Disk space analyzer for Mac: see what takes up space

How to see what is taking up space on Mac

1. Open MacWashing and click Storage in the sidebar. Your home folder opens, the biggest folders first. Sizes appear one by one while Measuring folders… shows.

• Double-click a folder, or select it and press Return, to go inside. The path bar at the bottom and the arrows at the top take you back.
• On the left, Locations has your home folder, iCloud Drive and the Trash, and Disks every disk with its free space.
• Click a column header, Name, Size or Date Modified, to sort by it. The Hidden Files switch shows files whose names start with a dot.

Remove what you don’t need

1. Select a file or folder. Command-click to select several. The bar at the bottom shows how many are selected and their total size.
2. Click the button at the bottom and confirm. MacWashing always asks first in Storage and says where the items go: to the Trash, or for good when you are inside the Trash.

• Protected from removal shows instead of the button for system files and for MacWashing’s own files.
• Items outside your home folder are removed by the helper for system folders. Without it, the bar shows Helper needed.
• Deleting from iCloud Drive deletes on all your devices, and MacWashing warns about it.

Be careful in ~/Library: it holds the data of your apps, mail and messages. Caches and leftovers there are safer to clear with System Junk, which knows what each folder is.

Empty the Trash

1. Click Trash under Locations. To get one item back, Control-click it and choose Put Back. To delete one for good, choose Delete Permanently.
2. Click Empty Trash at the top and confirm. Only then is the space freed.