can delete the original to save space.
• Logic Pro 11.2.2 and earlier, or MainStage 3.7.1 and earlier: Apple's support article uses Logic Pro > Sound Library > Relocate Sound Library. The drive must be formatted APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and cannot be a Time Machine backup volume.
• GarageBand: Apple documents no relocation option. Keep its library on the startup drive and put your projects on the external drive instead.

Moving to a new Mac

You do not need to copy Apple's content. On the new Mac, download it again from the Sound Library menu, or carry Logic Pro Library.bundle across if that is quicker than downloading. Copy what is yours:

• ~/Music/GarageBand (projects)
• ~/Music/Audio Music Apps (patches and presets)
• Third-party instruments, which have their own installers and folders.

Finding a loop by name

Spotlight treats Logic Pro Library.bundle as one file rather than looking inside, so a loop in it never turns up by name. Typing a loop's name, or part of one, into Everywhere lists the matching files in the top-level /Library folders, and, once Everywhere has Full Disk Access (macOS protects the Music folder), inside the bundle and your own ~/Music folders too. ⌘↵ reveals one in Finder so you can see which pack it came from. It matches file names only, not what the audio sounds like.

Common questions

Where is the GarageBand sound library on a Mac?

In /Library/Application Support/GarageBand, with Apple Loops in /Library/Audio/Apple Loops and shared content in /Library/Application Support/Logic. These are in the top-level Library, not the Library in your home folder.

Where does Logic Pro 12 store its sound library?

Apple's Logic Pro guide says Logic Pro 12 keeps all its sound content in one file, ~/Music/Logic Pro Library.bundle. You can move it and point Logic at the new location in Settings > General > Sound Library.

Can I delete GarageBand loops and sounds to free space?

Yes, if you can download them again: GarageBand > Sound Library > Download All Available Sounds or Reinstall Sound Library brings them back. Quit GarageBand and Logic first and move folders to the Trash rather than deleting permanently.

Can I move the GarageBand sound library to an external drive?

Apple documents no option for GarageBand. Logic Pro can: version 12 lets you move its library bundle, and earlier versions have Relocate Sound Library in the Sound Library menu.