Is it safe to delete iOS DeviceSupport on a Mac?
Quick answer
Yes. ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport holds debug symbols Xcode copies from each iPhone or iPad you plug in, one folder per iOS version, often around 6 GB each. Delete the folders for iOS versions you no longer debug on. If you connect a device with that version again, Xcode copies the symbols again, which takes a few minutes.
What it is
When you connect a device for development, Xcode copies that iOS version's system symbols to your Mac so it can show readable stack traces while debugging. Each iOS version (and sometimes each device model) gets a folder named like iPhone14,5 26.6 (23G71). On our test Mac, one folder was 6 GB.
The same exists for other platforms: watchOS DeviceSupport, tvOS DeviceSupport and visionOS DeviceSupport, all in ~/Library/Developer/Xcode.
How to delete it
- Quit Xcode.
- In Finder, press ⇧⌘G and open
~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport. - Move the folders for old iOS versions to the Trash, then empty it. Keep the versions your current devices run.
Or in Terminal, see the sizes first:
du -sh ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/*DeviceSupport/*What happens afterwards
- Nothing changes until you connect a device running a version you removed.
- Then Xcode shows that it is preparing the device and copies the symbols again before you can debug.
- Your devices, apps and projects aren't affected.
Questions
Will deleting DeviceSupport affect my iPhone?
No. It only removes the copy of the symbols on your Mac. Your device and its apps are untouched.
Why is there a folder for an iOS version I never installed?
It belongs to a device that was connected to this Mac at some point, perhaps a test device or a colleague's phone.
Can I delete all of it?
Yes. Xcode will copy symbols again for each device you connect afterwards.