If Spotify is quietly eating several gigabytes on your Mac, you are probably looking for the Spotify cache location on Mac so you can clean it up safely. The tricky part is that Spotify keeps at least two separate storage areas — one for temporary cache and one for offline downloads — and deleting the wrong folder will remove music you intentionally saved for offline listening.
The Exact Spotify Cache Location on Mac
Spotify on macOS uses two distinct paths depending on whether you installed it from the Spotify website (the standalone .dmg) or from the Mac App Store.
Standalone (downloaded from spotify.com)
This is the most common install. Spotify splits its storage between the standard macOS caches directory and its own application-support folder.
- Persistent cache (streaming buffer):
~/Library/Caches/com.spotify.client/PersistentCache/Storage - General cache & metadata:
~/Library/Caches/com.spotify.client/ - Offline downloads & prefs:
~/Library/Application Support/Spotify/
Mac App Store version
The sandboxed App Store build stores everything under a container path:
- Cache:
~/Library/Containers/com.spotify.client/Data/Library/Caches/com.spotify.client/ - Offline downloads:
~/Library/Containers/com.spotify.client/Data/Library/Application Support/Spotify/
Cache vs. Offline Downloads: Delete the Right Thing
Before you remove anything, understand what each folder actually holds.
| Folder | What it holds | Safe to delete? |
|---|---|---|
PersistentCache/Storage |
Streaming buffer — chunks of tracks you recently played so Spotify can resume quickly without re-downloading | Yes. Spotify rebuilds it automatically as you stream. |
~/Library/Caches/com.spotify.client/ (rest) |
UI assets, album art, search metadata | Yes. Rebuilt on next launch. |
Application Support/Spotify/ |
Offline-downloaded tracks (Premium), playlists, local preferences | Caution. Deleting offline tracks means re-downloading them; deleting prefs resets your settings. |
The bottom line: the PersistentCache/Storage folder is pure cache — it is safe to delete and Spotify will rebuild it. The Application Support/Spotify/ folder contains things you may have intentionally stored, so treat it with care.
How to Check the Size Before You Delete Anything
Run this in Terminal to see how large each location is without touching any files:
# Standalone install — cache size
du -sh ~/Library/Caches/com.spotify.client/
# Standalone install — Application Support size
du -sh ~/Library/Application\ Support/Spotify/
# App Store install — full container size
du -sh ~/Library/Containers/com.spotify.client/You can also open the folder directly in Finder. Press Command-Shift-G in Finder and paste the path — Finder will navigate there immediately.
Alternatively, Crumb's Visualize feature draws an interactive disk map of your entire Mac and highlights the exact com.spotify.client paths with their sizes, so you can see at a glance how much space each folder occupies before deciding what to remove.
How to Clear Spotify's Cache on Mac
Option 1 — Use Spotify's built-in setting (recommended)
- Open Spotify and go to Spotify > Settings (or press Command-,).
- Scroll down to Storage.
- Click Clear cache.
This is the safest method because Spotify only removes the streaming buffer and leaves your offline downloads and preferences intact.
Option 2 — Delete the cache folder manually in Terminal
If the built-in button is greyed out or you want more control, quit Spotify first, then run:
# Quit Spotify if it is running
osascript -e 'quit app "Spotify"'
# Remove only the PersistentCache (standalone install)
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.spotify.client/PersistentCache/Storage
# Or remove the entire Caches subfolder
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.spotify.client/Important: rm -rf is permanent. There is no Trash; the files are gone immediately. Double-check the path before pressing Return.
Option 3 — Change where Spotify stores its cache
Spotify lets you move the cache to a different drive — useful if you have a small internal SSD and a large external disk.
- Go to Settings > Storage > Offline storage location.
- Click Change location and pick a folder on the other drive.
- Spotify will use that path for all new cache going forward. Old cache at the original location can be deleted manually using Option 2 above.
How Large Does Spotify's Cache Get?
Spotify caps the local cache at a configurable limit (default is around 1 GB for free accounts; Premium users can set it higher in Settings). In practice, the PersistentCache/Storage folder commonly grows to 1–5 GB on machines that stream regularly. Add offline downloads on top and the total Application Support/Spotify/ folder can reach 10 GB or more for heavy Premium users with large offline libraries.
If you want a full picture of what Spotify — and every other app — is consuming on your Mac, download Crumb and run a Visualize scan. It surfaces the largest files and folders across your whole Mac, including per-app cache directories, without you having to remember each path manually.
Frequently Confused: What Happens to Offline Downloads?
Offline-downloaded tracks live inside Application Support/Spotify/ as encrypted blobs. Spotify encrypts them so they can only be played through the Spotify app — you cannot copy them elsewhere as standard audio files. If you delete that folder:
- All offline downloads are removed from your Mac.
- Your playlists and library remain intact in Spotify's cloud — you have not lost anything permanently.
- You will need to re-download any tracks you want available offline, which requires an active Premium subscription and an internet connection.
So clearing offline downloads is recoverable, but it costs time and data to restore. Clear the cache folder freely; be deliberate about the Application Support folder.
Keeping Spotify's Footprint Under Control Long-Term
- Set a cache size limit: In Settings > Storage, lower the cache size cap. 512 MB is plenty for most listeners.
- Audit offline downloads periodically: Remove playlists you no longer need offline. Each downloaded track occupies space even if you rarely play it.
- Run a cache sweep after major listening sessions: Long road trips, flights, or conference weeks can flood the cache. A quick clear afterwards keeps things tidy.
Summary
The Spotify cache on Mac lives at ~/Library/Caches/com.spotify.client/PersistentCache/Storage for standalone installs — that folder is safe to delete any time because Spotify rebuilds it automatically. Offline downloads live separately under ~/Library/Application Support/Spotify/ and should only be removed if you are comfortable re-downloading them. Use Spotify's built-in Clear cache button for the safest one-click approach, or use Terminal for more precise control. Either way, always quit Spotify before removing files manually.