What Is ~/Library/Services on Mac?
Your user folderUpdated
- Full path
~/Library/Services
- Scope
- Your user folderInside your home folder — one copy per user account.
- Freshist & this 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.
From Freshist's own cleaning rules — the same catalog the app uses.
Services and Quick Actions
macOS services let one app offer a command to others: select some text and send it to a notes app, resize a batch of images from Finder, or open a folder in a terminal. They show up in the Services submenu of the app menu, in Finder's right-click Quick Actions menu and the Preview pane, and on the Touch Bar of Macs that have one.
Most services in ~/Library/Services are Automator workflows saved as the Quick Action type (called Service in older versions of Automator). Each one is a .workflow bundle. Some apps also install their own .service bundles or workflows here so their commands appear system-wide. Apps that provide services from inside their own bundle don't need this folder at all.
Why the folder matters
| Item | Where it came from | What deleting it loses |
|---|---|---|
.workflow you built in Automator | You | Your workflow, unless you have a copy |
.workflow an app installed | An installer | Only that menu entry |
.service bundle | Third-party software | Only that menu entry |
These files are tiny, so this isn't a space problem. The reasons to look here are clutter in the Services menu, entries for apps you've removed that no longer work, and keyboard shortcuts that collide with other apps.
See what's there
Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts… and choose Services. Every service is listed by category, with a checkbox and an optional shortcut. To see the files:
ls -la ~/Library/Services
du -sh ~/Library/Services
To check what a workflow does before removing it, open it in Automator. It shows the actions in order without running them.
Removing or disabling a service
To hide a service but keep it, deselect it in the Keyboard Shortcuts list above.
To remove it:
- Quit any app that's using it.
- In Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder… and enter
~/Library/Services. - Move the
.workflowor.servicebundle to the Trash. - The entry usually leaves the Services menu right away. If it doesn't, log out and back in.
If you built the workflow yourself, consider copying it somewhere safe first. Unlike most of the Library folder, this is content you created, and nothing rebuilds it.
When you uninstall an app
An app that added its own workflow here doesn't remove it when you drag the app to the Trash. The leftover entry stays in your Services menu and fails when you choose it. Remove its file here, and check its Preferences and Application Support leftovers while you're at it. The scripts some sandboxed apps install for automation live in a different place, covered in the Application Scripts guide.
A shared /Library/Services folder exists for services installed for every account; changing it requires an administrator password.
Sources
- Use services in apps on Mac (Apple Support)
- Automator User Guide for Mac (Apple Support)
- Services Implementation Guide (Apple Developer Documentation Archive)
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn a service off without deleting it?
Yes. Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Services and deselect it. The file stays in place and the entry disappears from menus.
Are Shortcuts app shortcuts stored here?
No. Shortcuts keeps its library in its own database, and you manage those in the Shortcuts app. Only Automator workflows and installed service bundles live in this folder.
How do I edit an existing Quick Action?
Double-click the .workflow file, or open it from Automator. Your changes are saved back into the same file in ~/Library/Services.