Understanding "AlchemisGenerationTask" on macOS

I have noticed many of the above "AlchemisGenerationTask" followed by a series of numbers.

--- what is this, and should I keep or delete?


Also, I happened across COMMAND F, with A LOT of 'files' under the headings ARCHIVE, FOLDER, IMAGE.

I have opened some of them and there is nothing there, not supported, or there is a picture e.g. s7_30.png (which is just 3 white squares and a green square with "1" in it, there are a lot of these 'PNG', and a lot more

files which appears to me to be junk or clutter?


Can anyone let me know what all this is? and if it is all necessary? what, if anything, can be cleared out, deleted.



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 15.3

Posted on Mar 31, 2025 10:23 AM

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Posted on Mar 31, 2025 11:00 AM

You should keep them. They are in your Library folder and everyone has them. There is no official meaning of the "AlchemistGenerationTask" files, just as with most System Files you will see on your computer. Since they are in a folder called PhotoAnalysis, that at least gives you a clue it is related to photos and it is also in a tmp folder so the contents will change frequently. They take up very little storage space, so removing them would not be a beneficial.


The s7_30.png file is in the News folder of your Library, so I would take the same approach there. This file is only 8Kb. You are not going to have any impact on your storage by deleting these minuscule files and the risk is that you are going to cripple your user folder and going to start seeing problems.


For regaining storage space, stick to these folders:

  • Application
  • Documents
  • Downloads
  • Desktop


The one location in the Library folder where I could see deleting any files is the Application Support folder, and would only recommend to delete folders there that specify a third party app that you no longer use. If you are unsure of a file, then do not delete it.


Stay away from any Cleaner apps such as CleanMyMac as those will cause you problems. There are other programs that simply identify the largest files on your computer, but for one you can do that simply by sorting Finder by size and two, you still need to be very careful about deleting any System or Library file.


Make sure you have a valid backup before you venture into any of these deletions as you may end up with a complete loss of data if your computer is unable to boot or you are no longer able to log in to your user folder.

5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 31, 2025 11:00 AM in response to shanilee5056

You should keep them. They are in your Library folder and everyone has them. There is no official meaning of the "AlchemistGenerationTask" files, just as with most System Files you will see on your computer. Since they are in a folder called PhotoAnalysis, that at least gives you a clue it is related to photos and it is also in a tmp folder so the contents will change frequently. They take up very little storage space, so removing them would not be a beneficial.


The s7_30.png file is in the News folder of your Library, so I would take the same approach there. This file is only 8Kb. You are not going to have any impact on your storage by deleting these minuscule files and the risk is that you are going to cripple your user folder and going to start seeing problems.


For regaining storage space, stick to these folders:

  • Application
  • Documents
  • Downloads
  • Desktop


The one location in the Library folder where I could see deleting any files is the Application Support folder, and would only recommend to delete folders there that specify a third party app that you no longer use. If you are unsure of a file, then do not delete it.


Stay away from any Cleaner apps such as CleanMyMac as those will cause you problems. There are other programs that simply identify the largest files on your computer, but for one you can do that simply by sorting Finder by size and two, you still need to be very careful about deleting any System or Library file.


Make sure you have a valid backup before you venture into any of these deletions as you may end up with a complete loss of data if your computer is unable to boot or you are no longer able to log in to your user folder.

Mar 31, 2025 12:31 PM in response to shanilee5056

Tips to keep your Mac running smoothly. Don't install any:

  • Cleaners
  • Optimizers
  • AntiVirus
  • VPN


There is a use case for a VPN when needed by an employer to "tunnel" into their servers, but as for "security" on a personal device, absolutely not.


And stick to using the App Store when possible for apps. Downloads from third party sites that require an Installer will often install files in your Launch Folders that are not removed when that app is deleted. This may lead to problems down the road when they become incompatible and no longer being updated and also will continue to use system resources and launch on startup. That is not true for all apps and some are responsible by just showing an image dragging the app to your Application Folder, it is the ones that run an installer to install files on all parts of your computer.


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Understanding "AlchemisGenerationTask" on macOS

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