What is CoreSimulator/Devices on Mac? Can you delete it?
You can delete it, but check first. Each folder is a simulated device with its own installed apps and data, so removing one erases whatever you set up inside that simulator.
Where it is
~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/DevicesWhat it is
Every simulator you see in Xcode, such as a particular iPhone model on a particular iOS version, is a folder in CoreSimulator/Devices. The folder name is the simulator's identifier, and inside is that device's whole file system: installed apps, their documents, photos, settings and keychain.
It grows in two ways. Xcode creates a set of simulators for each runtime you install, and each simulator gets bigger as you install and run apps in it. After an Xcode update, simulators for runtimes you no longer have can stay on disk as unavailable devices.
The simulator runtimes themselves, which are the large iOS, watchOS, tvOS and visionOS system images, are stored elsewhere and are managed from Xcode's settings.
How big it gets
From a few GB to tens of GB, depending on how many simulators you have booted and what is installed in them.
How to clear it by hand
- Start with the safe cleanup: run the command below. It deletes only simulators whose runtime is no longer installed, which you cannot use anyway.
- To remove specific simulators, open Xcode, choose Window > Devices and Simulators, select the Simulators tab, then right-click a simulator and choose Delete.
- To keep a simulator but wipe its contents, select it in the Simulator app and choose Device > Erase All Content and Settings.
- Avoid dragging folders out of Devices by hand while Xcode or Simulator is running. Use Xcode or simctl so the device list stays consistent.
xcrun simctl delete unavailableWhat happens afterwards
Deleted simulators disappear from Xcode's device list along with their apps and data. You can create a simulator again at any time from Devices and Simulators, and it starts empty.
How Diskzy handles it
Diskzy lists CoreSimulator Devices in the Clean up tab but leaves it unticked, because it holds simulators and their app data.
Related guides
- CoreSimulator Caches~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Caches
- DerivedData~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData
- iOS DeviceSupport~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport
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