Published in full
All 98 paths and patterns, across 16 tools. If it isn't on this list, Cleanux doesn't look at it. This page is built from the same source the scanners read, so it can't fall out of date unless the app changes too.
Discord's HTTP cache. Re-fetched on reconnect.
Teams' Chromium cache. Re-fetched on reconnect. Doesn't affect login or message history.
Slack's offline-mode cache. Regenerated as you reconnect.
Chromium's HTTP cache for Slack. Re-fetched as you use Slack. Login state and message history live elsewhere and are unaffected.
Docker's VM-backed storage. Removing destroys all local images and containers. Cleanux will surface this for review but never auto-select.
Cached package downloads. `brew cleanup` does the same thing.
Cursor IDE's HTTP/extension cache. Rebuilt as you use the editor.
Indexes and caches for IntelliJ-family IDEs. Rebuilt on next project open - first launch will be slow.
Visual Studio Code's HTTP/extension cache. Rebuilt as you use the editor.
Pre-compiled extension files. Recreated lazily on next launch.
Cached Gradle dependencies. Restored on next build.
Local Maven artefacts. Restored on next Maven build, but can be slow over poor network.
Restored by `npm install` / `yarn` / `pnpm install`. Removing them only costs time, not data - but offline work will need network access to restore.
Project-local Python environments. Restored by `pip install -r requirements.txt` or equivalent.
Cached crate downloads. Cargo restores on next build.
Build data for a project you haven't opened in over a month. Xcode rebuilds it the next time you do, and nothing in it is source.
Build data for a project you've worked on in the last month. Safe to delete, but the next build starts from scratch - so Cleanux leaves it unticked.
Symbols for the newest iOS build here - most likely the device you actually use. Safe to delete, but Xcode has to fetch them again on next attach, so Cleanux leaves it unticked.
Symbols for an iOS build older than the newest one here. Xcode re-downloads them if you ever attach a device on that build again.
Archives of past app builds - needed to symbolicate crash reports for shipped builds. Cleanux defaults to NOT selecting these; review individually.
Build intermediates and indexes. Xcode rebuilds them on next compile. Often the largest single reclaimable folder on a developer's machine.
Symbol files Xcode caches when you connect an iOS device. Re-downloaded automatically on next attach. Often the largest reclaimable Xcode folder after DerivedData on long-time devs.
Symbol files for Apple TV debug sessions. Re-downloaded automatically.
Symbol files for Apple Watch debug sessions. Re-downloaded automatically.
Cached pod downloads. Restored by `pod install`.
Crash and hang reports for apps. Useful only when actively debugging a recent crash. Apple already has copies via the system reporter.
Thumbnails the Finder generates for QuickLook previews. Regenerated on demand - only cost is the first preview being slightly slower.
Window-restore state for apps that quit unexpectedly. Removing means apps reopen with default windows instead of restoring last session - annoying but not damaging.
Diagnostic logs from apps you've run. Useful for debugging if something is currently broken - otherwise safe to clear.
Local copies of email attachments - every PDF, image, and logo Mail.app has rendered. Original messages on the server are untouched. If you saved an attachment elsewhere, that copy is unaffected.
Album-art and streaming buffer cache. Doesn't affect downloaded library. Regenerated as you listen.
Cached metadata and thumbnails for the TV app. Regenerated on next browse.
The Podcasts app's metadata and image cache. Doesn't affect downloaded episodes (those are in `Episodes/`). Regenerated on next launch.
Spotify's HTTP cache. Regenerated as you stream.
Spotify's persistent storage cache - usually the larger of the two. Cached audio tracks and album metadata. Re-downloaded as you play. Often several GB on heavy listeners.
Apps regenerate their caches on next launch. Removing this never destroys preferences or documents.
Old .ipsw firmware files left over from iOS updates. macOS re-downloads if a future update is needed. Each one is 5-8 GB.
Stable Diffusion weights and converted CoreML models used by DiffusionBee - commonly 10-30 GB. The app re-downloads and re-converts them on demand.
