LM Studio models taking up space: how to delete them on Mac

What it is

LM Studio, the desktop app for running local LLMs, stores downloaded models (GGUF files, plus MLX models on Apple silicon) in its models folder, organized by publisher and model name. Older versions used ~/.cache/lm-studio/models.

Why it gets so big

Each model is typically several GB, and it's common to download several sizes or quantizations of the same model to compare them, then forget the ones you didn't keep using.

Is it safe to delete?

Review it model by model. Models downloaded through LM Studio can be downloaded again, but anything you converted, fine-tuned or imported by hand may not be easy to get back. Quit LM Studio first, or at least unload the model, before deleting its files.

Tip

LM Studio lets you change its models directory in the app, so you can keep large models on an external drive.