[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":49},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-en-find-large-files-on-mac":3},{"meta":4,"html":14,"headings":15,"raw":48},{"title":5,"description":6,"topic":7,"date":8,"author":9,"icons":10},"How to Find the Largest Files on Your Mac","Track down your largest files with Storage settings, the Finder or Terminal, decide what to delete, move or keep, and filter by size and type with WashBear.","mac-cleanup","2026-10-29","WashBear Team",[11,12,13],"large-files","file-video","file-archive","\u003Cp>Storage rarely disappears into tens of thousands of small files. More often it goes to a handful of big ones: a 4K screen recording, a virtual machine image, a few installers you never deleted. Finding them usually frees space faster than clearing caches. But finding them is only the first step, and the biggest file isn't automatically the one to delete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"where-they-hide\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#where-they-hide\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Where large files usually hide\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cdiv class=\"table-wrap\">\u003Ctable>\u003Cthead>\u003Ctr>\u003Cth>Location\u003C\u002Fth>\u003Cth>Typical large files\u003C\u002Fth>\u003Cth>What to do\u003C\u002Fth>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Fthead>\u003Ctbody>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Downloads\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>\u003Ccode>.dmg\u003C\u002Fcode> and \u003Ccode>.pkg\u003C\u002Fcode> installers, \u003Ccode>.zip\u003C\u002Fcode> archives, downloaded videos\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Installed or extracted ones can usually go\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Movies, Desktop\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Screen recordings, exported videos, editing projects\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Move finished work to an external drive, check that it opens, then delete the local copy\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Applications\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Large games, creative apps, old macOS installers\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Remove them the way you'd uninstall an app\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Photos library, iMovie and Final Cut Pro libraries\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Originals, media and render files\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Manage them in their apps; don't open the package and delete files inside\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>\u003Ccode>~\u002FLibrary\u002FApplication Support\u002FMobileSync\u002FBackup\u003C\u002Fcode>\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Local iPhone and iPad backups\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Manage them per device in the Finder\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Messages\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Videos, photos and files received in conversations\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Review and delete them in the Messages category of Storage settings\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Virtual machine and container tool folders\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Virtual disk images\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Delete them from the app that created them\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>iCloud Drive\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Cloud files downloaded to this Mac\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Use Remove Download to free local space only\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"storage-settings\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#storage-settings\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Method 1: Check Storage settings\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click General, click Storage, then click the Info button next to Documents. Here you can quickly view large files and downloads, sort by Size, and select a file to Show in Finder or Delete it. File Browser lists space by folder, which helps when a big folder is made of many small files. The Info button next to Applications can sort your apps by size too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"finder-search\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#finder-search\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Method 2: Search by size in the Finder\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>Open a Finder window and press Command-F.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Choose This Mac as the search location.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Click the leftmost pop-up menu of the search criteria (Kind by default), choose Other, select File Size in the attribute list, then click OK.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Set the condition to "is greater than", enter \u003Ccode>1\u003C\u002Fcode> and choose GB.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Switch to list view and sort by size. Select a file and press the Space bar to preview it.