Which ones are safe to clear
- Safe: Xcode DerivedData, npm, Yarn, pnpm, Homebrew, CocoaPods, pip and Gradle caches. Tools rebuild or re-download them when needed.
- Check first: Xcode Archives hold builds you may need for crash logs. Simulators and iOS DeviceSupport are rebuilt, but slowly.
- Use the tool: Docker Desktop's data holds your images and volumes. Prune from Docker instead of deleting the folder.
- node_modules: safe to delete when the project still has its
package.json. Reinstall with your package manager.
Clear them without the commands
Broom's Cleanup screen knows these folders and 260+ others, marks which are safe, and only offers build folders whose project file still sits next to them. Everything goes to the Trash, and Activity has a Put back button.
Questions
Why does a line show nothing?
That tool isn't installed or keeps its cache elsewhere. du skips folders that don't exist.
What's the biggest one usually?
On Macs used for iOS work, DerivedData, simulators and DeviceSupport. For web work, node_modules folders across old projects.