Comparisons & alternatives · Disk-space analysers
Can a disk analyser tell me where my free space went last week?
Short answer: Not usually — analysers only show what's on disk now. Storage Studio watches free space over time, so 'Where did my space go?' can break down any period you pick: what grew, what was freed, and what it couldn't account for.
Usually not — a disk analyser shows what's on the disk now, so whatever filled it and then went away leaves no trace. Storage Studio keeps a quiet, low-cost watch on your free space over time, so it can explain a period afterwards.
- Open More ••• → Where did my space go?…, pick a period or drag across the drop on the chart, and it breaks that window down: what grew, what was freed, what Storage Studio itself did, and what it couldn't account for.
- The What changed section of the Storage Inspector compares this measurement with the last one.
- It warns on the rate — roughly how many days of room you have left at this pace — rather than on every download.
When it can't tell which app was responsible, it says so instead of guessing. See What's Using Space.