• Xcode
  • Developer

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.

4 min read

Xcode includes its own Swift. If you have also installed snapshot or release toolchains from swift.org, or used swiftly to manage versions, each is a separate .xctoolchain bundle, typically 1 to 3 GB.

du -sh /Library/Developer/Toolchains/* ~/Library/Developer/Toolchains/* 2>/dev/null
swiftly list 2>/dev/null

Which one is in use

xcrun --find swift
swift --version

If that points inside Xcode, the extra toolchains are not being used by default.

Remove old ones

# With swiftly
swiftly uninstall 5.10.1

# Installed by package, remove the bundle
sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/Toolchains/swift-5.10-RELEASE.xctoolchain

Check the exact folder name first. The swift-latest.xctoolchain entry is usually a link to one of them.

Xcode itself: multiple Xcode versions. Package caches: Swift Package Manager.

Common questions

Where are Swift toolchains installed on a Mac?

In /Library/Developer/Toolchains or ~/Library/Developer/Toolchains, as .xctoolchain bundles.

How big is a Swift toolchain?

Typically 1 to 3 GB per version.

Can I delete Swift toolchains I downloaded?

Yes, if your projects use Xcode's built-in Swift. Remove them with swiftly or by deleting the .xctoolchain bundle.

Read next