Right now, my printer drivers folder in /Library/Printers is taking up around 4 GB's. I am trying to clean it up and am wondering what is the best way to remove them? If they are removed, can they cause possible system problems? Thanks.
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How to remove unneeded printer drivers from Mac OS X
- Thread starter celticpride678
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I don't think it will cause any system problems, but you won't be able to print on those types of printers without re-installing the drivers. So be careful which ones you do delete.
While I don't recommend deleting drivers, if you are really desperate for the space, just delete the folders you don't think you'll need.
In the printers folder there are a bunch of folders named for the manufacturer of the drivers stored within them. If you don't need the drivers for that printer, delete them.
I have never done this before, so make sure you have a backup via time machine before you go deleting any drivers. I would hate to see you mess up your computer trying to free up HD space.
If you really need the HD space, before you go deleting drivers I would recommend running an app like monolingual. You can delete language files you don't need, as well as support for other processor architectures that you don't need. It is a lot safer, presumably, than deleting drivers.
In the printers folder there are a bunch of folders named for the manufacturer of the drivers stored within them. If you don't need the drivers for that printer, delete them.
I have never done this before, so make sure you have a backup via time machine before you go deleting any drivers. I would hate to see you mess up your computer trying to free up HD space.
If you really need the HD space, before you go deleting drivers I would recommend running an app like monolingual. You can delete language files you don't need, as well as support for other processor architectures that you don't need. It is a lot safer, presumably, than deleting drivers.
You know, it's funny because my friend just bought a macbook and is new to Mac OS and I just wanted to make sure where these files lived before showing him how to delete them but your advice is sound. Especially recommending Monolingual. Personally, I don't use printers at all so I have no use for printer drivers. The first time I deleted printer drivers under Leopard (2 years ago), I removed close to 6.5GB! This thread reminded me that I had not performed the removal under SL. I just shaved off another 1.8GB.
So to the OP, it's totally safe to remove them if you have no use for them like I do. The reason why Apple placed them there was for ease of use and simple plug and play. Your printer installation disc will install all necessary drivers pertaining to your specific printer.