Some Mac users have found that a directory called AppleInternal is sitting in the root of their Macintosh HD. The folder itself is empty, but is not removable through the typical means.
/AppleInternal is apparently used by Apple for internal development purposes, and thus likely has no benefit or reason to be installed on an average users Mac. Why it is included on some MacOS installations with new Macs (and apparently some reinstalls too) is a bit of a mystery, since these are not Apple employee computers.
If you attempt to delete /AppleInternal directly by dragging it to the Trash, you will find it’s not possible. Additionally, because /AppleInternal is usually an alias (technically a firmlink, which is sort of like a hard symlink but for APFS).
How to Remove /AppleInternal Directory from MacOS
To delete /AppleInternal from the Mac, you can open the Terminal application and issue the following command at the command line:
sudo rmdir /System/Volumes/Data/AppleInternal
Then, you can relaunch Finder, or reboot the Mac, and the /AppleInternal directory will no longer be there.
The existence of /AppleInternal on a non-Apple Mac is likely not a problem, but since it’s unnecessary for the average Mac user, some people want to remove it from their computer. Additionally, apparently the mere existence of /AppleInternal, even with nothing in it, can modify how apps like Xcode and the iOS Simulator function.
Did you find the /AppleInternal directory on your Mac? Did you remove it or are you leaving it be? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
