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How do I clean up the Downloads folder on my Mac?

~/Downloads

By Parsa Nasirimehr

Sort it by size and by date, delete installers for apps you've already installed, and move anything you want to keep into Documents. macOS needs nothing in Downloads; everything there is yours, so check before you delete.

How big it gets

On the Mac we measured, one Mac on macOS 27: 209 MB, of which 176 MB hadn't changed in 3 months and 16 MB was disk images of apps already installed.

What it is

What writes itSafari, Chrome and other browsers, AirDrop, and Mail or Messages when you save an attachment.
The usual bulkInstallers (.dmg, .pkg, .zip) for apps you've installed, videos, and old documents you downloaded once.
DatesFinder's Date Added column shows when a file arrived, and Date Last Opened whether you ever opened it.
Comes back?No. Only what you download again.

How to clear it

  1. Open Downloads in Finder, choose View › as List, then View › Show View Options and turn on Date Added, Date Last Opened and Calculate all sizes.
  2. Click Size to sort, and move installers for apps you've already installed to the Trash.
  3. Move what you want to keep into Documents or another folder, then delete the rest.

What you lose: Only what you delete. The Trash keeps it until you empty it.

With Scrubs: Scrubs's Quick Wins lists installers in Downloads as safe to clear, and files you haven't changed in 3 months under Worth a look, with Show in Finder so you can check them first. Download Scrubs; scanning is free.

Related folders

macOS installersCan I delete the Install macOS app in Applications?Mail dataWhy does Apple Mail take up so much space on my Mac?Messages attachmentsWhy is Messages taking up so much space on my Mac?

Sizes measured with du on 10 November 2026. Paths and commands apply to macOS 15 and later. See also how to free up disk space on a Mac.

About the author: Parsa Nasirimehr is a mobile app developer who builds Scrubs, a disk map for the Mac. Spotted something wrong? Write to support@getscrubs.app.