You’re about to download an update or copy a large folder, and you need to know whether it will fit. You can check free storage on Mac in System Settings.
But the available-space number needs a little context. It can include space macOS can reclaim, and more than one volume may share the same disk.
Start with the Storage screen for an overview. Then use Finder for a quick check or Disk Utility to confirm which drive you’re viewing. You can inspect these figures before deciding whether anything needs removing.
TL;DR
Check storage in System Settings, then confirm the specific volume in Finder or Disk Utility.
- Use System Settings > General > Storage on Ventura 13 or later; older macOS uses About This Mac > Storage.
- Read used and available space, and open All Volumes if offered.
- Finder’s status bar gives a quick check; Get Info identifies a selected drive.
How to Check Storage in System Settings
The Storage screen shows categories such as applications, documents, photos and macOS. Open it to inspect usage before deciding whether anything needs removing.
The path below follows Apple’s version-specific instructions.
- Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
- Click General in the sidebar, then Storage.
- Read the overview for the disk shown. Open All Volumes to inspect the wider volume view if that control is available.
- Move the pointer over a colored area to see how much space the category uses. Note the available space as well as the largest categories.
Apple’s current Storage guide identifies light gray as free space and explains the All Volumes view. If more than one disk appears here, check its name before comparing figures.
Several entries can be volumes or containers on one internal device, rather than separate physical drives.
On Older macOS Versions
On macOS Monterey 12 and earlier, start with Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage. Older instructions may also show a Manage button.
On Ventura 13 and later, use System Settings > General > Storage instead of looking for the old Storage tab. The change is a menu difference, not missing disk capacity.
Understand Capacity, Used, Free, and Available Space
Available space can include both physically free space and purgeable space that macOS can reclaim when needed. That means used and available figures may overlap.
Don’t assume that subtracting one displayed number from capacity must reproduce every other label. Apple’s space definitions explain that distinction.
| Label | What it tells you | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | The total space reported for the selected disk, container, or volume. | Check the selected item before comparing it with another view. |
| Used | Space occupied on the selected item. Category bars group files by type. | Use it to identify where to investigate, not what is safe to delete. |
| Free | Physically open space on the disk. | Distinguish it from the broader available figure. |
| Available | Free space plus reclaimable storage, including purgeable caches. | Read the whole label before assuming it is all empty space. |
| Purgeable | Space macOS can make available as needed. | Let macOS manage it rather than searching for a purgeable folder to empty. |
Disk Utility also includes purgeable space in its available figure, as described in Apple’s disk information guide. A large purgeable amount is not, by itself, a reason to delete caches, backups, or system files.
Check a Drive Quickly in Finder
Finder is useful when you want a quick space check while working with files. Its status bar reports available disk space for the location you’re viewing.
A folder’s own size is a different measurement, so select the disk when you want information about the whole drive.
- Open a Finder window and go to a folder on the disk you want to check.
- Choose View > Show Status Bar. Read the available-space figure in the status bar.
- For a drive-specific information window, select the drive in Finder or on the desktop, then choose File > Get Info. Command-I opens the same information window.
These controls are covered in Apple’s Finder information guide. If the drive isn’t visible, choose Finder > Settings > Sidebar and enable the relevant disk items.
Apple’s connected-device guide also explains how to show disks on the desktop.
Before reading a number, check whether the window is on the internal disk, an external drive, or a connected server. Free space on one storage destination doesn’t automatically become free space on another.
Check Internal and External Drives in Disk Utility
Disk Utility is useful for distinguishing a physical device from the containers and volumes inside it. For this check, use the sidebar and Info controls. Erase, Partition and Restore can change storage or its contents, so leave those controls alone when you only need the figures.
- Open Disk Utility.
- Choose View > Show All Devices to display devices, their containers, and their volumes.
- Select the item you want to inspect. Check whether it is internal or external and whether you selected a whole device, container, or volume.
- Read its capacity and available space. Click Info in the toolbar for more details about that selected item.
The hierarchy follows Apple’s Disk Utility views, and the available fields depend on the item selected. If you’re checking a particular external drive, verify its name and internal/external location before reading its figures.
Why APFS Volumes Share Available Space
APFS, Apple’s file system, can share one container’s free space among several volumes. Each volume uses part of that pool as needed.
