What is iOS DeviceSupport in Xcode? Is it safe to delete?

Where it is

What it is

To debug an app on a real iPhone or iPad and to make sense of crash logs from it, Xcode needs the system symbols for the exact iOS build on that device. The first time you connect a device running a given build, Xcode copies those symbols into a folder named after the device model and iOS version.

It grows because every iOS update on every device you plug in adds a new folder, and the old ones are never removed. After a few years of updates, most of the folders are for iOS versions none of your devices run any more.

There are matching folders for other platforms next to it, such as watchOS DeviceSupport and tvOS DeviceSupport.

How big it gets

Each version is typically a few GB, so a long-used Mac can hold tens of GB.

How to clear it by hand

1. Quit Xcode.
2. In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder and enter ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport.
3. Each folder name shows a device model and iOS version. Move the versions your devices no longer run to the Trash and keep the current ones to save time later.
4. If you would rather clear everything, the command below deletes every version in the folder.
5. Empty the Trash if you used Finder.

rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS\ DeviceSupport/*

What happens afterwards

The next time you connect a device whose folder is gone, Xcode spends a few minutes copying the symbols again before you can run on it. Crash logs from an iOS version you deleted may not be fully symbolicated until its symbols are back.

How Diskzy handles it

In the Clean up tab, Diskzy keeps the two newest DeviceSupport versions unticked and ticks the older ones. It does the same for watchOS, tvOS and visionOS.

Related guides

• DerivedData~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData
• Xcode Archives~/Library/Developer/Xcode/Archives
• CoreSimulator Devices~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices