Tidy and find

How to find large files on a Mac

Updated · 3 min read

Storage settings, a Finder size search and two Terminal commands will show you what is filling your Mac. Here is how to use each, and how Orrel lists large files and old installers to review before they go to the Trash.

When a Mac runs short of space, a handful of large files are usually responsible: old disk images, screen recordings, exported videos, and archives that were unpacked and forgotten. Finding them is quick once you know where to look.

Storage settings

Open System Settings › General › Storage. The bar at the top shows space by category, and the list below has recommendations such as emptying the Trash automatically. Click the info button (ⓘ) next to Documents to see your files in more detail. The Large Files tab lists big files wherever they are, largest first, with a Delete button. Downloads lists that folder by date, and File Browser shows folders sorted by size.

It is the easiest place to start, and it is honest about what it is: a list. There is no undo beyond the Trash, so select carefully.

A Finder search by size

In Finder press ⌘F, choose This Mac, click the Kind menu in the first row and choose Other…. Tick File Size, click OK, then set the row to File Size is greater than 500 MB. Add a second row for Kind if you only want videos or disk images. Switch to list view and add the Size column to sort.

Save the search as a Smart Folder and you have a permanent "large files" view that updates itself.

Terminal, for the full picture

Two commands cover most needs. The first lists every file over 1 GB in your home folder:

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

The second shows how big each top-level folder in your home folder is, smallest to largest:

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

Run du again inside whichever folder is largest to drill down. Terminal sees app data and caches too, which is useful for finding them and a reason to be careful: a large file in ~/Library usually belongs to an app that still uses it.

Usual suspects

How Orrel does it

Orrel's Clean Up screen gathers lists for review: old installers, forgotten downloads, old screenshots, big old videos, large files over 100 MB, and exact duplicates. Each file shows its size and where it is. Tick the ones you want gone and Orrel moves them to the Trash, so you can still put any back from Finder until you empty it.

You can also ask for large files in plain words from the search box, such as videos over 1 gb, and act on the results. Kept a large video or PDF? Orrel can compress it to a new file beside the original, so you can compare before deleting either.

Where Orrel stops

Clean Up works on your own files as Orrel's library sees them: the home folder, without ~/Library, hidden folders and developer build folders. It will not find caches, mail attachments, iPhone backups or Xcode data, and it does not look at external drives. It never empties the Trash or deletes anything itself. For space used by system data, Storage settings and Terminal remain the right tools.

Questions

What is the System Data figure in Storage settings?

It is a catch-all for caches, logs, local snapshots, virtual memory and other files macOS does not put in a named category. It often shrinks on its own after a restart or once Time Machine snapshots expire. Deleting files from inside system folders by hand is not recommended.

Is it safe to delete large files Terminal finds?

Only ones you recognise. Terminal shows everything, including app data a program still needs. Move files to the Trash rather than using rm, so you can put them back if something stops working.

Does Orrel clear caches or system files?

No. Orrel's Clean Up looks at your own documents, downloads and media. It does not look inside ~/Library, hidden folders or system locations, and it never deletes anything outright.