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Cp>If you get too few results, lower the threshold to 500 MB; if you get too many, add a Kind condition to narrow them down. Finder search relies on the Spotlight index, so locations excluded from indexing and system files don't appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"terminal\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#terminal\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Method 3: List large files in Terminal\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cpre>\u003Ccode class=\"language-bash\">find ~ -type f -size +1G -exec du -h {} + 2>\u002Fdev\u002Fnull | sort -h\n\u003C\u002Fcode>\u003C\u002Fpre>\n\u003Cp>This lists every file larger than 1 GB in your home folder, sorted by size with the largest at the bottom. It only reads information and changes nothing. For a different threshold, change \u003Ccode>+1G\u003C\u002Fcode> to something like \u003Ccode>+500M\u003C\u002Fcode>. Without Full Disk Access, Terminal can't read some protected folders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"decide\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#decide\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Once you've found them: delete, move or keep\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Delete\u003C\u002Fstrong>: installers for apps you've already installed, archives you've extracted, exported videos you know are backed up.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Move first, then delete\u003C\u002Fstrong>: personal photos, videos and project files. Copy them to an external drive or backup, open a few to check them, then delete the local copies.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Handle inside the app\u003C\u002Fstrong>: Photos libraries, video editing libraries, virtual machines and device backups. For device backups, connect the device, select it in the Finder, click Manage Backups in the General tab, then Control-click a backup to delete or archive it.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Leave alone\u003C\u002Fstrong>: files in \u003Ccode>\u002FSystem\u003C\u002Fcode> or \u003Ccode>\u002Fprivate\u003C\u002Fcode>, and files inside app bundles.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Take extra care with iCloud Drive. Deleting a file there also deletes it from your other devices signed in to the same Apple Account. If you only want to free space on this Mac, Control-click the file and choose Remove Download; the file stays in iCloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"washbear\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#washbear\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Filter by size and type with WashBear\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003C!--demo:largeFiles-->\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Large File Cleanup\u003C\u002Fstrong> puts the searching and filtering above on a single page:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>In the location selector at the top right, select \u003Cstrong>Common Folders\u003C\u002Fstrong> (\u003Cstrong>Downloads\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Documents\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Pictures\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Videos\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Music\u003C\u002Fstrong>), a disk, or click \u003Cstrong>Choose folder…\u003C\u002Fstrong> to add another location. You can select several at once.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Set \u003Cstrong>Minimum size\u003C\u002Fstrong>: 50 MB, 100 MB (the default), 500 MB, 1 GB or 5 GB.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Click \u003Cstrong>Start Scan\u003C\u002Fstrong>. The default \u003Cstrong>Quick Scan\u003C\u002Fstrong> uses the Spotlight index, which is fast but may miss files that haven't been indexed yet. If a file you expect is missing, use the arrow next to the button to switch to \u003Cstrong>Complete Scan\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Cp>You can filter the results by \u003Cstrong>Video\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Audio\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Documents\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Archives\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Images\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>AI models\u003C\u002Fstrong> and \u003Cstrong>Other\u003C\u002Fstrong>, and sort by \u003Cstrong>File name\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Size\u003C\u002Fstrong> or \u003Cstrong>Modified\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Click a path to see the file's location in the Finder, or right-click a file to \u003Cstrong>Open\u003C\u002Fstrong>, \u003Cstrong>Show in File Manager\u003C\u002Fstrong> or \u003Cstrong>Delete Permanently\u003C\u002Fstrong>. When you select several files, the bottom bar shows the \u003Cstrong>Estimated space to free\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large File Cleanup automatically skips system folders, as well as \u003Ccode>\u002FApplications\u003C\u002Fcode> and \u003Ccode>\u002FLibrary\u003C\u002Fcode> at the root of the disk, so apps themselves never show up as large files; use \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fapp-uninstall\">App Uninstaller\u003C\u002Fa> for those. If the space is taken by a folder full of small files, none of them large on its own, use \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fdisk-analysis\">Disk Space Analysis\u003C\u002Fa> to look at folders instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cdiv class=\"callout callout-warning\">\u003Cp class=\"callout-title\">Warning\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Files deleted by Large File Cleanup don't go to the Trash and can't be recovered. Deletions are recorded in \u003Cstrong>Operation History\u003C\u002Fstrong>, but it can't bring files back. Back up photos, videos and project files first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003Ch2 id=\"faq\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#faq\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Frequently asked questions\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"installers\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#installers\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Do I need to keep DMG and PKG files after installing an app?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Usually not. They're installation files, not the app itself. Keep them only if you need to reinstall offline or want to hold on to a specific older version.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"identify\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#identify\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>How can I tell what a large file is for?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Press the Space bar to preview it, then press Command-I to open the Info window and check its kind, creation date and location. Files downloaded from the internet usually also show where they came from. If the file sits in an app's own folder, or inside a library such as your Photos library, the app manages it, so deal with it in that app.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3 id=\"folders\">\u003Ca class=\"heading-anchor\" href=\"#folders\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">#\u003C\u002Fa>Why doesn't my search find a large folder?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Searching by file size only looks at individual files. A folder can be made of thousands of small files, none of which reaches the threshold. Use File Browser in Storage settings, the \u003Ccode>du\u003C\u002Fcode> command from \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fmac-system-data-too-large#terminal\">our System Data guide\u003C\u002Fa>, or Disk Space Analysis to look at folders instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",[16,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,42,45],{"depth":17,"id":18,"text":19},2,"where-they-hide","Where large files usually hide",{"depth":17,"id":21,"text":22},"storage-settings","Method 1: Check Storage settings",{"depth":17,"id":24,"text":25},"finder-search","Method 2: Search by size in the Finder",{"depth":17,"id":27,"text":28},"terminal","Method 3: List large files in Terminal",{"depth":17,"id":30,"text":31},"decide","Once you've found them: delete, move or keep",{"depth":17,"id":33,"text":34},"washbear","Filter by size and type with WashBear",{"depth":17,"id":36,"text":37},"faq","Frequently asked questions",{"depth":39,"id":40,"text":41},3,"installers","Do I need to keep DMG and PKG files after installing an app?",{"depth":39,"id":43,"text":44},"identify","How can I tell what a large file is for?",{"depth":39,"id":46,"text":47},"folders","Why doesn't my search find a large folder?","\nStorage rarely disappears into tens of thousands of small files. More often it goes to a handful of big ones: a 4K screen recording, a virtual machine image, a few installers you never deleted. Finding them usually frees space faster than clearing caches. But finding them is only the first step, and the biggest file isn't automatically the one to delete.\n\n## Where large files usually hide {#where-they-hide}\n\n| Location | Typical large files | What to do |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Downloads | `.dmg` and `.pkg` installers, `.zip` archives, downloaded videos | Installed or extracted ones can usually go |\n| Movies, Desktop | Screen recordings, exported videos, editing projects | Move finished work to an external drive, check that it opens, then delete the local copy |\n| Applications | Large games, creative apps, old macOS installers | Remove them the way you'd uninstall an app |\n| Photos library, iMovie and Final Cut Pro libraries | Originals, media and render files | Manage them in their apps; don't open the package and delete files inside |\n| `~\u002FLibrary\u002FApplication Support\u002FMobileSync\u002FBackup` | Local iPhone and iPad backups | Manage them per device in the Finder |\n| Messages | Videos, photos and files received in conversations | Review and delete them in the Messages category of Storage settings |\n| Virtual machine and container tool folders | Virtual disk images | Delete them from the app that created them |\n| iCloud Drive | Cloud files downloaded to this Mac | Use Remove Download to free local space only |\n\n## Method 1: Check Storage settings {#storage-settings}\n\nChoose Apple menu > System Settings, click General, click Storage, then click the Info button next to Documents. Here you can quickly view large files and downloads, sort by Size, and select a file to Show in Finder or Delete it. File Browser lists space by folder, which helps when a big folder is made of many small files. The Info button next to Applications can sort your apps by size too.