# Bun Install Cache on Mac: Safe to Delete?

> Bun keeps every npm package it has installed in ~/.bun/install/cache. You can clear it with bun pm cache rm; the next install downloads packages again.

- Updated: 2026-10-10
- URL: https://fresh.ist/caches/bun/

**TL;DR:** It's safe to delete. ~/.bun/install/cache is Bun's global package store, a copy of every package version it has fetched from the registry. Projects keep their own node_modules, so they still run. The next bun install in any project re-downloads what's missing, which is slower and needs a network connection. Use bun pm cache rm to clear it.

## Facts from the Freshist app

- Category in Clean: Bun Cache — "Package cache — future bun installs re-download packages."
- Location: `~/.bun/install/cache`
- Risk level: Medium risk — Safe to remove, but the tool that owns it re-downloads or rebuilds it on next use, which costs time and bandwidth. Listed, never pre-selected.
- Selected by default: no
- What Freshist does: Moves the selected items to the Trash, so you can undo. Nothing is deleted outright.

## What lives in the Bun cache

When `bun install` fetches a package from the npm registry, it unpacks it into a global store first: `~/.bun/install/cache/<name>@<version>`, according to the [Bun install docs](https://bun.com/docs/pm/cli/install). Every project on your Mac then installs from that store instead of the network. That's a large part of why a second `bun install` of the same dependency tree is close to instant.

The cache also holds registry metadata (package manifests) so Bun can resolve versions without asking the registry each time.

## Why it grows

Bun never deletes old versions from the store on its own. Each new version of each dependency in each project adds another folder. If you try frameworks, bump dependencies often, or have many repos with slightly different lockfiles, the store fills up with versions that nothing uses any more. A few hundred megabytes is normal after light use; heavy monorepo work can push it into gigabytes.

## What breaks, and what doesn't

On macOS Bun installs packages into `node_modules` with `clonefile`, which creates an independent copy-on-write copy. So deleting the cache doesn't pull files out from under existing projects.

| After clearing | Result |
|---|---|
| Existing `node_modules` folders | Keep working unchanged |
| Next `bun install` | Downloads every package that isn't in the cache, so it's slower |
| Offline installs | Fail until the packages are fetched again |
| `bun.lock`, `package.json`, global tools in `~/.bun` | Not touched |

You pay for it in bandwidth and in the time the next install takes, and that is all.

## Find the cache and its size

Run these from any folder with a `package.json`:

```sh
bun pm cache                        # prints the cache folder path
du -sh "$(bun pm cache)"            # total size
ls ~/.bun/install/cache | head      # sample of cached package@version folders
```

If you set `BUN_INSTALL_CACHE_DIR`, `bun pm cache` shows that custom path instead of the default.

## Clear it with Bun's own command

```sh
bun pm cache rm
```

That's the documented way to empty the store. The Bun docs also list `rm -rf ~/.bun/install/cache` as an alternative; it does the same thing, but the built-in command respects a custom cache location, so prefer it.

Close any running `bun install` first. To point a single install at a different cache folder instead, `bun install --cache-dir <path>` does that for one run.

## Should you clear it at all?

Keep the cache if you're about to work offline or on a slow connection, or if you switch between many projects that share the same dependencies. Clearing it every week buys nothing, since the store fills right back up. Clear it when you've finished a project or stopped using a set of frameworks.

Bun isn't the only package manager keeping its own copy of the npm registry. If you also use npm or pnpm, their stores are separate: see the [npm cache](/caches/npm/) and [pnpm store](/caches/pnpm/) guides, or the overview in [developer caches on Mac](/blog/developer-caches-mac/).

## Sources

- [Bun docs: bun install, cache and installation methods](https://bun.com/docs/pm/cli/install)
- [Bun docs: bun pm](https://bun.com/docs/pm/cli/pm)
- [Bun docs: bunfig.toml install.cache options](https://bun.com/docs/runtime/bunfig)

## Frequently asked questions

### Will my projects break if I clear the Bun cache?

No. On macOS Bun copies packages into each project's node_modules using clonefile, so the files there are independent of the cache. Existing installs keep working; only the next install has to download again.

### Does bun pm cache rm delete bun itself or globally installed tools?

No. The Bun binary lives in ~/.bun/bin and global packages in ~/.bun/install/global. The cache command only empties ~/.bun/install/cache.

### Can I put the cache somewhere else?

Yes. Set the dir option under [install.cache] in bunfig.toml (or the BUN_INSTALL_CACHE_DIR environment variable), and Bun stores its cache there instead.

---

Canonical page: https://fresh.ist/caches/bun/
Official site: https://fresh.ist/ (fresh.ist only)
Generated: 2026-10-10