Model files downloaded by GPT4All. Re-downloadable from the app's model list.
The shared download cache used by transformers, diffusers, sentence-transformers and MLX. Every model re-downloads automatically the next time a script asks for it. This is usually the biggest AI folder on a machine that runs Python notebooks.
GGUF model files downloaded through LM Studio. Re-downloadable from inside the app - each one is typically 4-40 GB.
Where LM Studio kept its models before version 0.3. If you have since upgraded, this copy is usually dead weight - the app no longer reads from it.
Language model weights pulled with Ollama - frequently 40 GB or more in total. Any model from the registry comes back with `ollama pull`, though that is a large download. Models you built yourself with `ollama create` would need rebuilding from their source files.
The index Adobe apps keep alongside the cache files above. Regenerated on next launch.
Conformed audio and peak files Premiere Pro and After Effects generate while you work. They are rebuilt automatically the next time you open the project - the only cost is a few moments of re-conforming.
Carthage's downloaded dependency cache. Restored on the next `carthage bootstrap`.
Go's compiled build cache. Rebuilt automatically on the next `go build`.
Downloaded Go module dependencies. Re-downloaded on the next build, so removal costs network time but no source. Marked medium because a rebuild requires connectivity.
Yarn Berry's content-addressed cache. Restored on the next install.
Yarn 1.x's local package cache. Restored automatically on the next `yarn install`.
npm's content-addressed download cache. Restored automatically on the next `npm install`. Removing it only slows the next install slightly.
pnpm's shared content-addressed store. All local pnpm projects hard-link from here - removing it forces a full re-download on the next install across every project.
Cached Python package downloads. pip re-downloads packages on the next `pip install`. Removing it never affects installed packages.
Cached .gem files bundler downloads before installation. Restored automatically on the next `bundle install`.
User-installed Ruby gems and their download cache. Gems reinstall via `gem install` or `bundle install`. May be slow to restore over a poor network.
Downloaded OS images for iOS, watchOS, tvOS simulators - each 5-15 GB. Re-downloaded from Xcode's Platforms pane if you need them again.
Virtual device data for iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS simulators. Re-created by Xcode the next time you run on a simulator. Often the largest developer folder after DerivedData - can reach 50-100 GB on machines that have run many Xcode versions.
Cached simulator runtime images and dyld caches. Regenerated by Xcode as needed.
Compiled preview snapshots for SwiftUI Canvas. Rebuilt automatically on the next preview render.
On-device AI model weights downloaded for Apple Intelligence features (Writing Tools, Image Playground, etc.). macOS re-downloads them if you re-enable Apple Intelligence. Often 500 MB-4 GB per model family.
User-specific Apple Intelligence model data and personalisation cache. Re-built by macOS when Apple Intelligence is in use.
Plug-in settings, patches, and sound content installed by GarageBand, Logic Pro, and third-party audio apps. Re-downloadable from the Sound Library.
GarageBand's user-installed sound packs, loops, and instruments. GarageBand can re-download any sound from the Sound Library browser. Safe to remove if you don't use GarageBand.
Photos and files received in Messages. These are the attachments themselves, not copies of them - removing one deletes it from that conversation. With Messages in iCloud it may re-download; otherwise it is gone for that chat. Review carefully.
Lima (and Colima) Linux VM disk images. Removing an instance destroys all data inside that VM. Never auto-selected.
OrbStack's Linux VM and container disk images. Removing this destroys all OrbStack VMs and containers. Cleanux surfaces the size for review but never auto-selects.
Parallels Desktop virtual machine bundles. Each contains a full OS image - removing one permanently destroys that VM and all data inside it. Cleanux surfaces sizes for review but never auto-selects these.
VMware Fusion virtual machine bundles. Removing one permanently destroys that VM and all its data. Cleanux surfaces sizes for review but never auto-selects.
Arc's HTTP and compile caches. Regenerated as you browse. Spaces, pinned tabs, and passwords are stored separately.
Brave's HTTP and compile caches. Regenerated as you browse. Wallet, passwords, and bookmarks are stored separately.
