---
title: "What is the com.apple.bird folder on Mac?"
description: "com.apple.bird belongs to macOS (iCloud Drive sync, “bird”). What’s inside, how big it gets, whether it’s safe to delete, and the right way to shrink it."
url: https://tidymac.space/folders/com-apple-bird/
updated: 2026-10-16
---

[Home](/) [Folders](/folders/) com.apple.bird

# What is the com.apple.bird folder on my Mac?

It belongs to **macOS (iCloud Drive sync, “bird”)**. Here’s what’s inside and the right way to deal with it.

Leave aloneUsually 100 MB – many GB (depends on your iCloud Drive)Updated October 2, 2026By the Tidy Mac team

Short answer

bird (com.apple.bird) is the macOS process that syncs iCloud Drive. Its folders hold the sync database and local copies of iCloud files. Don’t delete them by hand: you can lose files that haven’t finished uploading and force a full re-sync. To free space, let macOS remove local copies of iCloud files instead.

**Location:** `~/Library/Application Support/CloudDocs · ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.bird`

## What’s inside

-   iCloud Drive sync database (CloudDocs)
-   Local copies of iCloud Drive files
-   Upload and download queues

**Our verdict: Leave alone.** Removing this directly can break something. There’s a right way to shrink it.

## Free space safely

1.  Turn on **System Settings › \[your name\] › iCloud › Optimise Mac Storage**: macOS keeps recent files and removes local copies of older ones when space is low.
2.  Or, in Finder, right-click a large iCloud Drive folder and choose **Remove Download**. The file stays in iCloud.

## If bird is using lots of CPU

That means it is syncing. Leave your Mac awake and online until it finishes; restarting can help if it seems stuck.

![](/img/brand/tidy-128.png)

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## Frequently asked questions

Can I delete com.apple.bird?

Leave alone: Removing this directly can break something. There’s a right way to shrink it. bird (com.apple.bird) is the macOS process that syncs iCloud Drive. Its folders hold the sync database and local copies of iCloud files. Don’t delete them by hand: you can lose files that haven’t finished uploading and force a full re-sync. To free space, let macOS remove local copies of iCloud files instead.

Where is com.apple.bird on my Mac?

~/Library/Application Support/CloudDocs · ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.bird. In Finder choose Go › Go to Folder and paste the path.

How big does com.apple.bird get?

Usually 100 MB – many GB (depends on your iCloud Drive).

## Keep reading

[What is com.docker.docker?Docker Desktop](/folders/com-docker-docker/)[What is /private/var/vm (swap and sleep image)?macOS](/folders/private-var-vm/)

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#### On this page

[What’s inside](#whats-inside)[Free space safely](#free-space-safely)[If bird is using lots of CPU](#if-bird-is-using-lots-of-cpu)[FAQ](#faq)

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