What Is the Application Support Folder on Mac and What Can You Delete

StoragePublished 5 min read

~/Library/Application Support is where Mac apps keep the data and settings they manage for you. Apple describes it as "all app-specific data and support files", and that "can include files that contain user data". So do not empty it. You can remove the folder of an app you have already uninstalled, and clear caches an app keeps there, but a folder for an app you still use may hold your projects, chats or game saves.

Two folders with the same name

Folder Whose it is Typical contents
~/Library/Application Support Your account App data, profiles, databases, plugins
/Library/Application Support Every account on the Mac Licensing, helpers, shared plugins

Open your own with Finder › Go › Go to Folder, then paste the path. ~/Library is hidden by default, see how to show hidden files. Apple's file system guide asks apps to use a folder named after their bundle identifier, though many use their own name or a company name. Apps from the App Store often keep their data in ~/Library/Containers instead.

See what is taking the space

On the Mac used for this page, the folder held 214 items and 7.2 GB. Yours may be far larger. This lists the largest:

du -sh ~/Library/Application\ Support/* 2>/dev/null | sort -hr | head -20

The name usually tells you the owner. If it does not, a bundle identifier such as com.example.app starts with the developer's reversed domain.

What is safe and what is not

What you find Usually holds Can it go
A folder for an app you removed Leftover data Usually, check the name matches, and remember you lose anything saved there
A Cache, Code Cache or GPUCache folder inside an app's folder Rebuildable cache Yes, with the app closed. It signs in and rebuilds as needed
CrashReporter Crash data Yes, unless you are reporting a crash
MobileSync/Backup iPhone and iPad backups Only ones you no longer need, see iPhone backups
A browser's folder Profiles, passwords, extensions, bookmarks No, apart from its cache folders
A chat or mail app's folder Local messages and media Check first, some exist only here
A creative app's folder Projects, presets, plugins, libraries Back it up first
A game's folder Saves and settings Back it up first
Anything named after Apple services, such as CloudDocs or Knowledge Data the system uses No

A rule that holds up: a folder with cache in its name, inside an app you can sign back in to, is usually fine. A folder with the app's plain name is not, until you know what is inside.

How to remove something safely

  1. Quit the app, and check Activity Monitor that its helpers are gone.
  2. Move the folder to the Trash rather than deleting it outright, and leave the Trash alone for a few days.
  3. Open the app and check your data. If something is missing, quit the app and use Put Back.

If an app still runs in the background after you removed it, see app still running after uninstall. To remove an app and its data together, see how to fully uninstall Mac apps.

What not to do

  • Do not empty the whole folder to free space. Each app loses its data, and some of it cannot be downloaded again.
  • Do not use size to decide. A 50 GB folder may be your photo library, your AI models or your music samples.
  • Do not delete inside /Library/Application Support by guesswork. Other accounts, drivers and licenses may rely on it.
  • Do not assume iCloud or Time Machine has a copy unless you have checked. Syncing is not the same as a backup.

Where Mole fits

In Mole's Analyze, resting the pointer on a folder inside Application Support shows a sentence about what it holds when Mole knows it, and a folder whose name matches an installed app is named after that app. Mole carries notes rather than verdicts: Analyze moves what you pick to the Trash, and the choice stays with you. Clean lists known caches for review, and it can list data left by apps you have removed. Those rows start unticked, go to the Trash, and appear only once the app is gone and the data has been quiet for a while. When you uninstall through Apps, the app's data is listed with it for review. For the wider picture, see the Mac Library folder.

FAQ

What is Application Support on Mac?

It is the Library folder where apps keep the data and settings they manage for you, including, in many cases, your own content.

Can I delete the Application Support folder?

No. Remove only what you have checked, such as the folder of an app you already uninstalled or a cache folder.

Why is Application Support so big?

Usually one or two apps account for it, often browsers, chat apps, creative tools, AI tools or iPhone backups. Measure the folders inside it first.

Is it safe to delete a folder for an app I uninstalled?

Usually, as long as you do not need what it saved and the name truly matches that app. Move it to the Trash first.

Where is Application Support?

Yours is at ~/Library/Application Support, and the one for all accounts is at /Library/Application Support. Use Go to Folder in Finder to open either.