How to Find Large Files on Mac (Step by Step)

Find large files on Mac with Storage settings, a Finder search by file size and folder sizes in list view. Covers usual culprits and a safe Terminal command.

MacWipe 31 October 2026 8 min read

The quickest way to find large files on Mac is System Settings > General > Storage. Click the info button next to Documents, then use the button for large files to see your biggest files, sorted by size. If you want more control, a Finder search with a File Size rule or a list view with folder sizes turned on will find them too.

All three methods are built into macOS and cost nothing. They work on macOS Tahoe 26, Sequoia 15 and Sonoma 14, with small differences noted below.

Before you delete anything

Large files are easy to find and easy to regret deleting. A few ground rules:

Make a Time Machine backup first if you plan to delete more than a handful of files.
Only delete files you recognise: your own videos, installers, exports and downloads.
Leave the System folder alone. Do not delete items from /System or /private/var, and do not remove the contents of your ~/Library folder by hand. Apps and macOS keep working data there.
Files you delete go to the Trash. The space only comes back when you empty it.

Method 1: Storage settings

Apple’s Storage panel is the best starting point because it needs no setup. The steps are in Apple’s guide to changing storage settings on Mac.

Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
Click General in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
Click Storage. Wait a few seconds for the bar to finish calculating.
Click the info button (the small “i”) next to Documents.
Click the button for large files. The list shows your biggest files first.
Select a file and click Show in Finder to see where it lives, or click Delete if you are sure.

The Documents category lists every document on your Mac. You can sort it by Name, Kind, Last Accessed or Size. The same panel has a downloads button and a File Browser, which shows how much space each folder uses. That is useful when you suspect a folder, not a single file.

On the same Storage screen, Apple lists a few recommendations: Store in iCloud, Optimise Storage and Empty Trash Automatically. Optimise Storage keeps only recent email attachments on your Mac when space is needed. Empty Trash Automatically erases items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days. Read what each one does before switching it on. Store in iCloud, for example, moves files off your Mac.

Method 2: Finder search with a File Size rule

Storage settings shows what macOS thinks is large. A Finder search lets you set the threshold yourself.

Open Finder and press Command-F.
Set the search area to This Mac, not the current folder.
Click the + button on the right of the search bar.
Open the first dropdown. If File Size is missing, choose Other and tick File Size.
Set the rule to is greater than, type a number, and choose MB or GB. Try 500 MB first, then lower it.
Switch to List view (Command-2) and click the Size column header to sort largest first.

You can also add a second rule, such as Kind is Movie, to narrow the list to video files. If you want to repeat the search, use Save to keep it as a Smart Folder in the sidebar.

Finder search only matches files. It will not total up a folder, so a folder holding 10,000 small files will not appear. For that, use Method 3.

Method 3: Sort by size with folder sizes

Folder sizes are hidden in Finder by default. Turn them on and you can spot the heavy folders in a few clicks.

Open the folder you want to inspect, such as your home folder.
Switch to List view with Command-2.
Choose View > Show View Options, or press Command-J.
Tick Calculate all sizes.
Click the Size column header to sort largest first.

Finder remembers this setting per folder, so repeat it for each folder you look at. You can click Use as Defaults at the bottom of the panel to apply it to every folder of that type. Calculating sizes can be slow on large folders, and the option is greyed out inside search results.

Work down from the top. Open the biggest folder, sort again, and repeat until you find the file or subfolder responsible.

The usual culprits

Large files tend to come from the same places. Check these first.

Old iPhone and iPad backups

Local backups of an iPhone or iPad can run to tens of gigabytes each. To see them, connect the device, select it in the Finder sidebar, click General and then Manage Backups. Right-click a backup to delete or archive it. Apple explains the process in its guide to finding and deleting device backups. Deleting a backup is permanent, so only remove backups for devices you no longer use, or ones you have replaced with a newer backup.

The Downloads folder

Downloads is where installers, zip files, PDFs and screen recordings pile up. Open ~/Downloads in list view with folder sizes on, sort by size, and clear out what you no longer need.

Disk images and installers

Files ending in .dmg are disk images, and .pkg files are installers. Once the app is installed, the image is rarely needed again. Sort Downloads by Kind to group them.

Video exports and project files

Screen recordings, exports from Final Cut Pro, iMovie or DaVinci Resolve, and render caches can each be several gigabytes. Check the Movies folder and anywhere you save exports. Keep the original project, and consider moving finished exports to an external drive.

Mail attachments

Mail stores downloaded attachments on your Mac. In Storage settings, open the Mail category to see how much it holds. Do not dig through ~/Library/Mail in Finder and delete things by hand. Delete messages with big attachments from inside Mail, then empty Mail’s Trash.

Messages attachments

The Messages category in Storage settings covers conversations and their attachments. Open it, review the large items, and delete the ones you do not need. Photos and videos sent in group chats add up quickly.

Optional: find large files with Terminal

You do not need Terminal, but it is quick if you are comfortable with it. These commands only read and report. They do not delete anything.

To list the 20 biggest folders one level down in your home folder:

du -h -d 1 ~ 2>/dev/null | sort -rh | head -20

du measures disk use, -h prints sizes in readable units, and -d 1 goes one folder deep. sort -rh puts the largest first, and head -20 keeps the top 20. The 2>/dev/null part hides permission errors.

To list files over 1 GB in your home folder:

find ~ -type f -size +1G -exec du -h {} + | sort -rh | head -20

find searches your home folder for regular files larger than 1 GB. Change +1G to +500M to widen the net. Use the paths in the output to locate files in Finder, then delete them there. Avoid running commands that remove files unless you know exactly what they do.

Next steps once you have found them

Move files you want to keep to an external drive or iCloud Drive, delete the rest, then empty the Trash. If the numbers do not add up afterwards, much of the remaining space is probably caches and system files. See how to clear cache on Mac and what System Data is. Large apps you no longer use are another big saving: how to uninstall apps on Mac covers removing them properly.

A faster way: MacWipe

If you would rather not hunt through folders, MacWipe has a Files tool that lists large and old files sorted by size and age. Press Space to preview a file before you decide. The Storage tool shows what is taking up space, and Smart Scan checks caches, logs, the Trash, app leftovers and browser data in one pass.

MacWipe shows every item and why it is safe before anything is removed, and nothing goes without your say. It runs on macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel, and is signed and notarised by Apple. There is no tracking and no analytics. Scanning is free and your first clean is free. After that it is £23.99 a year, with monthly, quarterly and £59.99 lifetime options. One plan covers up to 3 Macs, and there is a 14-day money-back guarantee. See pricing.

FAQ

How do I find the biggest files on my Mac quickly?

Open System Settings > General > Storage, click the info button next to Documents, and use the large files button. The list is sorted by size, so the biggest files appear first. It takes under a minute.

Is it safe to delete large files from my Mac?

It is safe if the file is your own and you know what it is, such as an old video, installer or download. Do not delete anything in /System, /private/var or your Library folder unless you know what it does. Take a Time Machine backup before any bulk deletion.

Why does Finder show folder sizes as dashes?

Finder hides folder sizes by default because calculating them can be slow. In List view, press Command-J and tick Calculate all sizes. The setting is remembered per folder, unless you click Use as Defaults.

Why is my storage still full after deleting big files?

Deleted files stay in the Trash until you empty it. After that, the Storage bar can take a few moments to update. If space is still tight, caches, local snapshots and System Data may be the cause, so check the guide linked above.