How to see folder sizes on a Mac and what takes up space
Updated
To see folder sizes in Finder, switch to List view, press ⌘J to open View Options, and turn on "Calculate all sizes". For a single folder, select it and press ⌘I (Get Info) to see its size.
Finder gives you numbers but no picture of where the space goes. Haemil Explorer's "Analyze Disk Space" draws the whole folder as a treemap, with blocks sized by how much space they take, so large folders, large files, caches and developer folders stand out at once. It is a Pro feature, and you can try it free for the first 14 days.
Show folder sizes in Finder
- Open the folder and choose View › as List (⌘2).
- Press ⌘J to open View Options.
- Turn on "Calculate all sizes". Folder sizes appear in the Size column. Click the Size column header to sort by size.
- To use the same settings for other folders, click "Use as Defaults" at the bottom of View Options.
With the option off, folders show "--" in the Size column. Large folders take a while to add up.
For one folder, select it and press ⌘I. The Get Info window shows its size.
What the Storage settings show
Apple menu › System Settings › General › Storage shows usage by category, such as Applications, Documents and Photos, with recommendations. Click the Info button next to a category to review and delete its files.
Because it groups by category, this screen does not tell you which folder is large. Apple describes "System Data" as a general category for files that do not fit the other categories (support.apple.com/en-us/102624).
Use Terminal
In Terminal, go to the folder you want to check (cd folder) and run this command. It lists the folders directly inside, largest first.
du -h -d 1 2>/dev/null | sort -hr
The command only reads. It skips folders you have no permission for, and its totals leave those out.
See it all at once with Haemil Explorer
- Choose "Analyze Disk Space" from the ⋯ menu, or right-click a folder or disk and choose "Analyze Disk Space".
- A new tab shows that folder as a treemap. Use "Location to scan" in the top bar to switch between your home folder, the whole volume and the open folder.
- Click a block to zoom into that folder. Press ⌫ or ⌥← to step back out.
- The cards on the right list file types, the largest folders and the largest files.
File types first pick out caches, developer folders (node_modules, .git, DerivedData and so on), the Trash, virtual machines and containers, and app data. Everything else is grouped by extension, such as applications, code, media and documents.
Analyze Disk Space is a Pro feature, and you can try it free for the first 14 days.
Cleaning up what you find
Right-click a block and choose "Show in Explorer" to open that folder. Go back and you return to the same map without scanning again.
"Move to Trash" moves files to the Trash instead of deleting them, and ⌘Z puts them back. As Apple notes, the space only comes back after you empty the Trash.
iCloud files and protected folders
Analyze Disk Space reads file information only. It does not download files that are only in iCloud.
Without Full Disk Access it skips protected folders such as Mail and Messages. Before scanning a whole volume, check access under ⋯ › Check Permissions….
Finder and Haemil side by side
| Task | Finder and macOS | Haemil Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Size of one folder | ⌘I (Get Info) | Current folder size in the Analyze Disk Space top bar (Pro) |
| Largest folders first | List view › Calculate all sizes › sort by Size | Largest folders and largest files cards (Pro) |
| Where the space goes, at a glance | Storage settings (by category) | Treemap (Pro) |
| Remove what is large | Move to Trash | Move to Trash, undo with ⌘Z |
FAQ
Why is "System Data" so large?
Apple describes System Data as a general category for files that do not fit the other categories. Scanning the whole volume in Haemil groups caches, virtual machines and containers, and app data separately, which helps you see what is large. The two screens sort files differently, so the numbers will not match exactly.
Finder shows "--" instead of a folder size.
"Calculate all sizes" is off for that List view. Press ⌘J and turn it on.
Does Analyze Disk Space delete anything?
No. Scanning only reads file information. Files move to the Trash only when you choose "Move to Trash", and ⌘Z undoes it.