Where Does CoreSimulator Store iOS Simulator Data?
Simulator devices live in ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices, one UUID folder per simulated iPhone or iPad.
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Every iOS Simulator device is a folder named after a UUID inside the CoreSimulator Devices directory. App containers, media and settings for that virtual phone all nest underneath.
The folder is also famous for its appetite. Old runtimes and dead devices pile up across Xcode upgrades, and tens of gigabytes there is normal. The safe cleanup runs through Xcode or xcrun, not the trash can.
Where Xcode Simulator stores this, by platform
~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Devices
One UUID folder per device, with data/Container/Data/Application holding installed apps. Delete stale devices with xcrun simctl delete unavailable instead of removing folders by hand.
Frequently asked questions
how do i free disk space used by ios simulators
Run xcrun simctl delete unavailable to remove devices for runtimes you no longer have. That reclaims gigabytes safely. Manual deletion inside Devices corrupts the device registry.
where are simulator app files stored
Under Devices/<UUID>/data/Container/Data/Application/<app-UUID>. Each installed app gets its own UUID folder per device, mirroring a real iPhone layout.
can i delete the coresimulator folder entirely
It regenerates on next simulator launch, but you lose every virtual device and its data. Prefer deleting unavailable devices so the simulators you still use survive.
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