Time Machine Local Snapshots on Mac: How to See and Delete Them
Quick answer: Time Machine keeps local snapshots on your Mac's own disk between backups. List them with tmutil listlocalsnapshots / and delete one with sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots followed by its date. macOS also removes them automatically when it needs space, so you usually only need to act if you must free space immediately.
Local snapshots are counted under System Data and as purgeable space, which is why storage can look full even when your files are small.
What local snapshots are
When Time Machine is on, macOS saves point-in-time snapshots of your disk locally, so you can restore recent versions of files without your backup drive. Apple notes that they are kept for about 24 hours or until the space is needed. They are not your backup; they are a short-term safety net.
List your snapshots
Open Terminal and run:
tmutil listlocalsnapshots /Each line shows a snapshot name containing a date and time, for example com.apple.TimeMachine.2026-10-08-120000.local.
Delete a snapshot
Take the date part of the name and run:
sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots 2026-10-08-120000Enter your password when asked. Repeat for each snapshot you want to remove.
Thin snapshots to free a set amount
To ask macOS to free about 10 GB from snapshots, run:
sudo tmutil thinlocalsnapshots / 10000000000 4The last number is an urgency from 1 to 4. This is gentler than deleting everything.
Is it safe?
Yes, as long as you have a normal Time Machine backup or do not need to restore from a local snapshot. Deleting snapshots does not touch your files. Do not turn off Time Machine only to clear snapshots unless you also have another backup.
| Goal | Command |
|---|---|
| List snapshots | tmutil listlocalsnapshots / |
| Delete one snapshot | sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots <date> |
| Free about 10 GB | sudo tmutil thinlocalsnapshots / 10000000000 4 |
Related causes of a full disk
If snapshots are not the problem, see System Data Is Huge on Mac: How to Find What Is Using 100 GB or More and Mac Storage Full? A Complete Guide to Finding and Freeing Up Space.
FAQs
Why is Time Machine using space when my backup drive is disconnected?
Because it keeps local snapshots on the Mac.
Do local snapshots count as purgeable?
Yes, macOS can free them when it needs space.
How long do local snapshots last?
About 24 hours, or until macOS needs the space.