# Can I delete macOS swap files and the sleepimage?

- URL: https://moreroom.app/folders/system-swap
- Item: Swap and sleep image
- Location: `/System/Volumes/VM`
- Verdict: Keep — your data — Your data. Shrink it from its app; don’t delete the folder.
- Comes back on its own: yes
- Source: MoreRoom rules catalogue (2026-10-17), by Yando Pte. Ltd.

## What is it?

When memory runs short, macOS writes inactive memory to swap files. On macOS 11 Big Sur and later they live on the hidden VM volume (`/System/Volumes/VM`); the older location `/private/var/vm` may still hold the `sleepimage`, which keeps the contents of memory for safe sleep on Intel Macs. Swap is often zero or a few GB, more under heavy load or when an app uses far more memory than it should.

## What happens if you delete it?

macOS creates swap files as needed and removes them as memory frees up; a restart clears them.

## How to remove it properly

Never delete these files by hand: the system uses them while running, and removing them can crash apps or the Mac. To reduce swap, quit memory-hungry apps and browser tabs, then restart. If swap keeps growing, check the Memory tab of Activity Monitor for an app using far more memory than expected.