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Xcode caches and SwiftUI Previews data: safe to delete?

Safe to deleteRegenerated automatically; Thermo deletes it outright.

Quit first: Xcode · Simulator

Where it is

  • ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.dt.Xcode
  • ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/UserData/Previews
  • ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Caches
  • ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/Products

What it is

Besides DerivedData, Xcode keeps a general cache in ~/Library/Caches, SwiftUI Previews builds and preview devices under UserData/Previews, CoreSimulator caches for simulator runtimes, and a Products folder of build outputs.

Why it gets so big

SwiftUI Previews run in their own simulator devices with their own builds of your app, which grow with every project you preview. Simulator caches are built per runtime, so each new runtime you install adds more.

Is it safe to delete?

Yes. All of it is regenerated: Previews rebuild the next time you use them, simulators recreate their caches when they boot (so the first boot is slower), and Xcode refills its own cache. Quit Xcode and Simulator first so nothing is in use.

Tip

Simulator runtimes themselves are managed separately, from the Platforms or Components pane in Xcode's settings depending on your Xcode version.

See how much space it uses

du -sh "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.dt.Xcode" "$HOME/Library/Developer/Xcode/UserData/Previews" "$HOME/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Caches" "$HOME/Library/Developer/Xcode/Products" 2>/dev/null

Delete it by hand

Run in Terminal. Deleting cannot be undone, so check the paths first.

rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.dt.Xcode"/*
rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Developer/Xcode/UserData/Previews"/*
rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Caches"/*
rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Developer/Xcode/Products"/*

Related locations

All cleanup guides →