Elixir and Erlang on a Mac: Hex packages, build folders, and Erlang versions
Hex caches packages, every project keeps _build and deps, and version managers keep each Erlang release. Where the space goes and how to clean it.
730 guides
Mac storage, explained.
What fills your disk, where it hides, and what is safe to remove. Every guide gives you a way to check it on your own Mac.
Every opam switch is a full OCaml compiler with its own packages
OCaml's opam keeps a complete compiler and package set per switch, plus a download cache. How to list switches, remove old ones and clear the cache.
Zig caches every build globally and per project, and neither clears itself
Zig keeps a global cache in ~/.cache/zig and a .zig-cache in each project. How big they get and how to clear them safely.
Carthage keeps built frameworks in every project and a shared cache on top
Carthage builds dependencies into each project's Carthage folder and caches downloads globally. How to find old projects' builds and clear the cache.
Poetry keeps a virtual environment for every project, and they stay after the project is gone
Poetry stores its package cache and every project's virtualenv in your Library by default. How to list them, remove stale ones and clear the cache.
Every tool installed with pipx gets its own full Python environment
pipx isolates each command-line tool in its own virtualenv, which is safe and not small. How to see where pipx keeps them and remove tools you stopped using.
Neovim's plugins are small. The language servers Mason installs for them are not
Mason downloads language servers, formatters and debuggers into your Neovim data folder, some of them hundreds of MB. Where they are and how to prune.
Downloaded Swift toolchains sit beside Xcode's own, and each is over a gigabyte
Toolchains from swift.org or swiftly install to a Toolchains folder, one per version. How to find them, see which is active, and remove old ones.
Rosetta keeps translated copies of every Intel app you have run. How much, and what to do
On Apple silicon, Rosetta caches translated Intel code in a protected system folder. What it costs, how to see which apps need it, and why not to delete it.
Two or three Xcodes side by side is common. Each one is 10 GB or more
Keeping a beta and a release, or old Xcodes for older projects, multiplies the biggest app on a developer Mac. How to find them all and remove safely.
Where a podcaster's Mac fills up: raw tracks, project files and video versions
An hour of multitrack audio is a few GB, video podcasts are far more. What each format costs, where editors keep their caches, and what to archive.
An architect's Mac fills with models, backups, textures and renders
BIM and CAD projects keep automatic backups, texture libraries and render output that grow fast. Where the space goes and how to set up storage that lasts.