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Disk space guides for developers

30 guides. Each one gives the exact commands, what they delete, how to see the size first, and how the data comes back.

Three node_modules folders in a list: two marked Safe with npm ci and pnpm install, one marked Your call because the project was worked on 6 days ago

JavaScript

How to delete all node_modules folders on a Mac

Find every node_modules folder on your Mac, see what each one weighs, and delete the idle ones with one find command. Every one comes back with npm ci.

, 5 min read

The folder ~/Library/Caches with Chrome and Slack cache folders marked Safe, and Cookies and History marked Protected

Mac storage

How to clear the cache of every app on a Mac

App caches on a Mac live in ~/Library/Caches and inside Application Support. See the largest ones, clear them per app, and know which folders hold your data.

, 5 min read

The DerivedData folder with its parts Build, Index.noindex and SourcePackages, marked Safe and rebuilt on the next build

Xcode and iOS

How to delete Xcode DerivedData safely

Xcode DerivedData lives in ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData. See its size per project, delete it in Terminal or Finder, and know what the next build costs.

, 5 min read

Docker.raw as a bar: a small part really used inside a 64 GB limit, with the command docker system df and a Protected chip

Docker

Docker.raw is huge on a Mac: how to shrink it

Docker.raw looks like 64 GB in Finder but often uses far less. See its real size, find what fills it with docker system df, and give space back to macOS safely.

, 5 min read

The command simctl delete unavailable above two rows marked Your call: the iOS 26.0.1 runtime at 7.5 GB and an iPhone 16e simulator at 4.2 GB

Xcode and iOS

Delete old iOS simulators and runtimes in Xcode

List every iOS simulator and runtime with xcrun simctl, see which ones are stale, and delete them safely. A single iOS runtime is about 7.5 GB on its own.

, 5 min read

The four risk levels, each with an example: Safe node_modules, Your call a simulator, Careful an Xcode archive, Protected .env

Safe cleaning

What is safe to delete on a developer's Mac

One question sorts every folder on a developer's Mac into four levels: can a command bring it back exactly? The full lists, and four checks before deleting.

, 5 min read

The path ~/.npm/_cacache above the commands npm cache verify and npm cache clean --force, with the npm cache marked Safe

JavaScript

How to clear the npm cache, and when you should

The npm cache lives in ~/.npm/_cacache. See its size with du, clean it with npm cache clean --force, and learn why npm cache verify is usually the better call.

, 5 min read

The commands brew cleanup --dry-run and brew cleanup --prune=all, above a Homebrew row marked Your call

Build tools

brew cleanup: free Homebrew disk space on a Mac

See what brew cleanup would remove with --dry-run, clear old versions and downloads with --prune=all, and find the formulae that really take the space.

, 5 min read

The command rm -rf node_modules ending in the word gone, next to the steps Clean, quarantine and Undo

Safe cleaning

rm -rf has no undo: cleaning with a quarantine

rm -rf deletes at once and for good. A quarantine is a move you can reverse. How to build one with mv, when the Trash is enough, and how Wipzy's Undo works.

, 5 min read

Three prune commands in order: docker builder prune, docker image prune -a, and docker volume prune marked Careful

Docker

docker system prune: what each prune deletes

What docker system prune removes, what -a and --volumes add, and which prune commands are safe. Check with docker system df first, and keep your volumes.

, 5 min read

The command pnpm store prune above three rows: the pnpm store marked Your call, the Yarn cache and the Bun cache marked Safe

JavaScript

Clear the pnpm store and the Yarn and Bun caches

pnpm store prune, yarn cache clean and bun pm cache rm, explained: where each cache lives on a Mac, how to see its size, what goes, and how it comes back.

, 5 min read

Three rows: .venv marked Safe with uv sync, the pip cache marked Safe, and conda packages marked Your call

Build tools

Clean pip, conda and virtualenvs on a Mac

Python disk space on a Mac: find every virtualenv with its size, purge the pip and uv caches, preview conda clean with --dry-run, and recreate what you need.

, 5 min read

The commands ollama list and hf cache ls above the Ollama and Hugging Face model folders, both marked Your call

Mac storage

Free space from Ollama and Hugging Face models

Local AI models are the largest files on many Macs. List them with ollama list and hf cache ls, remove the ones you do not use, and pull them back later.

, 5 min read

The VS Code folder: Cache, CachedData and logs marked Safe, the User folder marked Protected

Mac storage

Clear VS Code and JetBrains caches on a Mac

Where VS Code, Cursor and JetBrains IDEs keep caches on a Mac, which folders are safe to clear, and which ones hold your settings, history and unsaved files.

, 5 min read

The command go clean -modcache above the Go build cache and the Go module cache, both marked Safe

Build tools

go clean -modcache and -cache: free Go disk space

Go keeps a build cache and a module cache in your home folder. See both sizes with go env, preview a clean with -n, and learn why rm fails on the module cache.

, 5 min read

The folder ms-playwright with three browser builds, chromium, firefox and webkit, marked Your call with the command npx playwright install

JavaScript

Remove old Playwright and Puppeteer browsers

Playwright, Puppeteer and Cypress each download their own browsers into a cache folder. See how much they take, remove old versions, and reinstall in one line.

, 5 min read

A Unity project: Library marked Your call, Temp marked Safe, Assets marked Protected

Build tools

Is it safe to delete the Unity Library folder?

Yes, with Unity closed: Library is an import cache that Unity rebuilds when you open the project. What it costs, what else can go, and what must stay.

, 5 min read

The file ext4.vhdx as a bar, part used by Linux and part freed but still on disk, above the steps wsl --shutdown and compact vdisk

Windows

Shrink the WSL disk image (ext4.vhdx) on Windows

The WSL 2 disk file ext4.vhdx grows as you work and never shrinks by itself. Find it, free space inside Linux, then compact it with diskpart or Optimize-VHD.

, 5 min read

New guides arrive in the Atom feed of the Wipzy blog. To see the app these guides lead to, watch Wipzy clean a Mac in 47 seconds, read how the four risk levels work, or see what is free and what Pro adds.