---
id: mac-storage-basics.how-do-i-clean-up-conda
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-clean-up-conda
category: "Mac storage basics"
subcategory: "Programming languages and toolchains"
question: "How do I free space used by conda or Anaconda?"
alt_questions:
  - "conda clean all"
  - "anaconda taking space mac"
  - "remove conda environment"
  - "conda pkgs folder large"
  - "miniconda disk usage"
  - "conda env remove"
short_answer: "Run conda clean --all to drop cached packages, list environments with conda env list, and remove unused ones with conda env remove -n plus the name."
tags: ["conda", "python", "developer"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-delete-unused-python-virtual-environments", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-remove-old-node-python-or-ruby-versions"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How do I free space used by conda or Anaconda?

Conda keeps downloaded package archives and every environment you create.

- `conda clean --all` removes cached package files and unused packages — safe, and often frees a lot.
- `conda env list` shows your environments; `conda env remove -n` followed by a name deletes one you no longer need.

If you installed the full Anaconda distribution but only use a few packages, a minimal installer with just what you need takes far less space. Plain virtual environments are covered in [deleting unused virtual environments](https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-delete-unused-python-virtual-environments).