# What Is ~/Library/Application Scripts on Mac?

> Application Scripts holds per-app folders where you can place scripts a sandboxed app is allowed to run. Most are empty and take almost no space.

- Updated: 2026-10-10
- URL: https://fresh.ist/library/application-scripts/

**TL;DR:** ~/Library/Application Scripts gives each sandboxed app a folder for user-installed scripts (AppleScript, Automator workflows, shell scripts) that the app may run but cannot write. Most folders are empty and use almost no disk space. Leftover folders from removed apps are harmless, and removing them is safe unless you put a script there yourself.

## Definition

- Full path: `~/Library/Application Scripts`
- Scope: user (inside your home folder)
- Freshist checks this folder when uninstalling an app. When you uninstall an app, Freshist looks here for items that belong to it. Matches on the app's bundle ID can be pre-selected; name-only guesses are labeled “not sure” and never pre-selected. Removed items go to the Trash, so you can undo.

## What this folder is for

When a Mac app runs inside the App Sandbox, it normally can't launch arbitrary scripts. Apple carved out one exception: the app may run scripts that *you* placed in its own folder under `~/Library/Application Scripts`. Developers reach that folder through `FileManager`'s `applicationScriptsDirectory` and run its contents with `NSUserScriptTask` and its subclasses for AppleScript, Automator and Unix scripts.

Apple's documentation is explicit about the direction of trust: a sandboxed application may read from this folder but not write to it. Because the user put the script there, macOS treats it as intentional and runs it outside the app's sandbox. That is how Mail rules can call an AppleScript, or how an automation-friendly app offers a "Run script" action.

## What you'll find inside

On a typical Mac the folder fills up with names in three styles:

| Folder name looks like | Usually belongs to |
| --- | --- |
| `com.developer.AppName` | A sandboxed app or one of its extensions, by bundle ID |
| `ABCDE12345.com.developer.shared` | An app group (Team ID prefix) shared by several apps |
| `1A2B3C4D-5E6F-…` (UUID) | An extension or system component macOS registered |

Size is the surprising part. One test Mac had 959 subfolders that together used effectively zero bytes, and none of them contained a file. Each folder exists so it's ready if you ever add a script.

## Why leftovers pile up

macOS creates the folder the first time a sandboxed app or extension is registered. Dragging the app to the Trash doesn't remove it, so the list only grows over the years. That's untidy but not costly.

## Inspecting it without changing anything

These commands only read:

```bash
du -sh ~/Library/Application\ Scripts
find ~/Library/Application\ Scripts -type f | head
```

The first shows total size; the second lists any actual script files. If `find` prints nothing, every folder is empty.

## Removing leftovers by hand

1. Confirm the app is uninstalled, or that you don't rely on any script you added for it.
2. In Finder, choose **Go → Go to Folder…** and enter `~/Library/Application Scripts`.
3. Move only folders whose bundle ID clearly matches the removed app to the Trash.

Leave UUID-named folders alone unless you can tell what they belong to. Folders for `com.apple.*` components belong to macOS. If you wrote a Mail rule script or an automation, check that it isn't inside the folder you're about to remove; keep a copy elsewhere first.

## When uninstalling an app

This folder matters less for disk space than for completeness. Its entries sit alongside the app's sandbox data in [~/Library/Containers](/library/containers/) and any shared data in [~/Library/Group Containers](/library/group-containers/), which hold far more. For the full picture of what an app leaves behind, see [how to uninstall apps on Mac completely](/blog/uninstall-apps-mac-completely/).

## Sources

- [NSUserScriptTask](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/foundation/nsuserscripttask), Apple Developer Documentation
- [NSUserAppleScriptTask](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/foundation/nsuserapplescripttask), Apple Developer Documentation
- [FileManager.SearchPathDirectory.applicationScriptsDirectory](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/foundation/filemanager/searchpathdirectory/applicationscriptsdirectory), Apple Developer Documentation
- [Implementing Script Attachment in a Sandboxed App](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/794355), Apple Developer Forums

## Frequently asked questions

### Why are there hundreds of folders with long random names in Application Scripts?

Folders named like 1A2B3C4D-… usually belong to app extensions or system components that macOS created a script folder for. Folders that start with a 10-character Team ID belong to app groups shared by several apps from the same developer.

### Can a sandboxed app put a script in this folder on its own?

No. Apple's documentation says a sandboxed app may read from its Application Scripts folder but not write to it. Scripts get there because you, or an installer you ran, placed them there.

### Will clearing Application Scripts free up space?

Rarely. The folders are typically empty, so a list of several hundred can still total a few kilobytes. Clean it for tidiness after an uninstall, not to reclaim storage.

---

Canonical page: https://fresh.ist/library/application-scripts/
Official site: https://fresh.ist/ (fresh.ist only)
Generated: 2026-10-10