View Folder Size in macOS Finder: 6 Ways
Finder does not show folder sizes in its default list view, but you can see them with a few clicks, keyboard shortcuts, or by using the Get Info window. This article explains the built-in methods first, then covers the Terminal and third-party options for when you need sizes for many folders at once.
Why Finder Doesn’t Show Folder Sizes by Default
macOS calculates file sizes instantly because each file stores its own size in the filesystem metadata. A folder’s size, however, is the sum of every file inside it, plus the sizes of all subfolders and their contents. Computing that total on the fly would slow down every window refresh, especially on large drives or network volumes. Apple therefore leaves folder sizes off by default and gives you on-demand ways to calculate them.
You can enable a permanent folder size column in List view, but it only works in that view and only when you turn it on. The setting is per window, not global, so you may need to set it for each Finder window you open.
Method 1: Get Info (Quickest for One Folder)
The fastest way to see a single folder’s size is the Get Info window:
- Right-click (or Control-click) the folder in Finder.
- Select Get Info (or press Command+I).
- Look for the Size field near the top. It shows both the exact byte count and a rounded human-readable value like “1.2 GB”.
Get Info calculates the size immediately and updates it if you change the folder’s contents while the window is open. You can also select multiple folders and press Command+I to see their combined size, though the window shows each folder’s size separately and a total at the bottom.
Method 2: Status Bar in List View
If you prefer seeing sizes without opening a window, switch Finder to List view and enable the status bar:
- Open the folder in Finder.
- Click the List view icon in the toolbar (or press Command+2).
- Go to View menu and select Show Status Bar (or press Command+/).
- Look at the bottom of the window. The status bar shows the total size of all items in the current folder, but not individual folder sizes.
To see each folder’s size as a column, you need the next method.
Method 3: Show Folder Size Column in List View
macOS has a hidden column that displays folder sizes, but it’s off by default. To enable it:
- Open the parent folder in Finder and switch to List view (Command+2).
- Right-click on the column header row (where it says Name, Date Modified, Size, etc.).
- Check Size if it’s not already checked.
- Now each folder shows its total size, including all subfolders and files inside.
This column works only in List view. If you switch to Icon, Gallery, or Column view, the sizes disappear. Also, the setting applies only to the current window; you’ll need to repeat it for other windows.
Method 4: Terminal (du Command)
For a quick, scriptable way to get folder sizes, the Terminal’s du command is the most flexible. Open Terminal (in /Applications/Utilities) and type:
du -sh /path/to/folder
Breakdown of the flags:
- -s (summary) — show only the total for the folder, not each subfolder.
- -h (human-readable) — display sizes in KB, MB, GB.
To see the sizes of all folders inside a directory, use:
du -sh /path/to/folder/*
That lists each subfolder with its size. To sort them from largest to smallest, pipe through sort:
du -sh /path/to/folder/* | sort -hr
The -h flag on sort works with the human-readable output. Note that du counts disk usage, which may differ slightly from the file sizes shown in Finder because of filesystem overhead and sparse files.
Method 5: Third-Party Apps for Large Scans
If you need to find which folders are eating your disk, a visual disk space analyzer is more practical than scrolling through a list. Several free and paid apps exist (e.g., DaisyDisk, GrandPerspective, Disk Inventory X) that scan your drive and show folder sizes as blocks or treemaps. They are particularly useful when you have hundreds of folders and want to spot the biggest ones at a glance. These apps read the same filesystem data as Finder, so they don’t modify anything; they just present it differently.
Common Problems and Misconceptions
Folder size shows 0 bytes or “—” — This usually happens when you’re in a view that doesn’t support the size column, or when the folder is on a network volume that doesn’t report sizes quickly. Try Get Info on that folder; if it also shows 0, the volume may not support the operation.
Size in Get Info differs from Terminal’s du — Finder’s Size field shows the logical file size, while du shows disk usage, which includes filesystem block rounding. On APFS, the difference is often small but can be noticeable with many tiny files.
“Calculate All Sizes” option — In Column view, you can press Command+J to open View Options and check “Calculate all sizes”. This makes the column view show folder sizes, but it can slow down navigation on huge folders.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I see folder sizes in Finder on macOS Ventura or Sonoma?
The methods above work identically in recent macOS versions. The List view column trick and Get Info have been unchanged for years. Terminal commands also remain the same.
Why doesn’t the Size column show folder sizes in Icon view?
Icon view doesn’t have a column layout, so it can’t display a size column. You must use List view or Column view (with “Calculate all sizes” enabled) to see folder sizes inline.
Can I make Finder always show folder sizes?
Not globally. The List view column setting is per window. You can set a default view style in Finder’s Preferences (View tab) but the size column toggle isn’t part of that default. You’ll have to turn it on for each window.
What’s the difference between “Size” and “On Disk” in Get Info?
“Size” is the total bytes of all files. “On Disk” is the actual space used on the hard drive, which is usually slightly larger because files occupy blocks of fixed size. For most purposes, Size is what you want.
How do I see folder sizes on an external drive?
All the same methods work on external drives. If the drive is formatted as FAT32 or exFAT, the size calculation may be slower, but it still works. Network volumes may not support folder size queries, in which case Get Info will show “—”.
Is there a keyboard shortcut to see folder size?
Yes: select a folder and press Command+I to open Get Info. That’s the quickest way without using the mouse.
Related
Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.