How to clear temporary files on Mac
You can clear temporary files on Mac with less effort than it seems: apps keep scratch files while they work, and macOS removes most of them itself when it starts up again. What remains after that is mostly caches and logs, which you can clear yourself. This guide explains what temporary files are, how to clear them safely and which temp folders you should never delete by hand.
- Open MacWashing and choose System Junk in the sidebar.
- Click Start Scan.
- Look through what it found and click Clean. Anything debatable stays unchecked.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
What temporary files are on a Mac
Apps write temporary files while they work: unsaved changes, unpacked installers, files being converted or exported. They go to temporary folders that macOS manages itself, and apps are meant to delete them when they’re done. In System Settings › General › Storage they are counted under System Data, together with other files the system uses. See what System Data is on Mac.
Delete temp files on Mac with a restart
- Save your work and quit your apps.
- Choose Apple menu › Restart.
- After the restart, open the Trash. If it has Recovered Files folders, those are temporary files that apps didn’t delete, for example after quitting unexpectedly.
- Move anything you need out of the Trash, then empty it.
If you aren’t sure whether a recovered file is important, ask the app’s developer. In most cases these files aren’t needed.
Clear caches and logs
Caches are the biggest kind of temporary data that survives a restart: apps keep them in ~/Library/Caches and rebuild them when needed. Logs are in ~/Library/Logs. Both are safe to clear with the apps quit. The steps are in how to clear cache on Mac.
Starting up once in safe mode also makes macOS clear certain system caches. They are created again as needed.
What never to delete by hand
/private/var/folders: the temporary folders and caches of macOS and of apps that are running right now. Deleting them can make open apps lose work or misbehave. A restart is the safe way to clear what’s temporary there.- Anything in
/Systemand theCachesfolders themselves — only what’s inside them. - Files of apps that are open: quit them first.
Other leftovers are easier to remove: installers in Downloads, see how to delete downloads on Mac, and files waiting in the Trash, see how to empty the Trash on Mac.
With MacWashing, it’s one click
System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches and logs of the apps it knows, plus leftovers of deleted apps, shows how much each takes and clears them in one go. Anything debatable stays unchecked until you decide.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Will MacWashing delete my own files when it cleans?
No. It removes only what it can match to a known app or a known kind of junk, in places apps leave files; macOS and Apple’s files are never touched. Anything debatable is marked and stays unchecked until you decide.
What about apps that are open?
If an open app holds files being cleaned, MacWashing waits for it to quit or quits it at your request, and opens it again afterwards.
Is it free?
Yes, within the free trial: System Junk and the Uninstaller free up to 25 GB in total, with no account or card needed.
Is it safe to clear temporary files on Mac?
Yes, the way macOS does it: restart, then empty the Trash. Deleting temporary folders by hand in /private/var/folders isn’t safe while apps are running.
Why do Recovered Files appear in the Trash?
When an app quits unexpectedly, it can’t delete its temporary files. At the next restart macOS moves them to the Trash as Recovered Files.
Why is System Data still big after a restart?
Temporary files are only part of it. System Data also counts caches, logs and other files the system and apps use.