Top 5 Tools to Find the Biggest Files / Folders on macOS

Before you start randomly deleting files or buying external storage, you need to know what's actually eating up your space. Because there may be just a couple files that take up most of the space. How do you find those files and folders? Well, that's a question I asked myself multiple times and after trying out multiple tools I have created a list of their pro's and con's.

1. ncdu - The (free) Terminal Tool

For those comfortable with the command line, ncdu (NCurses Disk Usage) is a fantastic free option. Install it via Homebrew with a simple brew install ncdu.

Pros:

• Completely free
• Fast and lightweight
• Works over SSH for remote servers
• Keyboard navigation is efficient once learned

Cons:

• Terminal-only interface
• Requires Homebrew installation
• Learning curve for non-technical users

Usage:

# Scan current directory
ncdu

# Scan specific directory
ncdu /Users/yourname/Documents

# Exclude certain directories (e.g. node_modules and .git)
ncdu --exclude .git --exclude node_modules

2. DaisyDisk - The (paid) Visual Approach

DaisyDisk isn't free ($9.99 one time purchase) but offers an intuitive interface, which may help if you're not very tech-savvy. It scans your drive and presents the results as an interactive chart where you can drill down into folders with simple clicks.

Pros:

• Beautiful, interactive visualization
• Direct deletion from within the app
• Shows hidden space used by system files

Cons:

• Paid app (though it's a lifetime license for 5 personal macs)
• Requires Full Disk Access permission
• Can be overwhelming with very large drives

3. GrandPerspective - The Free Visual Alternative

GrandPerspective is the open-source answer to DaisyDisk. It uses a treemap visualization where file sizes are represented by rectangles.

Pros:

• Completely free and open source
• Lightweight application
• Multiple color schemes for different file types

Cons:

• Less polished interface than DaisyDisk
• Treemap can be harder to read than DaisyDisk's charts
• Can't delete files directly from the app
• If you want to install it through the App Store, it still costs money.

5. OmniDiskSweeper - The Simple Solution

OmniDiskSweeper (free) is a combination of simplicity and functionality. It presents your files in a straightforward list sorted by size.

Pros:

• Clean, simple interface
• Shows file sizes and modification dates
• Can delete directly from the app

Cons:

• No visualization options
• Slower scanning than some alternatives (in my experience)
• Basic feature set

Conclusion

There's no single "best" tool - it depends on your workflow and preferences. I personally use ncdu for. The important thing is to use something rather than blindly deleting files or living with "disk full" warnings. Especially because most of these options are free 😄