Rust target Directory: Why It's So Large and How to Clean It

Rust's target directory can grow to 5-10GB per project. If you're working on multiple Rust projects, you might have 50GB or more consumed by target directories alone.

This guide explains what's inside target/, why it gets so large, and how to safely clean it.

What's Inside the Rust target Directory?

The target directory contains all Cargo-generated build artifacts:

target/
├── debug/              # Debug build artifacts
│   ├── deps/           # Compiled dependencies (largest)
│   ├── build/          # Build script outputs
│   ├── incremental/    # Incremental compilation cache
│   └── my-binary       # Your compiled binary
├── release/            # Release build artifacts
├── doc/                # Generated documentation (cargo doc)
├── package/            # Packaged crates (cargo package)
└── .fingerprint/       # Build tracking metadata

Where Does the Size Come From?

The deps/ folder is the main culprit:

Content	Why It's Large
Compiled dependencies	200+ transitive deps compiled to native code
Debug symbols	Debug builds include full symbol tables
Multiple versions	Different deps may require different versions
Incremental cache	Speeds rebuilds but consumes space

A typical web framework project's debug build exceeds 2GB just in deps.

Why Does Rust target Get So Large?

Multiple Build Profiles

Each profile has its own complete dependency tree:

target/
├── debug/      # cargo build
├── release/    # cargo build --release
├── custom/     # Custom profiles in Cargo.toml

Cross-Compilation Targets

Building for multiple platforms multiplies size:

target/
├── x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/
├── aarch64-apple-darwin/
├── wasm32-unknown-unknown/
├── x86_64-pc-windows-msvc/

Each target has its own complete build.

Cargo Workspaces

Workspaces share a single target directory—efficient for builds, but creates one massive folder.

Incremental Compilation

Rust caches partial compilation state for faster rebuilds. This cache grows over time.

Typical Rust target Directory Sizes

Project Type	Debug Build	Release Build	Total
CLI tool	1-2GB	500MB-1GB	2-3GB
Web server (Actix/Axum)	2-4GB	1-2GB	3-6GB
GUI app (Tauri/egui)	3-5GB	1-3GB	4-8GB
With multiple targets	5-10GB	2-5GB	7-15GB

Across 10 Rust projects, you could easily have 50GB in target directories.

How to Clean Rust target Directory

Using cargo clean (Single Project)

# Remove entire target directory
cargo clean

# Remove only release artifacts
cargo clean --release

# Remove specific package only
cargo clean --package my-crate

Find All Rust target Directories

# List all target directories
find ~/projects -name "target" -type d -prune 2>/dev/null

# Show sizes sorted by largest
find ~/projects -name "target" -type d -prune -exec du -sh {} \; 2>/dev/null | sort -hr

# Total size
find ~/projects -name "target" -type d -prune -exec du -sh {} \; 2>/dev/null | awk '{sum+=$1} END {print sum "GB total"}'

Delete All Rust target Directories

find ~/projects -name "target" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null

Warning: This deletes ALL target directories, including active projects.

Is It Safe to Delete Rust target/?

Yes, always. The target directory contains only generated files. Cargo recreates everything from source on your next build.

What Happens After Deletion

Action	After cargo clean
First compile	Full rebuild: 30 seconds to several minutes
Subsequent compiles	Incremental builds resume
Binary location	Regenerated in target/debug or target/release

If you're not actively working on a project, there's no reason to keep its target folder.

Using Cluttered for Rust Cleanup

Cluttered provides intelligent Rust cleanup:

1. Finds all Rust projects across your entire system
2. Shows target directory sizes at a glance
3. Identifies active vs dormant projects
4. Protects uncommitted work via git status checks
5. Trash-first deletion for easy recovery

Why Cluttered Is Better Than Manual Cleanup

Feature	cargo clean / find	Cluttered
Cleans single project	✅	✅
Finds all projects	Manual	✅ Automatic
Shows project activity	❌	✅
Checks git status	❌	✅
Trash-first deletion	❌	✅
Cleans Cargo cache too	❌	✅

Reducing Rust target Size

1. Use sccache for Shared Compilation

cargo install sccache
export RUSTC_WRAPPER=sccache

Shares compiled artifacts between projects, reducing per-project size.

2. Reduce Debug Symbol Size

In .cargo/config.toml:

[profile.dev]
debug = 1  # Reduced from default 2
split-debuginfo = "unpacked"  # macOS: smaller on-disk size

3. Clean Before Archiving

Before backing up or committing to version control:

cargo clean

Never store gigabytes of regenerable data.

4. Use Lighter Dependencies

Some crates compile faster and smaller:

# Instead of full tokio
tokio = { version = "1", features = ["rt", "macros"] }

# Instead of all serde features
serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }

Rust target vs Cargo Cache

Don't confuse them:

Location	Contents	Command to Clean
project/target/	Build artifacts	cargo clean
~/.cargo/registry/	Downloaded crates	cargo cache --autoclean
~/.cargo/git/	Git dependencies	cargo cache --autoclean

For complete Rust cleanup, clean both. See our Cargo cache cleanup guide.

How Much Disk Space Can You Recover?

Developer Profile	Rust Projects	Avg target Size	Recoverable
Hobbyist	5-10	2GB	10-20GB
Professional	10-20	3GB	30-60GB
Heavy Rust user	20+	4GB	80-100GB+

Most Rust developers recover 20-50GB from target cleanup alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting target affect Cargo.toml or Cargo.lock?

No. Those files are in your project root, not target/. They're never affected.

Will I need to re-download dependencies?

No. Dependencies are cached globally in ~/.cargo/registry/. Only recompilation happens.

Can I delete target while cargo is running?

No. Wait for builds to complete first. Deleting during compilation causes errors.

How do I clean a specific build target?

cargo clean --target x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu

Should I add target to .gitignore?

Yes, always. It's already in Rust's default .gitignore:

/target/

How often should I clean target directories?

Monthly for dormant projects. Active projects benefit from keeping the cache.

Conclusion

Rust's target directory is essential for fast incremental compilation, but dormant projects don't need 5GB build caches sitting idle.

Regular cleanup—whether with cargo clean, manual deletion, or Cluttered—should be part of your Rust development workflow.

Download Cluttered to automate Rust cleanup alongside 11 other development ecosystems.