What Are Relocated Items on Mac – Is it Safe?

After the macOS Monterey update, many users noticed a mysterious folder known as Relocated Items on their Macs. This folder showed up automatically after the update. When you open the folder for the first time, you will see a Configurations file and a text file named “what are relocated items?” which explains the reason for this folder and its function.

Relocated Items on Mac are the files that need a new location since they are no more compatible with the current security settings of your Mac. Hence these files are collectively stored in this folder. You can permanently remove these files from your Mac if you do not need them. To locate the folder, go to Finder and open Macintosh HD. Then, open Users > Shared. Here you will find the Relocated Items Folder.

This article details what this folder is for and whether it is safe or not. Keep reading to find out more. 

What Are Relocated Items on Mac- Is it Safe?

Apple checks and reviews all the data on your Mac when you update the OS to a newer version to ensure that all files are authorized, are in their designated locations, and are valid.

When you update the macOS to a newer version, some files might be incompatible with the newer software; these files are placed inside the Relocated Items folder. Moreover, you might also find modified data or any files that Mac needs help with inside this folder. 

This folder is completely safe and has nothing to worry about. You can open the PDF file containing the explanation for the Relocated Folder to have a more in-depth understanding.

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Is it Possible to Delete The Relocated Folder?

Some files stored here might take up precious space on your internal hard drive. So is it safe to delete this folder, or will it cause a system issue if it is deleted?

The answer is yes; you can delete the relocated folder. However, it would be wise to go through the contents of the files before doing that. Check for anything that you think is important and remove it from the folder before deleting it.

How to Find the location of the Relocated Items on Mac?

You might have heard of users talking and discussing the relocated Items folder on Mac. But you don’t know where this folder is and how to access it. Here are some methods and steps you can apply to find the location of this folder.

After this, whether you wish to delete this or not is up to you, and you can do it accordingly. Let us look at the methods to locate this folder on your Mac.

1. Using Spotlight Search

The first method you can go with is using Spotlight Search. It is the most useful feature on any Mac and comes in handy, especially when looking for folders or any files anywhere in the system. With a simple search, you can also find the Relocated Items folder. Here is how you can do it.

• Press Command + Space on your keyboard to open Spotlight Search.
• Now, enter Relocated Items on the search option.

You can now select the right folder on the option given to you. Some of the users might find the name Previously Relocated Items on their system, which denote the same meaning.

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2. Using Finder

Lastly, we have the good old manual option, which will directly take you to the location of that Relocated Items folder. For this, you might have to follow specific steps, so be careful.

• Open Finder from the Dock menu below.
• Now, under the Locations menu option, click on Macintosh HD.

• Besides the list of folders, open Users.

• Next, double click on the Shared folder and open it.

Here, you will find the Relocated Items Folder you are looking for.

After opening the folder, you will find everything you need to know about the folder and learn more about it.

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How to Delete Relocated Items Folder on Mac?

The Relocated Items folder is located on the desktop by default on mac, so deleting it will only delete the shortcut created on the desktop; you need to go to the parent file and delete it from there to remove it permanently. Refer to the steps provided below to see how it is done.

• Launch a Finder window from the dock and select your Mac under the locations section on the sidebar. 
• Click on your hard disk, then Users>Shared>Relocated Items. 
• Here you will find all the main files you want to delete. 
• Hit the Command-A shortcut to select all the files or hold down the Command key to choose some of them selectively. Use the two-finger gesture to open the contextual menu and click on Move to Trash. You can also drag and drop the files into the trash bin.

• Now, open the bin and empty the trash.

This is how to delete relocated items on mac.

Conclusion

That’s it for this article, folks; now you know what relocated items are on Mac and whether you’d want to remove them from your system. We hope this article helped resolve the issue that you were facing. These relocated items folder on Mac are not very important, as you might have already understood, based on the purpose of creating this folder.

If you feel that they are taking up way too much space, you can immediately remove them from your system. Or else, you can choose to keep them since they cause no harm whatsoever.

Remember that these files serve no purpose if your Mac runs properly and has no problems; only specialized technicians know how to extrapolate the information within these log files.

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