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The 507 MB in /Library/Updates is a macOS update you have not installed yet

/Library/Updates holds downloaded software updates waiting to install. It is protected, so the fix is installing, not deleting. Measured at 507 MB.

4 min read

macOS downloads updates in the background, before you agree to install them. They wait in /Library/Updates, which is why free space can drop on a day you did nothing.

You cannot delete it by hand

ls -lOd /Library/Updates
# drwxr-xr-x  root  wheel  restricted  ...  /Library/Updates

The restricted flag means System Integrity Protection guards the folder. Even an administrator with sudo cannot remove what is inside, and Finder will refuse too. That is deliberate: a half-deleted update is a worse state than a pending one.

What does free it

  • Install the update. Once it is applied, macOS removes the download. This is the normal path.
  • Wait. An update that is superseded or withdrawn is cleared by macOS on its own.
  • Turn off background downloads so the next one does not arrive before you want it: System Settings, General, Software Update, the info button beside Automatic Updates, then switch off downloading.
# What is waiting
softwareupdate --list

# Its size
sudo du -sh /Library/Updates/*

When it is much bigger

A full macOS upgrade downloads many gigabytes, and on a nearly full disk that can be the difference between an update that installs and one that fails for lack of space. That situation is covered in not enough space to install a macOS update, and the space an upgrade takes afterwards in disk full after a macOS update.

Related: Content Caching.

Common questions

What is the /Library/Updates folder on a Mac?

It holds software updates macOS has downloaded but not yet installed. The folder empties once they are applied.

Can I delete /Library/Updates?

No. It is protected by System Integrity Protection, so even sudo cannot remove it. Installing the pending update is what frees the space.

Why did my free space drop without me installing anything?

Often because macOS downloaded an update in the background. It sits in /Library/Updates until you install it.

How do I stop macOS downloading updates automatically?

In System Settings, General, Software Update, open the options beside Automatic Updates and turn off downloading new updates.

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