Huge private folder file 2g

[Sogo]

I used "whate size" to find out what i could delete off my computer. Now, i have used it a couple of times and have yet to see my private folder so big.
The location of the big file is under /private/var/vm/swapfile5 which is 1g.

Now there are other swap files with smaller sized. Namley 512, 256,128, 64, and 64 again. Now how would i go about getting rid of them? Do i simply delete the file?

I think i recall someone else haveing this problem long ago, but hell if i can find it. Also, am i crazy to think that i have not seen this before? Or did i see it and not acknowledg it? sigh...

 

[elisha cuthbert]

restart your computer

 

[mad jew]

Of course, they'll just build up again after the restart. It's an area of your hard drive used by the system to ensure everything runs relatively quickly. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[gekko513]

Some more explanation for you. It's virtual memory (that's why it says vm). They're the files where your Mac stores the memory that it can't fit in RAM. Don't delete them, if you manage to do that, your computer will most likely kernel panic.

Like the others say, they will go away with a restart and then start to build up again if you use the computer extensively. The more applications you have running at the same time, the larger these files will get.