Why is Xcode taking up so much space on my Mac?
Quick answer
Xcode itself is only about 4 GB in recent versions (platforms download separately), but the data it creates is usually far bigger: simulator runtimes (about 8 GB each), simulator data, DerivedData, Device Support (about 6 GB per iOS version) and package caches. Most of it lives in ~/Library/Developer and is safe to clear, except Archives, which you should keep for builds you still support.
A real example
On the Mac Derived was built on, Xcode's data added up to 59.6 GB:
| Category | Size | Where | Safe to remove? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simulator runtimes (3) | 24.6 GB | System disk images (use simctl) | Yes, re-downloadable |
| Simulator devices (24) | 24.3 GB | ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices | Yes, their apps and data go too |
| Device Support | 6.0 GB | ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport | Yes, copied again on connect |
| DerivedData | 3.1 GB | ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData | Yes, rebuilt on the next build |
| Package caches | 1.5 GB | ~/Library/Caches/CocoaPods, org.swift.swiftpm | Yes, re-downloaded |
| Archives | 0.2 GB | ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/Archives | Keep the ones you still support |
Why it keeps growing
- Nothing expires. Xcode doesn't remove DerivedData for projects you stopped opening, or symbols for iOS versions you no longer have.
- Every Xcode update adds runtimes. New iOS versions arrive as new runtimes, and the old ones stay.
- Simulators accumulate data. Each app you install and run in a simulator keeps its files there.
- Each device you plug in adds a Device Support folder for its iOS version.
See it yourself in Terminal
du -sh ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/* ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices ~/Library/Caches/{CocoaPods,org.swift.swiftpm} 2>/dev/null
xcrun simctl runtime listWhat to clear first
- Simulator runtimes you no longer test on. The biggest single wins. See how to delete simulator runtimes.
- Unavailable and unused simulators.
xcrun simctl delete unavailable. - Device Support for old iOS versions. See deleting iOS DeviceSupport.
- DerivedData for old projects. See how to delete DerivedData.
- Package caches. See clearing SwiftPM and CocoaPods caches.
Leave Archives for last, and only remove ones for builds no one runs any more. See can I delete Xcode archives.
Questions
How big is Xcode itself?
Recent versions are small because platforms download separately: Xcode 27 is 3.7 GB on our test Mac. The simulators, caches and build data it creates are many times bigger.
Why does macOS show this as System Data?
Storage settings group many caches together. Xcode's data in your Library folder often ends up counted under Developer or System Data rather than under Xcode.
Will reinstalling Xcode remove this data?
No. Deleting or reinstalling Xcode leaves ~/Library/Developer, simulator runtimes and caches in place.
What should I never delete?
Your project folders, and Archives for builds you still support, because they hold the dSYMs that turn crash reports into readable stack traces.