deletingiosmacosxcode
I found that Xcode on my laptop consumes much of its storage, so I am trying to delete unnecessary files in Xcode.
There are four directories under Application/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/. I feel that WatchSimulator.platform and AppleTVSimulator.platform are not necessary, because I use Xcode almost only for basic iOS development.
I would like to know if I can delete those platforms directories directly?
Yes, it looks like it should be safe to remove /Developer if you have already installed version 4.3 or later of Xcode. The Xcode section of the Apple Developer Support Center actually tells you to do this (emphasis mine).
I've installed the latest version of Xcode from the Mac App Store, but a previous version of Xcode (4.2.1 or earlier) keeps launching. What should I do?
To run the latest version of Xcode, make sure you are launching Xcode.app from the Applications folder. Xcode 4.3 and later is packaged on the Mac App Store as a single application and installs in your Applications folder as Xcode.app.
Previous versions of Xcode placed the tools and frameworks in the Developer folder. You can delete the older version of Xcode by dragging the Developer folder to the trash.
Furthermore, as pointed out by bispymusic, /Developer no longer exists with Xcode 4.3. Specifically (emphasis mine):
The simplification afforded by repackaging Xcode 4.3 as a single app bundle eliminates the need for the
/Developerdirectory containing prior versions of Xcode. As a result, the Install Xcode application and theuninstall-devtoolscommand line script are also no longer needed.Note: The first time you run Xcode 4.3, you are prompted with a dialog to delete the Install Xcode application from the Applications directory if one is resident, and to remove any older installation of Xcode (Figure 4). These actions are optional, Xcode 4.3 can co-exist with older installations of Xcode on the same Mac. Some operations may require an administrator password to enable them if you switch from one version of Xcode to another.
Figure 4 Option to remove older versions of Xcode
If you choose not to delete these items on the first launch of Xcode 4.3, you can remove the
/Developerfolder and the Install Xcode application by dragging them to the Trash at any time.
You don't need both versions of Xcode in order to test with iOS7 and 8 simulators. With the latest version you will be able to test in both simulators. You just need to go to Preferences → Downloads and download the iOS 7.1 Simulator. Then you can define simulators with that version on your devices window.
Best Answer
Yes, you can delete any simulator that you don't use. I do this routinely when I stop supporting older iOS versions.
If you delete them and then you find that you need them at some point in the future, you can redownload them from Apple's developer site.
The best way to delete them is in Xcode. Go to
Window -> Devices and Simulators. This will open a new window with all the devices you use in Xcode.At the top, tap on
Simulatorsand you'll see a list on the left-side.From there, find the simulator you want to delete and Cntl - click (or right-click) and select
Delete.I do this with each simulator that runs in each iOS version that I no longer support.
Update July 2020: There's a free utility in the Mac App Store named DevCleaner for Xcode. This application can display and delete simulators and various caches. I've found it be a very quick and easy way to regain space. I'm not the developer or associated with this application in any way.