Two volumes showing available space therefore do not necessarily give you two separate amounts to add together. Apple’s shared-space explanation describes this arrangement.
Compare figures at the same level. A selected volume, the whole container, and a physical device can describe different scopes.
If an “Other Volumes” area appears, inspect the hierarchy before treating it as unexplained files inside your home folder.
Find What Is Taking Up Space
Once you know the available space, open a category to see what it represents. A large bar is a clue for investigation, not a deletion recommendation.
Categories vary with the apps and files on your Mac, and only some have an information button or an app-based management option.
- Return to System Settings > General > Storage.
- Open the information button beside a category such as Applications or Documents when available.
- In Documents, use Large Files, Downloads, or File Browser to inspect the relevant items. Sort by Size to find larger entries.
- Use Show in Finder for a selected file when you need to identify its location. Read its name and purpose before deciding what to do with it.
Apple’s category and file guide explains these views. Photos includes the System Photo Library, while Documents can include images or videos outside that library. iOS files includes device backups and firmware.
Those labels don’t mean the contents are expendable.
System Data includes system and app resources that change with the Mac’s current state. It isn’t a folder you can empty from Storage.
If that category is the concern, continue with the System Data guide rather than deleting files solely because they look temporary.
Choose a Next Step Only if Space Is Low
Checking storage is complete when you can name the disk, its available space, and the categories using it. If you have enough room for the download or copy you planned, you can stop there.
A cleanup is a separate choice, and it shouldn’t begin with files you can’t identify.
Before deleting anything, keep a separate backup of files you need. Emptying Trash or Bin permanently removes its contents, and deletion from iCloud Drive can also affect synced devices.
Another synced copy is not an untouched backup. Apple’s deletion guide and iCloud deletion consequences cover these limits.
For a structured review of files you recognize and no longer need, use the Mac storage cleanup guide.
If Applications is the main category you want to reduce, the app removal guide explains official uninstallers, app data, and subscription limits.
Keep local disk space separate from iCloud storage. Removing a downloaded iCloud Drive copy and deleting the synced file are different actions. Apple’s iCloud Drive guide documents Remove Download.
Buying more cloud storage does not enlarge the capacity of your Mac’s physical drive.
After a deliberate storage change, return to the same disk and view before comparing results. Allow the figures to refresh, then record the disk name, available amount and time of the check.
The menu paths and storage definitions follow Apple’s documentation reviewed in October 2026. The General settings image is from the site’s macOS 27 library.
The Finder and Disk Utility figures are older examples, with their limits stated in the captions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mac storage the same as memory?
Mac storage holds files and apps, while memory is the RAM used by running work.
A low-storage warning and high memory use need different checks. In Activity Monitor, the Memory tab shows RAM use and memory pressure.
Apple’s memory usage guide explains those readings.
Why is the reported capacity lower than the advertised size?
Formatting and the operating system use some storage, so the usable amount can be below the advertised capacity.
Some reporting differences also come from decimal and binary measurement. Apple’s capacity measurement guide explains both.
Compare the advertised capacity with the disk’s reported total before judging how much space is left for your files.
Why didn’t space increase when I moved files to Trash?
Moving files to Trash doesn’t finish removing them from the disk. Space becomes available when the items are permanently removed.
Before emptying it, review every item and keep a backup of anything you need. The Trash and Bin guide explains selected deletion and Put Back before emptying.
Should I delete Time Machine snapshots to recover available space?
You generally don’t need to delete local snapshots just to increase available space.
Your Mac already counts snapshot space as available, and Time Machine removes snapshots as space is needed. Apple’s local snapshot guide explains this behavior.
Keep your backup plan intact rather than turning it off to make a chart smaller.
How much free space should I keep for an update?
Use the space requirement or warning for the specific update you’re installing.
A fixed percentage can’t guarantee that every update or large file operation will fit.
Apple’s low-storage guidance covers making space when a download, installation, or copy needs it. Check again after any planned cleanup.
Can I check the size of one folder?
You can check one folder by selecting it in Finder and choosing File > Get Info, or pressing Command-I.
That information window describes the selected item. The Finder status bar instead reports available disk space for its location. Apple’s Finder information guide covers both views.
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