# Is it safe to delete Podman machine files on Mac?

- URL: https://moreroom.app/folders/podman-machines
- Item: Podman machines
- Location: `~/.local/share/containers/podman/machine`
- Verdict: Review first — Might hold something you care about. Look inside before removing it.
- Comes back on its own: no
- Typical size: 5–100 GB
- Official command: `podman system prune --all`
- Source: MoreRoom rules catalogue (2026-10-17), by Yando Pte. Ltd.

## What is it?

On macOS, Podman runs containers inside a Linux virtual machine. Its disk images live in `~/.local/share/containers/podman/machine`, and they hold all your Podman images, containers and volumes. Typically several GB to tens of GB.

## What happens if you delete it?

No. Deleting a machine’s disk loses its images, containers and volumes; `podman machine init` creates a new, empty one.

## How to remove it properly

With the machine running, `podman system prune --all --force` removes unused containers and images, permanently (volumes are kept unless you add `--volumes`). To remove a whole machine you no longer use, run `podman machine rm <name>`.