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Where Apps Store Data (And What's Safe to Delete)

How to find app data, caches, and config files on your computer and what you can safely remove

When you uninstall an app, it usually leaves behind settings, caches, and data files scattered across hidden folders. Knowing where these folders are helps you fully remove leftover junk, fix misbehaving apps by clearing their cache, or reclaim disk space.

macOS apps store their data in several folders inside your user Library, which is hidden by default.

How to access the Library folder:

  • In Finder, click the Go menu, hold Option, and click Library
  • Or press Cmd + Shift + G in Finder and type ~/Library

Key folders:

  • ~/Library/Application Support/ — app databases, presets, plugins, and other important data. Each app gets its own subfolder (e.g., ~/Library/Application Support/Slack/)
  • ~/Library/Caches/ — temporary data apps can regenerate. Browser caches, thumbnail caches, and download caches live here
  • ~/Library/Preferences/ — settings files (.plist format). Each app typically has one file like com.apple.Safari.plist

What's safe to delete:

  • Caches (~/Library/Caches/) — generally safe to delete while the app is closed. The app will rebuild its cache on next launch. You may lose offline data or need to re-download content
  • Application Support for uninstalled apps — if you've already uninstalled an app, its folder in Application Support is leftover junk and safe to remove
  • Preferences for uninstalled apps — safe to delete, but these are tiny files so they won't free much space

Be careful with:

  • Application Support for installed apps — deleting this can reset the app entirely or cause data loss (email stores, project files, plugin libraries)
  • Preferences for installed apps — deleting a .plist file resets that app's settings to defaults. Sometimes useful as a fix, but you'll lose your configuration

When to look here:

  • An app is misbehaving: delete its cache folder in ~/Library/Caches/, then relaunch
  • You want to fully remove a leftover app: delete its folders from Application Support, Caches, and Preferences
  • You need disk space: Caches is the safest folder to clean out

There are also system-level equivalents at /Library/ (shared across all users) and /System/Library/ (system files — don't touch these).

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting an app's cache break it?▾

No. Caches exist specifically to be disposable. The app will recreate its cache when it runs again. You might notice slightly slower performance or need to re-download some content the first time, but nothing will break. Always close the app before deleting its cache folder.

How do I find which app a folder belongs to?▾

Most folders are named after the app or its developer. On Mac, Preferences files use reverse-domain names like com.google.Chrome.plist. On Windows, look for the company or product name. On Linux, folder names usually match the package name. If a folder name is cryptic, search it online to identify it.

Why don't uninstallers clean up all these files?▾

Most uninstallers only remove the app's main program files, not its per-user data. This is partly intentional — if you reinstall the app later, your settings come back. But it also means junk accumulates over time. Dedicated cleanup tools (like AppCleaner on Mac) can find and remove these leftovers during uninstallation.

How much space can I recover by cleaning app data?▾

It depends on what you have installed. Browser caches alone can be several gigabytes. Apps that download content for offline use (Spotify, Slack, Teams) can use significant space in Application Support or AppData. Start with Caches/Temp folders for the quickest wins, and look at Application Support or AppData for uninstalled apps next.

Is there a difference between clearing cache in an app's settings vs deleting the cache folder?▾

Sometimes. Clearing cache from within an app is the safest approach since the app knows which files to remove. Deleting the entire cache folder achieves the same thing but is more thorough. Both are safe. Use the app's built-in option when available, and delete the folder manually when the app is misbehaving or already uninstalled.