Mac storage basics · Developer tools

How do I free up space used by Homebrew?

Short answer: Run brew cleanup to remove old versions and downloads, brew autoremove for unneeded dependencies, and uninstall tools you no longer use.

Homebrew keeps old versions and downloaded files. Run:

  • brew cleanup — removes old versions and stale downloads.
  • brew autoremove — removes dependencies nothing needs any more.
  • brew list to review what's installed, then brew uninstall followed by a tool's name to remove ones you no longer use.

Homebrew also runs a periodic cleanup on its own, so a large cache usually means a lot of recent installs or upgrades.

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