How to find large files and folders on a Mac

The quick answer

Start with Storage settings if you just want a list of big documents. Use Finder search when you know roughly what you are looking for, like videos over 1 GB. Use Terminal when you want exact folder sizes, including hidden ones. Use a disk map when you have no idea where the space went and want to see everything at once.

Each method has blind spots. The sections below say what each one shows and what it leaves out, so you know when to move on to the next.

1. Storage settings

On macOS 13 and later, open System Settings > General > Storage. Wait for the bar at the top to finish calculating. Then click the info button (the small i) next to Documents.

You get tabs for Large Files, Downloads, Unsupported Apps and a File Browser. Large Files is a sorted list of single files, biggest first. You can select one and delete it from there, or reveal it in Finder.

What it misses:

• It lists files, not folders. A folder with 40,000 small files adds up to a lot of space but never appears in Large Files.
• It only covers your documents. App data, caches and most of what macOS calls System Data are summed up but not broken down. If that bar is the big one, read why System Data is so big.
• Deleting from this window removes files right away, without a stop in the Trash. Reveal in Finder first if you want a second look.

2. Finder search with a size filter

Finder can search by size, but the option is hidden. Here is how to turn it on:

1. Open a Finder window and press Command-F.
2. Click This Mac so it searches everywhere, not just the current folder.
3. Click the first menu (it usually says Kind) and choose Other….
4. Find File Size in the list, tick it, and click OK.
5. Set the rule to is greater than, type a number, and pick GB or MB.

Start with 1 GB. If that shows nothing useful, drop to 500 MB. Save the search with the Save button so it lives in the sidebar for next time.

For folder sizes, open a folder in list view, press Command-J and tick Calculate all sizes. Then click the Size column to sort. This works one folder at a time, so it is slow for hunting across the whole disk.

What it misses: Finder search uses the Spotlight index. Folders that Spotlight skips, including most of ~/Library, hidden folders like .npm or .docker, and anything you excluded in Spotlight settings, will not show up. Those are often exactly where the space is.

3. Terminal commands

Terminal sees everything Finder hides. These commands only read and print sizes. They do not change anything.

Show the size of each folder in your home folder, smallest to largest:

du -sh ~/* ~/.[!.]* 2>/dev/null | sort -h

Then go one level deeper into whatever came out on top, for example your Library folder:

du -sh ~/Library/* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -20

List every single file over 1 GB in your home folder:

find ~ -type f -size +1G 2>/dev/null

A few things to know before you trust the numbers:

• Give Terminal Full Disk Access in System Settings > Privacy & Security, or some folders will be skipped quietly because of the 2>/dev/null.
• du counts APFS clones once per copy. If you duplicated a 10 GB file in Finder, du says 20 GB, but the disk only used 10 GB. The duplicate files guide explains why.
• It is slow on a large disk and you have to repeat it folder by folder.

4. A disk map

A disk map scans the whole drive once and draws it. In a treemap every file is a rectangle, and the size of the rectangle matches the size of the file. Big blocks stand out right away, even when they are buried six folders deep in a place you never open.

This is the fastest way to answer the vague question of where the space went. You can see that one folder is half the disk, click into it, and keep going until you reach the files. Several free apps do this on a Mac. We compare them in free DaisyDisk alternatives.

What to look for in one:

• Full Disk Access support, so it can see your Library and other protected folders.
• Honest sizes for APFS clones and hard links, so copies that share space are not counted twice.
• A safe way to remove things, ideally to the Trash with a review step, not straight to permanent deletion.

Where large files usually hide

Once you can see sizes, these are the usual suspects on a Mac:

• Downloads. Old installers, disk images and zip files you already opened.
• Movies and screen recordings. A few minutes of 4K video can be several gigabytes.
• iPhone and iPad backups in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup.
• Developer files. Xcode DerivedData and simulators, node_modules folders, and the Docker disk image. See Xcode, node_modules and Docker.raw.
• Photos and Music libraries. These are single bundles in Finder, so they look like one file. Don't delete inside them by hand. Clean them up from the Photos or Music app.
• Caches in ~/Library/Caches. Some are worth clearing, many come straight back. The cache guide covers which is which.

How to choose a method

• You want a quick list of big documents: Storage settings.
• You are hunting a known type, like old videos: Finder search with a size filter.
• You are comfortable in a shell and want exact numbers: du and find.
• You don't know where the space went: a disk map.

Whatever you use, delete with care. Move things to the Trash first, check that nothing broke, then empty it. If your disk is already full and you need a safe order to work through, read Mac storage full: what to delete first.

Questions people ask

How do I see the biggest files on my Mac?

Open System Settings, go to General then Storage, and click the info button next to Documents. The Large Files tab lists single files from biggest to smallest.

How do I search for files by size in Finder?

Press Command-F in Finder, choose This Mac, open the first menu and pick Other, then enable File Size. Set it to is greater than and enter a size such as 1 GB.

How do I see folder sizes in Finder?

Open the folder in list view, press Command-J and tick Calculate all sizes. You can then sort by the Size column, one folder at a time.

Why doesn't Finder show everything taking up space?

Finder search relies on the Spotlight index, which skips hidden folders and most of your Library folder. Caches, app data and developer files there can be tens of gigabytes, so use Terminal or a disk map to see them.

What is the Terminal command to find large files on a Mac?

Run find ~ -type f -size +1G to list files over 1 GB in your home folder, or du -sh ~/* | sort -h to rank folders by size. Give Terminal Full Disk Access first so it can read protected folders.

Is it safe to delete large files I find?

Your own downloads, videos and old installers usually are. Leave app bundles like the Photos library alone and delete inside them from the app itself, and move things to the Trash first so you can undo.