Four ways to check how much storage your Mac has left, and which one to trust
System Settings, Finder, Disk Utility and Terminal each show storage differently. Where to find each one, why their numbers disagree, and which is right.
You want one number: how much space is left. macOS gives you four places to look, and they rarely agree to the GB. Here is each one, fastest first.
1. Finder: the fastest
Open a Finder window, select Macintosh HD in the sidebar (or on the Desktop), and press Command I. The Available figure is your free space. To see it all the time, choose View, Show Status Bar in any Finder window.
2. System Settings: with categories
Open System Settings, General, Storage. It shows a coloured bar by category and recommendations below. It can take a minute to calculate. If it never finishes, see storage stuck on Calculating.
3. Disk Utility: the technical view
Open Disk Utility from Applications, then Utilities. Select your volume to see Used, Free and the capacity of the whole container. Useful for external drives too.
4. Terminal: the exact number
df -h /System/Volumes/DataAvail is free space. It answers instantly and does not wait for anything to calculate.
Why the numbers disagree
| Where | Counts purgeable space as free? |
|---|---|
| Finder, Available | Yes |
| System Settings | Yes |
| Disk Utility | Shows it separately in some versions |
Terminal df | No |
Purgeable space is space macOS will free by itself when needed, like iCloud files it can download again. Purgeable space explained covers it. The practical answer: if df says you are low, you are genuinely low.
Knowing how full the disk is comes first. Finding what fills it is the next step, in where did my Mac storage go.
Common questions
How do I check how much storage is left on my Mac?
Select Macintosh HD in Finder and press Command I, or open System Settings, General, Storage. The Available figure is your free space.
Why do Finder and System Settings show different free space?
They count purgeable space, which macOS can free by itself, as available. Terminal's df does not, so it shows less.
How do I always see free space in Finder?
Choose View, Show Status Bar in a Finder window. The bottom of the window shows how much space is available.