Chrome's HTTP, JavaScript compile, and GPU shader caches across all profiles. Regenerated as you browse. Sign-in state, extensions, bookmarks, and passwords are stored elsewhere and are not affected.
Edge's HTTP and compile caches. Regenerated as you browse. Favourites and passwords live in a separate store.
Firefox's network and startup caches across all profiles. Regenerated as you browse. Logins, bookmarks, and extensions live in a separate profile store and are unaffected.
Opera's HTTP and compile caches. Regenerated as you browse.
Safari's web content cache. Regenerated as you browse. Removing it never affects bookmarks, history, passwords, or open tabs.
Vivaldi's HTTP and compile caches. Regenerated as you browse.
Per-app sandbox automation scripts stored under the app's bundle ID. Removing them means any user-written scripts that targeted this app are lost - review before deleting if you've set up custom automation.
Per-app data. Uninstaller surfaces only entries matching the bundle ID of the app you've chosen to remove.
Persistent HTTP session cookies stored by the app. Removing them logs the app out of any websites it was signed into - but the app is being uninstalled anyway.
Crash reports and hang logs written by the app. Diagnostic data only - no preferences, documents, or personal data. Safe to remove once the app is gone.
Per-user background helpers. Removed only if matching the bundle ID of the app being uninstalled.
Per-app preferences. Uninstaller matches by bundle ID.
Files in your Downloads folder you haven't touched in over three months. Disk images from past app installs (.dmg) are especially common. Reviewable individually before deletion.
macOS-style screenshots and screen recordings older than a month, in whichever folder you have macOS save them to. Matches only the standard `Screen Shot…`, `Screenshot…` and `Screen Recording…` filenames - other files in those folders are not touched.
Xcode .xcarchive bundles from past app builds. Needed to symbolicate crash reports for shipped releases - only delete archives whose corresponding builds are no longer in production. Defaulted to high-risk for this reason; review individually.
Sandboxed app containers whose bundle ID no longer matches any installed app. Each container's bundle ID is verified against /Applications and ~/Applications.
Shared group containers whose group ID no longer matches any installed app family.
Directories in ~/Library/Application Support whose bundle ID or name no longer matches any installed app. Cross-referenced against every .app in /Applications and ~/Applications before flagging.
Copies of email attachments you've opened. They re-download when you open the message again - as long as the message is still in your mailbox.
Photos and files received in Messages. Removing them deletes them from those conversations. With Messages in iCloud they may re-download; otherwise removal is permanent for that chat. Review carefully.
Regular files inside your ~/Downloads folder and any subfolders. Grouped by file type so you can see at a glance how much space disk images, videos, archives, and documents are consuming. Nothing is pre-selected automatically.
Files whose SHA-256 hash is identical - true bit-for-bit duplicates. Cleanux pre-selects all but the newest copy in each group. Review before deleting.
Files stored in iCloud Drive that also have a local copy on this Mac. Evicting the local copy ("Optimise Storage") keeps them safely in iCloud and frees local disk space. The file remains accessible - macOS re-downloads it on demand.
Full device backups created by Finder/iTunes. Frequently 50-200 GB. Cleanux shows each backup with date and device - only reviewed individually, never auto-selected.
The Large File Browser only scans folders the user explicitly opens. It surfaces big files but never selects anything for cleanup automatically.
Images with near-identical visual content detected by perceptual hashing. Groups contain likely duplicates, burst shots, or edited copies. Review each group before deleting - Cleanux keeps the largest file in each group but you decide.
macOS keeps local snapshots of your data on disk so Time Machine can restore even when the backup drive is unplugged. They are throwaway - your real backups on your Time Machine destination are unaffected. Often reclaims 50-200 GB.
Items you've already moved to the Bin on the boot disk and any mounted volumes. Most people forget that external drives have separate Bin folders.
Nothing matches that.
Generated from the Cleanux scanner source on 25 October 2026.
The same list is available inside the app under Help, and from the
command line with cleanux list-heuristics.