feather drive

how to free up space from final cut pro

by sumit paul · last updated october 31, 2026

to free up space from final cut pro, select the library in the libraries sidebar and choose file › delete generated library files, then delete render files, optimized media and proxy media. that's safe: your original footage isn't touched and render files are rebuilt as you work. for bigger savings, move the media itself out of the library with file › consolidate library media, import new footage with "leave files in place", and move finished libraries off the mac.

first, see what's using the space

in final cut pro, select the library in the libraries sidebar.
choose file › library properties (or press control-command-j). the inspector shows where media, cache and backups are stored. scroll down to the cache section to see how much space generated files take.
in finder, select the library file and press command-i to see its total size.

a final cut library is a package. you can look inside with show package contents, but don't delete things in there by hand; use final cut's own commands so the library stays consistent.

1. delete generated library files

this is the quickest win and it's safe.

select the library in the libraries sidebar.
choose file › delete generated library files.
tick delete render files and choose unused only or all. tick delete optimized media and delete proxy media too if you want that space back.
click ok.

apple's guide is clear that these commands delete render, optimized and proxy files only, never your original media. render files come back on their own as you play and edit. optimized and proxy media don't: if you still want them, regenerate them with file › transcode media. to clean up a single event instead of the whole library, select it and choose file › delete generated event files.

optimized media is often the biggest single item. it's full-size apple prores 422, so an hour of 4k at 30 fps is about 265 GB by apple's figures. if your mac plays the camera's own files smoothly, you may not need it at all. see how much storage video editing needs for the numbers per format.

2. delete clips, projects and events you don't need

select them and choose file › move to trash (command-delete), or file › move event to trash for a whole event. media stored inside the library goes to the finder trash with them, unless another project in the library still uses it. empty the trash to get the space back. after that it can't be undone, so be sure first.

3. move the media out of the library

if you imported with "copy to library", every clip is inside the library package on your mac's disk. you can move it out to an external drive:

select the library and open file › library properties.
next to storage locations, click modify settings. set media to choose… and pick a folder on your external drive. click ok.
with the library still selected, choose file › consolidate library media and pick original media.

apple's guide says that when you consolidate out of a library to an external folder, the files are moved, not copied. the library shrinks to the project data, and the clips stay linked from their new home. that drive then has to be connected whenever you open the library. in the same storage settings you can also move the cache (render files, waveforms, thumbnails) to another drive.

4. stop the library growing: leave files in place

when you import, the import window offers two choices under files: copy to library or leave files in place. leave files in place adds links to your clips instead of copying them, so a 100 GB shoot doesn't become 200 GB on your disk. drag-and-drop imports follow the default in final cut pro › settings › import, so set it there too.

the clips can live on an external ssd or a mounted drive. if that drive isn't connected when you open the library, the clips show as missing until it is.

5. archive finished libraries

delete generated library files first, so you're only moving what can't be rebuilt.
if the media is outside the library and you want one self-contained file, set media storage to in library and consolidate before you move it.
quit final cut pro, then drag the library in finder to an external drive or a cloud folder. open it from the new place to check it works before deleting the original.

apple says not to store active libraries in third-party cloud storage services, or in desktop and documents when icloud is syncing them. that's about working in a library, not keeping a closed copy: an archived library sitting in google drive or dropbox is fine, as long as you copy it back to a local or external drive before you open it again. more on that in final cut pro on an external drive or the cloud.

6. check the other places final cut uses

final cut backups in your movies folder. these hold only the library database, so they're usually small.
motion templates in your movies folder, if you've installed a lot of third-party titles and effects.
old exports, especially prores masters, which run to tens of gigabytes.

keeping footage in the cloud instead

if your footage already lives in google drive or dropbox, you can import it with leave files in place from a drive that streams it rather than syncing it. feather drive mounts google drive and dropbox in finder and fetches only the parts final cut reads, so the clips take no space on your mac. keep the library itself on your mac, and use proxies for heavy formats like prores. it needs an internet connection to open files, macos 26 or later, sees only files you put in it, and is a paid app with a 3-day free trial. google drive for desktop works for this too, but it downloads each clip in full when final cut opens it, which brings the space problem back. the step-by-step is in how to edit videos with your footage in the cloud.

common questions

is it safe to delete render files in final cut pro?

yes. render files are generated from your original media, and final cut pro rebuilds them as you work. deleting them never touches your source footage.

what happens if i delete proxy and optimized media?

your edit stays intact and plays from the original media. final cut pro doesn't recreate proxies or optimized media on its own; you have to generate them again if you want them.

why is my final cut pro library so big?

usually because media was copied into the library on import, and because of optimized media, proxies and render files. the cache section of library properties shows how much space generated files take.

can i delete the final cut backups folder?

you can, but it rarely saves much. apple says library backups contain only the library database, not media. they live in your movies folder by default.

how do i stop final cut pro copying media into the library?

choose leave files in place in the import window, or set it as the default in final cut pro › settings › import. final cut then links to the files where they are.