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How to find large files on a Mac

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When a Mac runs out of space, the cause is rarely thousands of small files. It is usually a few big ones: a forgotten 40 GB video export, a virtual machine, an old iPhone backup, a game. Here are four ways to find them, from the built‑in Storage pane to Terminal.

Method 1: System Settings › Storage

Open System Settings › General › Storage and click the ⓘ next to Documents. The Large Files tab lists files in your home folder sorted by size, with Kind and Last Accessed. Select one and click Delete, or right‑click it and choose Show in Finder to look before you decide. The other tabs (Downloads, Unsupported Apps, File Browser) are worth a look too.

This view doesn't include everything; app data in ~/Library, other users' files and System Data aren't in the list.

Method 2: a Finder search by size

  1. Open a Finder window and press ⌘F.
  2. Click This Mac (or your home folder) to set the scope.
  3. Click the first pop‑up menu (usually "Kind") and choose Other…. Search for File Size, tick it, and click OK.
  4. Set the rule to File Size › is greater than › 1 › GB.
  5. Switch to List view and click the Size column header to sort.

Click Save to keep it as a Smart Folder in the sidebar. The search relies on Spotlight, so files in excluded or unindexed locations are missed.

Method 3: show folder sizes in Finder

To see which folder is big, open a folder in List view, choose View › Show View Options (⌘J), and tick Calculate all sizes. Click the Size column to sort, then drill into the biggest folder. It's slow on large folders, but it needs no other tools.

Method 4: Terminal

Terminal sees hidden folders and gives exact numbers. These commands only read, they don't delete anything.

Biggest folders, one level deep

du -hd 1 ~ 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -20

Run it again on whatever comes out on top, for example du -hd 1 ~/Library 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -20, and keep drilling down.

Every file over 1 GB in your home folder

find ~ -type f -size +1G -exec ls -lh {} + 2>/dev/null | awk '{print $5, $9}' | sort -h

Change +1G to +500M for a longer list. Paths with spaces are cut off by the awk step; drop the | awk … part to see full lines.

A Spotlight query (very fast)

mdfind "kMDItemFSSize > 1000000000" -onlyin ~

The whole disk

sudo du -xhd 1 / 2>/dev/null | sort -h

-x keeps du on the startup volume. Give Terminal Full Disk Access (System Settings › Privacy & Security) for complete numbers.

The usual suspects

Big doesn't mean unneeded. Before deleting a large file you don't recognise, check what it is with Get Info (⌘I) or by searching its name. Never delete files inside /System, /private/var/vm (swap and sleep image) or an app's package contents.

Doing it with Glint

Glint has two tools for this. Large Files lists every file above a threshold you pick (50 MB, 100 MB, 500 MB, 1 GB or 5 GB) with its size and when it was last used, so a 20 GB file untouched for two years stands out. Space Map draws your disk or any folder as a sunburst chart next to a folder tree, and you can drill into the biggest slice until you find the culprit. Anything you remove goes to Quarantine first and can be restored for 7 days by default, and system folders and top‑level user folders are protected.

FAQ

Why don't hidden folders show up in Finder searches?

Finder skips hidden folders and most of ~/Library by default. Press ⇧⌘. to show hidden files in a Finder window, or use the du and find commands in Terminal, which see everything your account can read.

Why does du say “Operation not permitted”?

macOS protects some folders, such as Mail, Messages and other apps' containers, until you give Terminal Full Disk Access in System Settings › Privacy & Security. The errors are harmless; 2>/dev/null hides them.

Is it safe to delete large files in ~/Library?

Not without knowing what they are. Large items there are often app data, such as a Photos library, a virtual machine or a Messages archive. Check which app owns a file before deleting it, and prefer the app's own delete option.

Glint is a free disk cleaner for macOS 14 Sonoma and later, on Apple Silicon and Intel. No limits, no account, and everything stays on your Mac.

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