Xcode DerivedData: Where It Is, What It Does, and How to Delete It

Xcode's DerivedData folder grows silently in the background, often consuming 30-50GB or more. If you're an iOS or macOS developer wondering where your disk space went, DerivedData is likely the culprit.

This guide covers everything about DerivedData: where it is, what it contains, and how to safely delete it.

Where Is Xcode DerivedData Located?

DerivedData lives at:

~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/

To open in Finder:

open ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData

Or through Xcode:

1. Xcode → Settings (⌘,)
2. Locations tab
3. Click the arrow next to DerivedData path

What Is Inside DerivedData?

DerivedData/
├── MyApp-abcdefghijklm/        # Per-project folder
│   ├── Build/
│   │   ├── Intermediates.noindex/
│   │   └── Products/
│   ├── Index/
│   ├── Logs/
│   └── TextIndex/
├── AnotherProject-xyz123/
├── ModuleCache.noindex/         # Shared Swift modules
└── SymbolCache.noindex/         # Debug symbols

Per-Project Contents

Folder	Contents	Size Impact
Build/Products/	Compiled apps, frameworks	Large
Build/Intermediates/	Object files, partial builds	Very large
Index/	Code completion, search index	Medium
Logs/	Build and test logs	Small

Shared Caches

Folder	Contents
ModuleCache.noindex	Precompiled Swift modules
SymbolCache.noindex	Debug symbols for crash logs

Why Does Xcode DerivedData Get So Large?

1. Multiple Build Configurations

Each combination creates separate artifacts:

• Debug + iPhone 14 Simulator
• Debug + iPhone 15 Pro Simulator
• Release + Any iOS Device
• Debug + My iPhone

Four destinations = 4x the build products.

2. SwiftUI Previews

Every SwiftUI preview generates its own build. Heavy preview usage creates significant overhead.

3. Swift Module Cache

Swift caches compiled modules across projects. This cache grows with:

• Number of dependencies
• Swift version changes
• Xcode updates

4. Index Data

Xcode maintains searchable indexes for autocomplete and navigation. Large codebases = large indexes.

Typical Xcode DerivedData Sizes

Project Type	Single Project	Multiple Projects
Small app	500MB - 2GB	-
Medium app	2GB - 5GB	-
Large/Enterprise	5GB - 15GB	-
All projects	-	20GB - 50GB+

iOS developers commonly have 30-50GB in DerivedData.

How to Delete Xcode DerivedData

Method 1: Delete via Finder

rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/*

Or open in Finder and delete:

open ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData

Method 2: Delete Specific Project

# Find your project's folder
ls ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/ | grep "MyApp"

# Delete it
rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/MyApp-*

Method 3: Via Xcode Menu

1. Product → Clean Build Folder (⌘⇧K)

Note: This only cleans the current project's build products, not the entire DerivedData folder.

Method 4: Via Xcode Settings

1. Xcode → Settings (⌘,)
2. Locations tab
3. Click arrow next to DerivedData path
4. Delete folders in Finder

Method 5: Using Cluttered

Cluttered provides visual DerivedData cleanup:

1. See all Xcode projects with DerivedData
2. View size per project
3. Identify active vs dormant projects
4. Clean multiple projects at once
5. Trash-first deletion for safety

Is It Safe to Delete Xcode DerivedData?

Yes, always safe. DerivedData contains only generated files. Xcode recreates everything on your next build.

What Happens After Deletion

What You Lose	How It's Restored
Build products	Next build regenerates
Code index	Re-indexed on project open
Preview cache	Regenerated when previewing
Module cache	Recompiled from source

Symptoms That Deleting Fixes

Clear DerivedData when you experience:

• ❌ "Command SwiftCompile failed"
• ❌ Autocomplete not working
• ❌ Indexing stuck at percentage
• ❌ SwiftUI previews failing
• ❌ "Module not found" for existing modules
• ❌ Mysterious build errors after Xcode update

Many Xcode issues resolve after clearing DerivedData.

Other Xcode Caches to Clean

iOS Device Support

~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport/

Contains debug symbols for each iOS version you've connected. Can be 2-5GB per version.

Safe to clean: Versions you no longer test on.

# Check size
du -sh ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS\ DeviceSupport/*

# Delete old versions (e.g., iOS 15.x when you only need 17+)
rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/iOS\ DeviceSupport/15.*

Archives

~/Library/Developer/Xcode/Archives/

Every App Store submission creates an archive. Each can be 1-5GB.

Careful: Archives can't be regenerated. Only delete if you're certain you won't need them for debugging or re-submission.

Simulators

~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices/

Each simulator has its own disk image with installed apps.

# List simulators
xcrun simctl list

# Delete unavailable simulators
xcrun simctl delete unavailable

Total Xcode Disk Space Usage

Location	Typical Size	Safe to Delete?
DerivedData	20-50GB	✅ Yes
iOS DeviceSupport	10-30GB	✅ Old versions
Archives	5-30GB	⚠️ Careful
Simulators	10-50GB	✅ Unused
Total	45-160GB	-

Automating Xcode Cleanup

Shell Alias

Add to ~/.zshrc:

alias xcode-clean='rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/*'

Scheduled Cleanup

# Monthly cleanup (add to crontab -e)
0 0 1 * * rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/*

Caution: Aggressive—cleans active projects too.

Cluttered Pro (Recommended)

Cluttered Pro offers smart scheduled cleanup:

• Only cleans dormant projects
• Preserves active project caches
• Sends notifications before cleaning

Xcode DerivedData Best Practices

1. Clean After Xcode Updates

Major Xcode updates invalidate existing caches anyway. Clean DerivedData after updating.

2. Clean Monthly

Regular cleanup prevents extreme accumulation. 5 minutes monthly saves emergency situations.

3. Keep Active Project Caches

Don't clean projects you're actively working on. Rebuilding takes time.

4. Never Delete Archives Carelessly

Archives can't be regenerated. Keep them until you're certain you don't need them.

5. Clean Before Backups

Don't back up 50GB of regenerable data:

rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/*

Space Recovery Expectations

What You Clean	Space Recovered	Rebuild Time
Single project	500MB - 5GB	1-10 minutes
All DerivedData	10GB - 50GB	Varies per project
+ DeviceSupport	5GB - 20GB	Re-downloads as needed
+ Old Archives	5GB - 30GB	Cannot regenerate

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting DerivedData delete my source code?

No. Your source code is in your project folder. DerivedData only contains generated files.

Do I need to quit Xcode first?

Recommended but not required. Xcode handles missing DerivedData gracefully, but quitting prevents conflicts.

Will I lose my build settings?

No. Build settings are in your .xcodeproj or .xcworkspace, not DerivedData.

How often should I clear DerivedData?

Monthly for most developers. After Xcode updates. Whenever you experience mysterious build issues.

What about the ModuleCache folder?

The ModuleCache.noindex folder is shared across projects. Deleting it forces all projects to recompile Swift modules—takes longer but sometimes fixes cross-project issues.

Can I move DerivedData to an external drive?

Yes. In Xcode Settings → Locations, you can set a custom DerivedData location.

Conclusion

Xcode DerivedData is essential for fast builds, but dormant projects don't need gigabytes of cached artifacts. Regular cleanup of DerivedData, iOS DeviceSupport, and old Simulators can recover 30-80GB or more.

For visual, safe cleanup of Xcode alongside Node.js, Rust, Docker, and 9 other ecosystems, use Cluttered.

Download Cluttered free and see how much Xcode space you can reclaim.