The old iTunes folder in Music: what is still used and what is left from another decade
After the move from iTunes to the Music app, ~/Music/iTunes can hold old libraries, artwork caches and iPhone apps from years ago. What is safe to remove.
Since macOS Catalina, the Music app replaced iTunes. On Macs that were upgraded, the old ~/Music/iTunes folder is often still there, and parts of it can be very large. Some parts are still in use; others are leftovers from ten years ago.
du -sh ~/Music/iTunes/* 2>/dev/null | sort -hWhat each part is
| Item | What it is | Safe to remove? |
|---|---|---|
iTunes Media | Your song files, possibly still used by Music | Check first, see below |
iTunes Media/Mobile Applications | iPhone and iPad apps saved by old iTunes, as .ipa files | Yes |
Previous iTunes Libraries | Old library database backups | Yes, once Music works |
Album Artwork | Artwork cache | Yes, it is a cache |
iTunes Library.itl and similar | The old library file | Keep until sure Music has everything |
Check whether Music still uses iTunes Media
Open Music, Settings, Files. If the Music Media folder location points to ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media, that folder is where your songs live. Do not delete it.
Mobile Applications: often the easy win
Older versions of iTunes downloaded a copy of every app you installed on your iPhone. They cannot be installed from there any more and the App Store supplies current versions. This folder can be several GB.
du -sh ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes\ Media/Mobile\ Applications 2>/dev/nullMove it to the Trash.
Old iPhone software updates
The iTunes era also left iPhone and iPad software files, .ipsw, in ~/Library/iTunes. See IPSW firmware files.
If you want to keep the music but not on the Mac, see moving the Music library to an external drive.
Common questions
Can I delete the iTunes folder on my Mac?
Not all of it. Check Music, Settings, Files first: if the media folder points into iTunes Media, your songs live there. Mobile Applications, Previous iTunes Libraries and Album Artwork are safe to remove.
What is the Mobile Applications folder in iTunes?
Copies of iPhone and iPad apps that older iTunes versions downloaded. They are no longer needed, and the folder can be several GB.
What is Previous iTunes Libraries?
Backups of your old library database, made when iTunes updated. Once the Music app shows everything, they can be removed.