Command line and power tools

Cleaning up after Homebrew

Updated 2026-08-08 · 3 min read

Homebrew keeps every downloaded bottle and, by default, old versions of upgraded formulae. On a machine that has run brew upgrade for a couple of years, that is real space.

The three commands

brew cleanup -s
brew autoremove
du -sh ~/Library/Caches/Homebrew

cleanup -s removes old versions of installed formulae and scrubs the download cache, including bottles for things you still have. autoremove uninstalls dependencies nothing depends on any more — orphans left behind when you uninstalled the thing that needed them.

See what cleanup would do first

brew cleanup -s --dry-run

lists every file it would delete with sizes. It is worth one look the first time; after that, most people run it on trust.

The cache

~/Library/Caches/Homebrew holds downloaded bottles. cleanup -s empties most of it, but the folder is worth knowing because it is in ~/Library — outside Spotlight's index — so it never appears when you look for what is using the disk.

Make it automatic

brew autoupdate start --cleanup

or simply run brew cleanup after each brew upgrade. Homebrew also cleans individual formulae automatically 30 days after install, but the full sweep with -s is what actually returns the gigabytes.

Common questions

Is brew cleanup safe?

Yes. It removes only old versions and cached downloads. Anything deleted can be re-downloaded, and current versions are untouched.

Why is my Homebrew cache so large?

Every install and upgrade downloads a bottle, and the cache is only trimmed when cleanup runs. Years of upgrades accumulate quietly.