---
title: "What is the Caches/pypoetry folder on Mac? (Poetry (Python))"
description: "Caches/pypoetry belongs to Poetry (Python). What’s inside, how big it gets (500 MB – 15 GB), whether it’s safe to delete, and the right way to shrink it."
url: https://tidymac.space/folders/poetry-cache/
updated: 2026-10-16
---

[Home](/) [Folders](/folders/) Caches/pypoetry

# What is the Caches/pypoetry folder on my Mac?

It belongs to **Poetry (Python)**. Here’s what’s inside and the right way to deal with it.

SafeUsually 500 MB – 15 GBUpdated October 2, 2026By the Tidy Mac team

Short answer

Poetry caches package downloads and the virtual environments it creates for projects (unless your projects keep them in-project). The download cache is safe to clear. Virtual environments in it are recreated by poetry install.

**Location:** `~/Library/Caches/pypoetry`

## What’s inside

-   Package download cache
-   Project virtual environments (virtualenvs)

**Our verdict: Safe.** Your Mac or your apps recreate this automatically. Removing it won’t lose anything you made.

## The Poetry way

```
poetry cache clear --all pypi
```

`poetry env list` and `poetry env remove` handle environments for a project.

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

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## Frequently asked questions

Can I delete Caches/pypoetry?

Safe: Your Mac or your apps recreate this automatically. Removing it won’t lose anything you made. Poetry caches package downloads and the virtual environments it creates for projects (unless your projects keep them in-project). The download cache is safe to clear. Virtual environments in it are recreated by poetry install.

Where is Caches/pypoetry on my Mac?

~/Library/Caches/pypoetry. In Finder choose Go › Go to Folder and paste the path.

How big does Caches/pypoetry get?

Usually 500 MB – 15 GB.

## Keep reading

[What is miniconda3/pkgs · anaconda3/pkgs?conda (Anaconda, Miniconda)](/folders/conda-pkgs/)[What is .m2/repository?Maven (Java)](/folders/maven-repository/)[What is .cargo/registry?Cargo (Rust)](/folders/cargo-registry/)[What is go/pkg/mod?Go](/folders/go-module-cache/)

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#### On this page

[What’s inside](#whats-inside)[The Poetry way](#the-poetry-way)[FAQ](#faq)

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