\n\n## Method 2: Search by size in the Finder {#finder-search}\n\n1. Open a Finder window and press Command-F.\n2. Choose This Mac as the search location.\n3. Click the leftmost pop-up menu of the search criteria (Kind by default), choose Other, select File Size in the attribute list, then click OK.\n4. Set the condition to \"is greater than\", enter `1` and choose GB.\n5. Switch to list view and sort by size. Select a file and press the Space bar to preview it.\n\nIf you get too few results, lower the threshold to 500 MB; if you get too many, add a Kind condition to narrow them down. Finder search relies on the Spotlight index, so locations excluded from indexing and system files don't appear.\n\n## Method 3: List large files in Terminal {#terminal}\n\n```bash\nfind ~ -type f -size +1G -exec du -h {} + 2>\u002Fdev\u002Fnull | sort -h\n```\n\nThis lists every file larger than 1 GB in your home folder, sorted by size with the largest at the bottom. It only reads information and changes nothing. For a different threshold, change `+1G` to something like `+500M`. Without Full Disk Access, Terminal can't read some protected folders.\n\n## Once you've found them: delete, move or keep {#decide}\n\n- **Delete**: installers for apps you've already installed, archives you've extracted, exported videos you know are backed up.\n- **Move first, then delete**: personal photos, videos and project files. Copy them to an external drive or backup, open a few to check them, then delete the local copies.\n- **Handle inside the app**: Photos libraries, video editing libraries, virtual machines and device backups. For device backups, connect the device, select it in the Finder, click Manage Backups in the General tab, then Control-click a backup to delete or archive it.\n- **Leave alone**: files in `\u002FSystem` or `\u002Fprivate`, and files inside app bundles.\n\nTake extra care with iCloud Drive. Deleting a file there also deletes it from your other devices signed in to the same Apple Account. If you only want to free space on this Mac, Control-click the file and choose Remove Download; the file stays in iCloud.\n\n## Filter by size and type with WashBear {#washbear}\n\n::demo largeFiles\n\n**Large File Cleanup** puts the searching and filtering above on a single page:\n\n1. In the location selector at the top right, select **Common Folders** (**Downloads**, **Documents**, **Pictures**, **Videos**, **Music**), a disk, or click **Choose folder…** to add another location. You can select several at once.\n2. Set **Minimum size**: 50 MB, 100 MB (the default), 500 MB, 1 GB or 5 GB.\n3. Click **Start Scan**. The default **Quick Scan** uses the Spotlight index, which is fast but may miss files that haven't been indexed yet. If a file you expect is missing, use the arrow next to the button to switch to **Complete Scan**.\n\nYou can filter the results by **Video**, **Audio**, **Documents**, **Archives**, **Images**, **AI models** and **Other**, and sort by **File name**, **Size** or **Modified**. Click a path to see the file's location in the Finder, or right-click a file to **Open**, **Show in File Manager** or **Delete Permanently**. When you select several files, the bottom bar shows the **Estimated space to free**.\n\nLarge File Cleanup automatically skips system folders, as well as `\u002FApplications` and `\u002FLibrary` at the root of the disk, so apps themselves never show up as large files; use [App Uninstaller](\u002Fdocs\u002Fapp-uninstall) for those. If the space is taken by a folder full of small files, none of them large on its own, use [Disk Space Analysis](\u002Fdocs\u002Fdisk-analysis) to look at folders instead.\n\n> [!WARNING]\n> Files deleted by Large File Cleanup don't go to the Trash and can't be recovered. Deletions are recorded in **Operation History**, but it can't bring files back. Back up photos, videos and project files first.\n\n## Frequently asked questions {#faq}\n\n### Do I need to keep DMG and PKG files after installing an app? {#installers}\n\nUsually not. They're installation files, not the app itself. Keep them only if you need to reinstall offline or want to hold on to a specific older version.\n\n### How can I tell what a large file is for? {#identify}\n\nPress the Space bar to preview it, then press Command-I to open the Info window and check its kind, creation date and location. Files downloaded from the internet usually also show where they came from. If the file sits in an app's own folder, or inside a library such as your Photos library, the app manages it, so deal with it in that app.\n\n### Why doesn't my search find a large folder? {#folders}\n\nSearching by file size only looks at individual files. A folder can be made of thousands of small files, none of which reaches the threshold. Use File Browser in Storage settings, the `du` command from [our System Data guide](\u002Fblog\u002Fmac-system-data-too-large#terminal), or Disk Space Analysis to look at folders instead.\n",1793258439494]