What is ~/Library/Logs on Mac, and is it safe to delete?
Yes, ~/Library/Logs is safe to delete. It contains text logs and crash reports that apps write for troubleshooting, and no app needs them to run.
Where it is
~/Library/LogsWhat it is
Apps record what they are doing, and what went wrong, in log files. Those for your user account are kept in ~/Library/Logs, usually in a subfolder per app. The DiagnosticReports subfolder holds crash and hang reports.
Most logs are small, but a misbehaving app can write the same error thousands of times and produce a very large file. Logs from apps you removed long ago also stay behind.
The only reason to keep them is if you are working with a developer or support team on a current problem and they have asked for logs.
How big it gets
Usually tens or hundreds of MB, though a single runaway log can reach several GB.
How to clear it by hand
- In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder and enter ~/Library/Logs.
- Sort by size to see whether one app is responsible for most of it.
- Move what you do not need to the Trash, or run the command below, which deletes everything inside the folder and keeps the folder itself.
- Empty the Trash if you used Finder.
rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/*What happens afterwards
Apps create new log files as they run. You lose the history of past crashes and errors, which only matters if you were about to send it to someone.
How Diskzy handles it
Diskzy lists ~/Library/Logs in the Clean up tab and ticks it. Logs also appear as a named part of System Data.
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