How do I see the largest files on my Mac?

Open System Settings → General → Storage, click the ⓘ next to Documents and choose Large Files. It lists files over a few hundred megabytes, biggest first.

How do I search for files by size in Finder?

Press Command-F, set the search to This Mac, click the first attribute pop-up, choose Other… and tick File Size. Then set “is greater than” and a size such as 500 MB.

What large files are safe to delete on Mac?

Old installers (.dmg, .pkg), downloaded videos, exported projects, zip archives you’ve already unpacked, old device backups and duplicate copies. Don’t delete files in /System or app containers you still use.

Why can’t Finder find files that Storage says exist?

Finder search skips system and hidden locations such as ~/Library. Large hidden items — caches, backups, developer data — are easier to find with Terminal or a disk scanner.

How to Find Large Files on Mac: Finder, Storage Settings, Terminal and Apps

Find the biggest files on your Mac with Storage settings, Finder search by size, Terminal or free apps — and delete them safely.

A handful of big files often uses more space than thousands of small ones. These four methods find them, from easiest to most thorough.

Method 1: Storage settings (easiest)

Open System Settings → General → Storage.
Click the ⓘ next to Documents.
Choose Large Files to see everything over a few hundred megabytes, biggest first. Downloads is listed there too.

Select files and click Delete… — note that this deletes immediately rather than using the Trash.

Method 2: Finder search by size

In Finder press ⌘ F and set Search to This Mac.
Click the first pop-up (it says “Kind”) and choose Other….
Tick File Size and click OK.
Set is greater than and enter a size, e.g. 1 GB.
Right-click the column headers and add Size, then sort by it.

Click Save to keep the search in Finder’s sidebar for next time.

Method 3: Terminal (thorough)

Terminal can see places Finder search skips. Every file over 1 GB in your home folder:

find ~ -type f -size +1G -exec ls -lh {} + 2>/dev/null | awk '{print $5, $9}'

The biggest folders in your home folder, largest last:

du -sh ~/* ~/Library/* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -20

These commands only list files — they don’t delete anything.

Method 4: Disk-space apps

GrandPerspective (free) — a treemap where each file’s rectangle is sized by its space.
OmniDiskSweeper (free) — folders sorted by size, to click down through.
DaisyDisk ($9.99) — an interactive sunburst map; the trial scans but can’t delete.
MacDiskCleaner (free to scan) — a Large Files list plus old files, downloads and duplicates, with each item’s size and location. Space Lens lets you browse folders by size.

Do it in one scan with MacDiskCleaner

Finds junk, duplicates and large files across your Mac, shows everything for free, and moves what you choose to the Trash first — so nothing is lost by mistake.

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Where large files usually hide

Downloads — installers, videos and zips you forgot about.
Movies — screen recordings, exports and iMovie or Final Cut libraries.
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup — iPhone and iPad backups.
~/Library/Developer — Xcode data and simulators.
Virtual machines and Docker images.
Mail and Messages attachments inside your Library.

Before you delete

Check the last-opened date (Get Info, ⌘ I). Untouched for a year usually means safe to archive.
Archive instead of deleting anything you might need — an external drive is cheap.
Use the Trash, not instant deletion, so you can undo mistakes.
Empty the Trash to actually free the space.

If the space isn’t in large files, look at duplicates and System Data next.