Saved Application State is why apps reopen your windows, and it grows
macOS stores a snapshot of open windows and documents for every app. What is in the folder, what deleting it does, and when that is the fix.
When an application reopens with the windows you left, that is not the app being clever. macOS wrote a snapshot of its window state to disk when you quit, and the folder of those snapshots is one of the more mysterious entries in Library.
What is there
du -sh ~/Library/Saved\ Application\ State 2>/dev/null
du -sh ~/Library/Saved\ Application\ State/* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -10One folder per application, named by bundle identifier, each holding a small set of files describing windows, documents and scroll positions. Individually they are tiny. Collectively, on a Mac that has run hundreds of applications over years, the folder is larger than you would guess, and much of it belongs to software you no longer have.
When deleting it is genuinely the fix
Three situations, and they are the reason most people arrive here:
- An app reopens a document you deleted, every launch. Its saved state is stale.
- An app opens to a window positioned off screen after a monitor change.
- An app crashes on launch and only on launch. Restoring a bad window state is a classic cause.
Removing that one app's folder resolves all three, and the only consequence is that the app opens fresh next time.
rm -rf ~/Library/Saved\ Application\ State/com.example.app.savedStateTurning the behaviour off
System Settings, Desktop and Dock has an option to close windows when quitting an application. With it on, far less state is written. Whether that is an improvement depends entirely on whether you like apps reopening where you left them.
Leftovers from apps you removed
Folders here for applications that are no longer installed are pure debris, and they are one of the many small traces an uninstall leaves behind. They are safe to remove and, individually, not worth much space. The reason to know about them is that they help you audit what an app actually left.
Common questions
What is the Saved Application State folder on a Mac?
It is where macOS stores each app's window and document state so it can reopen where you left it. There is one folder per application, named by bundle identifier, in ~/Library/Saved Application State.
Is it safe to delete Saved Application State?
Yes. The only effect is that applications open fresh rather than restoring their previous windows. Documents and settings are stored elsewhere and are not affected.
Why does an app keep reopening a file I deleted?
Because its saved state still refers to that document. Removing that app's folder from Saved Application State clears it, and the app opens clean next time.
How do I stop macOS saving window state?
In System Settings, Desktop and Dock, turn on the option to close windows when quitting an application. Much less state is written, at the cost of apps no longer reopening where you left them.