Bottom Line: Exercise Caution. You should NOT delete the entire Application Support folder, but it is 100% safe to delete subfolders belonging to uninstalled applications.
What is the Application Support Folder?
Located at ~/Library/Application Support on macOS (and system-wide at /Library/Application Support), this directory is the Mac equivalent of Windows AppData\Roaming.
Mac apps use this folder to store critical operational data:
- Active Apps: Application preferences, saved session states, offline databases, and custom plugins (e.g. Steam game files, Chrome profiles, Adobe presets).
- Uninstalled Apps: Leftover support files from applications you uninstalled months or years ago.
When you drag a Mac app to the Trash, macOS leaves its Application Support subfolder behind, hoarding 10 GB to 50 GB+ of leftover storage clutter.
Can You Delete Application Support?
⚠️ Caution Required.
- Do NOT delete the whole directory: Wiping the main
Application Supportdirectory will reset all installed Mac apps to default factory settings. - Safe to delete orphan folders: Deleting subfolders for software you no longer use (e.g.
~/Library/Application Support/OldAppName) is completely safe and reclaims space.
How to Safely Clean Up Application Support
Method 1: Manual Inspection via Finder
- Open Finder.
- Press
Cmd + Shift + G, paste~/Library/Application Support, and press Enter. - Sort folders by size or name.
- Look for folders named after applications you already deleted or uninstalled.
- Move leftover app folders to the Trash.
Related Guides
- Learn about deleting macOS ~/Library/Caches.
- How to clean up macOS Diagnostic Reports.
- Check if you can clean Xcode DerivedData.
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