Apple Music keeps downloads, and the library keeps everything else
Downloaded tracks, the media folder and years of imported files are three different things. How to see which is large and remove only what you meant to.
The Music app holds three different things that people treat as one: music you downloaded from the streaming service, music you own as files, and the library database that tracks both. Only one of the three is disposable.
Where each lives
du -sh ~/Music/* 2>/dev/null | sort -h
du -sh ~/Music/Music/Media* 2>/dev/nullThe Media folder holds the actual audio files, both purchased and downloaded. The library database beside it is small. Anything in ~/Music outside those is usually another application's data, since several audio tools use that folder.
Removing downloads without touching what you own
In the Music app, downloaded tracks show a downloaded indicator, and right clicking offers Remove Download. That takes the local file and leaves the entry in your library, streamable again on demand.
The distinction that matters: for a streaming track, Remove Download frees space and loses nothing. For a file you imported from a CD or bought years ago, deleting removes the only copy. The app does not make that difference obvious, which is why sorting by size and checking each large item is worth the two minutes.
Finding what is actually large
In the Music app, use Songs view, then View, Show View Options, and enable Size. Sorting by it shows the outliers, which on most Macs are not songs at all: they are podcasts, audiobooks or a live set someone shared as a single two hour file.
find ~/Music -type f -size +100M -exec ls -lh {} + 2>/dev/null \
| sort -k5 -h | tail -10Automatic downloads, which is the setting behind it
If songs you add to your library are downloading automatically, the folder grows without you doing anything. That is a setting in the app's preferences, and turning it off converts an unbounded folder into one you control.
Audio is rarely the largest category on a Mac, and the order to free 100 GB puts it well below backups and video. It is worth doing when the alternative is deleting something you cannot recover.
Common questions
Where does Apple Music store downloaded songs on a Mac?
In the Media folder inside ~/Music/Music, alongside files you imported or purchased. The library database that tracks everything sits next to it and is comparatively small.
How do I delete downloaded music without losing my library?
Right click a track or album in the Music app and choose Remove Download. The entry stays in your library and streams on demand. Deleting instead removes the item, which matters for files you own rather than stream.
Why is my Music folder so large when I stream everything?
Usually because automatic downloads are turned on, so anything added to your library downloads in the background. Turning that off in preferences stops the folder growing on its own.
How do I find the largest items in my music library?
Enable the Size column in Songs view and sort by it, or run find against ~/Music for files over 100 MB. The largest items are typically podcasts, audiobooks or long single file recordings rather than songs.