Disk Space Analysis

Disk Space Analysis measures how much space every file and folder in the selected location uses, and shows the results in a list and charts. Start with the largest folder and work your way down, one level at a time.

#Start an analysis

At the top right, choose a disk, a common folder, or a recently used folder, or click Choose folder…, then click Start Analysis. If you only want to check Downloads, analyzing that folder is much faster than analyzing the whole disk. You can cancel at any time.

The figures show the space files actually occupy on disk, labeled Disk usage. Content WashBear cannot read, and folders and names excluded in Scan exclusions, are not counted, so the total may differ from the used space your system reports. When exclusions apply, Exclusions on appears above the chart.

#File list and charts

The list on the left shows the contents of the current folder from largest to smallest, with each item's size, file count, and share of the folder. On the right, switch between Treemap and Sunburst:

• Treemap: the larger the tile, the more space it uses.
• Sunburst: inner rings are parent folders and outer rings are their contents; the larger the section, the more space it uses.

Hover over an item in the list or a chart to highlight it in both places. The chart also shows the path and the share Of current folder and Of parent folder. Depth above the chart sets how many levels are shown: 1–6 for the treemap and 2–6 for the sunburst. WashBear remembers the chart you last used and the depth for each, and changing the depth does not rescan. When the window is wide enough, use the button at the right end of the path bar to collapse the file list and give the chart more room.

#Browse folders

Click a folder in the list or a chart to open it. In the path bar at the top you can:

• click a parent folder to jump straight back to it;
• use Back and Forward to move between places you have visited, and the home icon to Return to analysis root;
• when a folder name has a dropdown arrow, switch to another folder at the same level.

Items too small to show individually are combined into Other in the charts; click it to see what it contains. After files change, click Analyze Again at the top right to refresh the results.

#Open or delete permanently

Right-click an item in the list or a chart to choose Open, Show in File Manager, or Delete Permanently. Only items listed directly in the current folder can be deleted; to delete something deeper, open the folder that contains it first. To delete several items at once, click Multi-select above the list, select the items, then click Delete.

After you confirm, the file or folder and everything inside it is deleted immediately. It does not go to the Trash and cannot be recovered. Items managed by the system or an app cannot be deleted. If you changed your scan exclusions, or the page says sizes need to be verified, click Analyze Again before deleting.