How to Find Large Files on a Mac (5 Ways, From Finder to Terminal)
When a Mac runs out of space, it's rarely because of thousands of small files. It's usually a handful of big ones: a forgotten screen recording, a virtual machine, an old iPhone backup, a video project's render files. Find those and you can often free 50GB in ten minutes. The challenge is that Finder doesn't show you the biggest files by default, and some of the largest live in folders it hides.
Quick answer: The fastest built-in way is System Settings → General → Storage, then click the ⓘ next to Documents to see your largest files sorted by size. For a custom search, open Finder, press ⌘F, change Kind to Other… → File Size, and set is greater than 1 GB. In Terminal, find ~ -type f -size +1G 2>/dev/null lists every file over 1GB in your home folder. For a visual map of your whole disk, free tools such as GrandPerspective work well. MacCove Space also flags large files you haven't opened in months, so you don't have to search for them.
The five ways at a glance
| Method | Best for | Shows hidden and Library files? |
|---|---|---|
| Storage settings → Documents | A quick list of your largest documents | Partly |
| Finder search by File Size | Custom searches, specific folders or drives | Only if you include system files |
| Finder List view with folder sizes | Working out which folder is big | Yes, if you browse into Library |
| Terminal (find, du) | Precise answers anywhere on the disk | Yes |
| Disk visualizer apps | Seeing everything at once | Yes |
1. Storage settings: the quickest list
Open System Settings → General → Storage.
Click the ⓘ next to Documents.
Look at the large files list, sorted by size. There are also tabs for Downloads, Unsupported Apps and a File Browser that shows folders sorted by size.
Select files and click Delete, or right-click to show them in Finder.
This is good for a first pass. It mostly shows documents, though, not the caches, backups and app data that make up System Data.
2. Finder search by file size
Finder can search for files above a size you choose, which is useful when you want to search one folder or an external drive:
Open a Finder window and press ⌘F.
Click This Mac (or the folder you want to search).
Click the first criterion, which says Kind, and choose Other….
Tick File Size in the list and click OK.
Set the rule to File Size is greater than 1 GB (or 500 MB for a wider net).
Switch to List view and click the Size column to sort.
To include files Finder normally hides, click + to add another rule, choose Other… → System files, and set it to are included.
Tip: click Save to keep this as a Smart Folder in your sidebar, so you can check for large files whenever you like.
3. Finder List view with folder sizes
By default, Finder shows "--" instead of folder sizes. To see them:
Open your home folder (⇧⌘H) and switch to List view (⌘2).
Press ⌘J for View Options and tick Calculate all sizes.
Sort by Size and drill into the biggest folder, then the biggest folder inside it.
To get into the hidden Library folder, press ⇧⌘G and type ~/Library. This is often where the biggest surprises are.
4. Terminal: the precise way
Terminal is the quickest way to get exact answers. These commands only read, so they're safe to run:
| Command | What it shows |
|---|---|
| find ~ -type f -size +1G 2>/dev/null | Every file over 1GB in your home folder |
| du -sh ~/* | Size of each folder in your home folder |
| du -sh ~/Library/* | Size of each folder in your Library |
| mdfind 'kMDItemFSSize > 1000000000' | Files over 1GB that Spotlight has indexed |
To sort the folder sizes so the biggest appear last, add a pipe to sort, like this:
Change **+1G** to **+500M** to widen the search. Terminal may need **Full Disk Access** (System Settings → Privacy & Security) to read some folders.
## 5. Disk visualizer apps
Visualizers draw your disk as a map, where each file is a block or segment sized by how much space it takes. One look shows you where the space has gone.| App | Price | Style |
|---|---|---|
| GrandPerspective | Free (or $2.99 on the App Store) | Treemap of rectangles |
| DaisyDisk | $9.99 one-time | Interactive ring chart |
| OmniDiskSweeper | Free (older app) | List sorted by size |
MacCove Space takes a different approach: rather than a map you interpret yourself, it groups what it finds into categories (large and old files, caches, developer data, app leftovers and so on) and flags files you haven't opened in months. You can adjust the "stale after N days" threshold for each category.
The usual suspects
If you're wondering what to look for, these are the files that most often turn out to be huge:
| File type | Typical size | Usually found in |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual machines (Parallels, UTM, VMware) | 20–100GB | ~/Parallels, Documents |
| iPhone and iPad backups | 5–100GB each | ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup |
| Video projects (iMovie, Final Cut Pro) | 10–500GB | Movies |
| Screen and Zoom recordings | 1–20GB each | Desktop, Movies, Documents/Zoom |
| Docker disk image | 20–100GB+ | ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker |
| Xcode archives and simulators | 10–100GB | ~/Library/Developer |
| Game files | 10–150GB | ~/Library/Application Support (for example Steam) |
| Old installers (.dmg, .pkg, Install macOS) | 1–15GB each | Downloads, Applications |
| iPhone software files (.ipsw) | 5–10GB each | ~/Library/iTunes |
For iPhone backups, delete them from Finder → your device → Manage Backups rather than in the folder itself. For video projects, Final Cut Pro can delete its render files without touching your original media: File → Delete Generated Library Files.
A note on file sizes that don't add up
If you duplicate a big file in Finder, macOS usually creates an APFS clone that shares storage with the original. Finder shows both at full size, but together they only take up the space of one. So deleting one copy of a large file can free surprisingly little. More on this in how to find and delete duplicate files.
FAQs
How do I see the biggest folders on my Mac?
Use Finder's List view with Calculate all sizes turned on (⌘J), or run du -sh ~/* in Terminal. The File Browser tab in Storage settings also shows folders by size.
Why can't Finder find a large file I know exists?
It may be in a hidden or system folder. Add the System files are included criterion to your search, or use Terminal, which sees everything you have permission to read.
Is it safe to delete large files in the Library folder?
Sometimes. Old iPhone backups (via Finder), caches and data from apps you've uninstalled are usually fine. Anything belonging to apps you still use, Photos and Music libraries, and anything in /System should stay.
Where are large files hidden on a Mac?
Most often in ~/Library (backups, app data, developer files, containers), in the Movies folder (video projects), and in Downloads. See how to clear System Data for the Library side.
Related guides
How to Find and Delete Duplicate Files on a Mac
How to Free Up Disk Space on a Mac
How to Clear System Data on a Mac