Relocated Items: what an upgrade could not put back
macOS creates it when an install or migration cannot return files to where they were. What is inside, and how to decide what to keep.
After a macOS upgrade or a migration, an alias called Relocated Items appears on the Desktop or in the Shared folder. It is macOS telling you that some files could not be returned to where they were, usually because their original location is now protected.
What is actually in there
| Item | What it means |
|---|---|
A Security PDF | Apple's explanation of why the folder exists. Safe to delete |
| Configuration files | Things from /etc, /var or /usr that the installer could not restore |
| Startup items and old extensions | Software from before the current security model |
| Personal files | Rare, and the reason to look rather than assume |
Find it and weigh it
du -sh "/Users/Shared/Relocated Items" 2>/dev/null
# What is inside, largest first
du -sh "/Users/Shared/Relocated Items"/* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -20
# Anything in there modified in the last year, which is the interesting set
find "/Users/Shared/Relocated Items" -type f -mtime -365 2>/dev/null | head -20Deciding what to do with it
- Open it. It takes a minute and it is the only way to know which case you are in.
- Ignore the Security PDF. It explains the folder and nothing more.
- Treat configuration files as history. Anything that was reconfigured by the upgrade has already been replaced by a working version.
- Copy out anything personal before removing the rest.
- Drag the folder to the Trash when you are done. It goes to the Trash like anything else, so the decision is reversible until you empty it.
A machine that has been carried forward through several upgrades collects more of this than one set up fresh, along with other things nobody chose to keep. What not to migrate to a new Mac covers that properly, and old user accounts is the other folder that survives migrations unnoticed.
If several people use the Mac, the Shared folder itself is worth the same look, since it is the one place everybody can write to and nobody owns: shared storage on a family Mac.
Common questions
What is the Relocated Items folder on a Mac?
A folder macOS creates during an upgrade or migration for files it could not return to their original locations, usually because those locations are now protected. It appears in /Users/Shared with an alias on the Desktop.
Can I delete Relocated Items?
Yes, once you have looked inside. It normally holds old configuration files and a Security PDF explaining itself. Copy out anything personal first, then move it to the Trash.
How big is the Relocated Items folder?
Usually tiny. Measured on a Mac in September 2026 it was 1 MB. It can be much larger after a migration from an old machine, which is why it is worth checking rather than assuming.
Why did Relocated Items appear after an update?
Because the installer found files in places that the current version of macOS protects, and moved them somewhere writable rather than discarding them.