Clean up Library folders?

[JarredWagner]

Hi. My system drive is almost full -

- about 150gb are in the two Library folders (root/library, user/library).

This is a Mac Pro that I have been using for 6 years since Leopard, never clean installing, always upgrading. There has to be some stuff I can get rid of. Is there any way to clean up of these folders? I would like to only clean install as a last resort, this is a production machine that I need for my work.

Thanks!

 

[Weaselboy]

First thing is that graphic is not showing the correct amount of space used per category because Audio is showing zero... and even with just the OS installed there would be some audio files showing there.

Run the command below in Terminal and wait for Spotlight to reindex, then those numbers will show correctly.

sudo mdutil -E /

Once that is done, install the app OmniDiskSweeper and look in the Application Support folders beneath both of those library folders you mentioned. You can delete anything in those folders from apps you no longer have.

Do a backup first just in case you mess things up.

Also, do a safe mode boot one time. That will erase any old cache files present.

 

[JarredWagner]

Thanks for the reply!

It looks like the majority of the root/library data is sample libraries for Logic and GarageBand which I think I can move.

The user/library data is this -

- does anyone know what this is? My best guess is iPhone backups. We back up to iCloud but every once in a while I do a local backup.

Any help would be great, thanks!

----------

Ok, I googled it, and it appears that the MobileSync folder is in fact local iOS backups.

 

[Weaselboy]

Thanks for the reply!

It looks like the majority of the root/library data is sample libraries for Logic and GarageBand which I think I can move.

The user/library data is this -

Image

- does anyone know what this is? My best guess is iPhone backups. We back up to iCloud but every once in a while I do a local backup.

Any help would be great, thanks!

----------

Ok, I googled it, and it appears that the MobileSync folder is in fact local iOS backups.

Yeah... if you don't need those loops etc from Logic and GB you can delete them.

And yes... those are iOS backups. Don't delete them from there though. Open iTunes and command-comma to preferences then go to the Devices tab. You will see all the backups listed there by device name and date/time. You can just delete the old ones from there.

Did the Spotlight reindex help with that space display?

 

[JarredWagner]

Yep, re-indexing corrected the space display. I deleted the backups from iTunes and am now back to a comfortable amount of space for the time being. Thanks again!