How to find and delete every node_modules folder on Mac

Updated September 2026 · 4 min read

Every JavaScript project carries its own node_modules, often 300 MB to 2 GB. Across years of side projects, that adds up to tens of gigabytes you'll never use again.

1. Find them all, with sizes

find ~/Developer -name node_modules -type d -prune -exec du -sh {} + | sort -h

Replace ~/Developer with wherever you keep your code. -prune stops find from descending into nested node_modules, which keeps it fast.

2. Delete one project's node_modules

rm -rf ~/Developer/old-project/node_modules

Run npm install (or pnpm install, yarn, bun install) in that project to get it back.

3. Or use an interactive tool

npx npkill

npkill lists every node_modules below the current folder and lets you delete them one keypress at a time.

Deleting with rm -rf or npkill bypasses the Trash. Make sure the project isn't one you're about to run.

Don't forget the package manager caches