How to clear pip cache on Mac
It’s safe to clear pip cache on a Mac: it holds the packages pip downloaded and the wheels it built, while installed packages and virtual environments stay. With data science libraries the cache easily reaches several gigabytes. This guide shows how to clear all of it or just one package, and how to clear the uv and Poetry caches.
- 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
Where pip keeps its cache
pip caches two things: downloaded files, like a browser does, and wheels it built from source, so it doesn’t build them again. This command shows the cache folder, by default ~/Library/Caches/pip:
python3 -m pip cache dirAnd this one shows how much space it takes:
python3 -m pip cache info
On a Mac, Python is usually python3, and pip is pip3 or pip through Python (-m pip). The commands below work with any of them.
How to clear pip cache with pip cache purge
This command deletes everything in the cache: the downloaded files and the built wheels. Installed packages stay. The next install downloads them again:
python3 -m pip cache purge
Remove one package from the cache
This command shows the wheels in the cache:
python3 -m pip cache listTo delete those of one package, give its name or a pattern. This example deletes the cached wheels of numpy:
python3 -m pip cache remove numpyDownloaded files of that package stay. Only the full purge above clears them.
Clear the uv and Poetry caches
uv keeps its own cache. This command deletes the entries uv no longer uses and is safe to run now and then:
uv cache prune
This one deletes the whole uv cache:
uv cache cleanPoetry keeps a cache per package repository. The first command lists them, the second clears the PyPI one:
poetry cache list
poetry cache clear PyPI --allWith MacWashing, it’s one click
System Junk in MacWashing lists the pip cache unchecked: clearing it is safe, but pip would have to download every package again. Check it when you need the space. The caches of your other apps are cleared in the same pass.
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 pip cache?
Yes. It holds copies of packages pip can download or build again. The next install of a big package takes longer and needs the internet.
Will pip cache purge uninstall my packages?
No. Installed packages and virtual environments stay. To remove an environment, delete its folder, for example .venv in a project.
Why is the pip cache so big?
pip keeps every file it downloaded and every wheel it built, old versions too. Some machine learning packages weigh hundreds of megabytes, so a few upgrades add gigabytes.