I saw a dyld folder on my Mac several days ago, I have never heard of such a folder so I am curious what this dyld folder is and what it is used for on my machine. Can I just remove it from my device to release available hard drive space?
Dyld is an abbreviation for dynamic link editor. Its function is to load dynamic frameworks, also known as dynamic libraries when the apps that require them start. These dynamic frameworks enable apps to access and use the code contained within them without the need to include the complete library in the application. This decreases the size of the application package.
dyld also links the code in the libraries within the application and maintains the names of variables and functions in libraries so that the program may access them. It is an essential component of macOS that enables apps to be more efficient and launch faster. Deleting it might result in major complications while attempting to utilize your Mac.
Why is the dyld folder so large?
The dyld folder contains hundreds of libraries which contain thousands of lines of code as well as other resources needed for applications to run. It also includes caches of those libraries so that applications launch more quickly. It’s not uncommon for the dyld folder to be several gigabytes in size.
Is it safe to delete the dyld folder?
In a word, no. The Library folder in which the dyld folder is housed is inside your Mac’s main System folder, which is protected by SIP — macOS’s system integrity protection designed to stop anything or anyone from tampering with the System volume. So, you can’t delete it without disabling SIP. That should be a clue as to whether or not it’s safe to delete it. If the reason you want to delete dyld is that it is taking up lots of space on your boot disk, there are lots of other things you can do to free up Macintosh HD space.
iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac wins tons of praise and comments for its perfection in scanning for junks files and removing them from your Mac with ease!
The Clean Junk feature of iBoysoft DiskGeeker is designed to scan the system drive usually labeled as Macintosh HD, Macintosh HD - Data, macOS, or macOS - Data for redundant data. It can find information and files no longer needed in the system cache, user logs, application cache, downloads, etc.
Files and folders will be listed with file names, modified dates, and sizes for users to select which files should be cleaned to free up the space of the system drive, improve Mac performance, and reduce the system crash risk.
Step 1: Select a volume from the startup disk usually labeled as macOS - Data, macOS, or Macintosh HD, or Macintosh HD - Data.
Step 2: Click “Clean Junk” from the toolbar.
Step 3: Select a folder from the left panel and select the files/folders you want to delete.
Step 4: Click “Clean” and then click “Ok”. You will fail to clean certain files if you don’t have permission to do so.