# Can I delete old Android SDK build-tools versions?

- URL: https://moreroom.app/folders/android-buildtools
- Item: Android build-tools versions
- Location: `~/Library/Android/sdk/build-tools` (items inside)
- Verdict: Review first — Might hold something you care about. Look inside before removing it.
- Comes back on its own: yes
- Official command: `sdkmanager --uninstall "<package>"`
- Source: MoreRoom rules catalogue (2026-10-17), by Yando Pte. Ltd.

## What is it?

Build-tools are the command-line programs the Android build uses to package and sign apps (aapt2, d8, apksigner, zipalign and others), installed one folder per version under `~/Library/Android/sdk/build-tools`. Each version is a few hundred megabytes at most, but they pile up over the years.

## What happens if you delete it?

If a project needs a version you removed, the Android Gradle plugin downloads it on the next build, or you can reinstall it from the SDK Manager.

## How to remove it properly

In Android Studio, open Settings › Languages & Frameworks › Android SDK › SDK Tools, tick Show Package Details and untick old versions; or run `sdkmanager --uninstall "build-tools;<version>"` in Terminal (permanent).