How to delete Android emulators and system images

Each emulator (AVD) keeps its own data disk and snapshots, and each Android version you have tried leaves a system image in the SDK. Delete them through Android Studio or the SDK tools, not by hand inside the SDK folder.

These commands permanently delete files. Most are caches the tool rebuilds on its own (the next build or install is slower and may need internet). Anything that can hold data you cannot re-download is flagged on the page. Read each command, then copy and run it yourself. devdisk never runs cleanup commands for you.

Two places to look

Emulators (AVDs): ~/.android/avd on macOS/Linux, %USERPROFILE%\.android\avd on Windows (ANDROID_AVD_HOME overrides)
System images: <sdk>/system-images. Default SDK: ~/Library/Android/sdk (macOS), ~/Android/Sdk (Linux), %LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk (Windows)

Android Studio (easiest)

Device Manager → the ⋮ menu next to a device → Wipe Data (keeps the device, drops its data and snapshots) or Delete.

For system images: Settings → Languages & Frameworks → Android SDK → SDK Platforms → Show Package Details, then untick images you no longer use.

Command line

macOS / Linux (sdk/emulator and sdk/cmdline-tools/latest/bin on PATH)

emulator -list-avds
avdmanager list avd
avdmanager delete avd -n Pixel_8_API_34

sdkmanager --list_installed
sdkmanager --uninstall "system-images;android-34;google_apis;arm64-v8a"

Same commands on Windows (avdmanager.bat, sdkmanager.bat). Use the exact names from the list commands.

Don’t delete the SDK folder

Gradle builds need the platforms and build-tools inside the SDK. Remove old pieces with the SDK Manager. Gradle’s own cache is a separate topic: clear the Gradle cache.

Measure with devdisk

devdisk is a free, read-only scanner. It lists ~/.android/avd and the Android SDK under Review first, since emulator data may hold test accounts or app state you want. It never deletes anything; it only shows sizes and writes a cleanup script you read and run yourself.

macOS / Linux

curl -fsSLO https://disk.sadana.app/devdisk.py && python3 devdisk.py

Windows (PowerShell)

iwr https://disk.sadana.app/devdisk.py -OutFile devdisk.py; py devdisk.py

Run free scanner Sample report

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FAQ

Does deleting an AVD delete its system image?

No. System images are shared between emulators and live in the SDK. Uninstall them separately.

Wipe Data or Delete?

Wipe Data keeps the device definition but drops its data and snapshots. Delete removes the emulator entirely.

Does devdisk delete emulators?

No. It is read-only.