Maps caches every place you have looked at, and it adds up quietly
The Maps data process keeps tiles and place data on disk. Where it is, what an offline map costs, and how to clear it without breaking anything.
Maps is not an app most people suspect, which is exactly why it is worth measuring once. Every region you have panned across is cached so it draws instantly next time, and downloaded offline maps are stored in full.
Where it is
du -sh ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.geod \
~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Maps 2>/dev/nullThe geod container is the data process, holding tiles and place information. The Maps container holds the app's own state, favourites and guides, which is small and is the part you would not want to lose.
Offline maps are the large item
A downloaded region for offline use can be several gigabytes depending on its size and detail. They are managed inside the app, under your account picture, Offline Maps, where each download is listed with its size and can be removed individually.
That list is the right place to act. Deleting the container by hand removes downloads and cached tiles together, and the app has to rebuild its own bookkeeping afterwards.
Clearing the cache
There is no clear cache button for the tile cache. Quitting Maps and removing the geod container works and costs you nothing permanent, since tiles redownload as you use the app. Favourites, guides and history live in the other container and are not affected.
Whether it is worth it
A few hundred megabytes is not a full disk, and this page exists so you can recognise a folder with an unhelpful name and move on. If you are working through everything, the folder sits among all the other containers, which is where several gigabytes usually are.
Common questions
What is the geod folder on a Mac?
It is the container for the Maps data process, holding cached map tiles and place data. On a Mac measured in September 2026 it was 296 MB, and downloaded offline regions are stored separately and are much larger.
How do I delete offline maps on a Mac?
In the Maps app, open your account picture and choose Offline Maps. Each downloaded region is listed with its size and can be removed there, which keeps the app's own record accurate.
Is it safe to delete the Maps cache?
Yes. Cached tiles redownload as you use the app. Quit Maps first, and note that favourites, guides and history live in a separate container that is not affected.
Why is Maps using space when I never use it?
Because tiles are cached whenever the app or a widget shows a map, including from other apps asking for directions. It is a few hundred megabytes rather than a large amount, but it is not zero.