How to clear cache on a MacBook Pro, including pro app caches

The steps apply to every MacBook Pro, with Apple silicon or Intel, on macOS Ventura and later.

The short answer

1. Quit every open app.
2. In Finder, press Shift-Command-G, type ~/Library/Caches and press Return.
3. Move the contents of the largest folders to the Trash. Keep the folders.
4. Clear pro app caches from inside each app, such as Delete Generated Library Files in Final Cut Pro.
5. Empty the Trash and restart.

Where cache space goes on a MacBook Pro

Browsers and everyday apps keep caches of a few hundred megabytes each. Pro apps work differently. They create large files that speed up editing and building, and they keep them after you finish a project.

Measure before you clear

Open Terminal and run du -sh ~/Library/Caches ~/Library/Developer 2>/dev/null to see how big each folder is. The command only reads sizes and deletes nothing.

How to clear cache on a MacBook Pro step by step

1. Clear user caches in Finder

Open the Caches folder

Quit your apps. In Finder, choose Go, then Go to Folder, type ~/Library/Caches and press Return.

Find and clear the largest folders

In list view, choose View, then Show View Options, and tick Calculate all sizes. Sort by Size, open the biggest folder, select its contents and move them to the Trash. Keep the folder.

2. Clear video editing caches

Final Cut Pro

1. Select your library in the sidebar.
2. Choose File, then Delete Generated Library Files.
3. Tick Delete Render Files and choose All. Tick optimised or proxy media only if you can recreate them.
4. Click OK.

Check the library size

Select the library in Finder and press Command-I before and after, to see what you saved.

DaVinci Resolve

Open your project and choose Playback, then Delete Render Cache, then All. Resolve rebuilds what it needs the next time you play the timeline.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Choose Premiere Pro, then Settings, then Media Cache, and click Delete next to Remove Media Cache Files. Close every project first, so Premiere can remove all unused files.

3. Clear photo editing caches

Lightroom Classic

Choose Lightroom Classic, then Settings, then Performance. Under Camera Raw Cache, click Purge Cache. You can also set a maximum size, so the cache never grows past it.

Photoshop

Photoshop’s Edit, then Purge command frees memory, not disk space. To free disk space, quit Photoshop. It deletes its scratch files when it closes normally. After a crash, restart your Mac to clear the leftovers.

4. Clear developer caches

Xcode DerivedData

Quit Xcode, then open ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData with Go to Folder and move its contents to the Trash. Inside Xcode, Product, then Clean Build Folder clears a single project.

Old simulators and device support

Run xcrun simctl delete unavailable to remove simulators for iOS versions you no longer have. In ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport, delete folders for iOS versions your devices no longer run.

Package managers

These tools clear their own caches safely:

• Homebrew: brew cleanup removes old versions and downloads.
• npm: npm cache clean --force empties the package cache.
• pip: pip cache purge removes downloaded Python packages.

More package managers

Yarn uses yarn cache clean, and CocoaPods uses pod cache clean --all. Each one downloads packages again the next time a project needs them.

Docker

Run docker system prune to remove stopped containers, unused networks, dangling images and build cache. Read the list it shows before you type y, because removed containers don’t come back.

5. Clear browser caches

In Safari, press Option-Command-E once the Develop menu is on. In Chrome, Firefox and Edge, press Shift-Command-Delete and tick only the cache option.

6. Restart in Safe Mode

Safe Mode deletes some system caches, including font caches. On Apple silicon, shut down, hold the power button until startup options appear, select your disk, hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Mode. On Intel, hold Shift as your Mac restarts.

How to clear cache on a MacBook Pro safely

• Back up first. Run a Time Machine backup before a big cleanup.
• Finish or close your projects. Pro apps rely on their caches while a project is open.
• Use each app’s own command first. It knows which files it can rebuild.
• Move files to the Trash rather than using rm. You can restore a mistake from the Trash.
• Test, then empty the Trash. Open your apps and a recent project before you empty it.

What not to delete on a MacBook Pro

• Original media. Clear render and proxy files, never the footage they come from.
• Lightroom catalogues. The .lrcat file holds every edit you made.
• Docker volumes you still need. docker system prune leaves volumes alone unless you add --volumes.
• /System/Library/Caches. macOS protects it and manages it itself.

Move pro caches to an external drive

If you edit large projects on a 512 GB or 1 TB MacBook Pro, clearing caches only buys time. Pointing them at a fast external SSD keeps your internal disk free for good.

Final Cut Pro

Select the library, choose File, then Library Properties, and click Modify Settings next to Storage Locations. Set Cache to a folder on your external drive.

Premiere Pro and Lightroom Classic

In Premiere Pro’s Media Cache settings, click Browse to choose a new location. In Lightroom Classic’s Performance settings, click Choose next to the Camera Raw cache location.

Keep the drive connected

Apps rebuild a cache that goes missing, so nothing breaks if you edit without the drive. You just lose the speed boost until you plug it back in.

When to clear pro app caches

Clear them between projects, not during one. A render cache saves hours while you edit, and DerivedData saves minutes on every build. Once you deliver a project, its caches are dead weight.

For caches every Mac shares, read how to clear cache on a Mac. Short on space after a big project? Our guide on finding large files on a Mac tracks down exports and archives. For a smaller laptop, see how to clear cache on a MacBook Air.

Find every cache and build file with MyMacStorage

MyMacStorage finds caches, build files and old installers across your MacBook Pro, including developer folders, and adds up what each one takes. Everything goes to the Trash, and Undo puts it back.

Learn more about MyMacStorage, the disk cleanup app for Mac. It costs $19.99 once, with no subscription.

Frequently asked questions