macOS Core Dumps Folder (/cores)

Bottom Line: It is 100% safe to delete core dump files in the /cores folder. Deleting these crash dumps will not harm macOS or any installed applications.

What is the macOS /cores Folder?

Located at /cores in the root directory of your Mac drive, this hidden system folder is used by macOS (and BSD Unix) to save core dumps.

When a low-level system process or command-line utility crashes unexpectedly, macOS dumps the contents of process memory into /cores as a file named core.XXXXX (where XXXXX is the process ID). Because modern Mac RAM usage is large, a single core dump can be 1 GB to 8 GB+ in size.

Can You Delete Files in /cores?

✅ Yes, it is completely safe to delete.

• No system damage: Core dumps are purely diagnostic logs meant for developers debugging Unix C/C++ applications.
• Frees instant storage: Wiping old core.XXXX files reclaims lost SSD storage immediately.

How to Delete Files in /cores on Mac

Because /cores is located in the system root, hidden, and protected, you should delete its contents via Terminal.

Method 1: Clear Core Dumps via macOS Terminal

1. Open Terminal (Cmd + Space, type Terminal).
2. Run the following command to check if core dump files exist:

   ls -lh /cores

3. To delete all core dump files:

   sudo rm -f /cores/core.*

4. Type your Mac administrator password when prompted and press Enter.

Related Guides

• Learn about deleting macOS DiagnosticReports.
• How to clean up macOS ~/Library/Caches.
• Check if you can delete .Trashes on Mac.