---
id: comparisons.can-a-disk-analyser-tell-me-where-my-space-went
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/can-a-disk-analyser-tell-me-where-my-space-went
category: "Comparisons & alternatives"
subcategory: "Disk-space analysers"
question: "Can a disk analyser tell me where my free space went last week?"
alt_questions:
  - "where did my mac storage go suddenly"
  - "free space disappeared overnight mac which app"
  - "track disk space over time mac"
  - "what used my storage yesterday"
  - "storage history mac app"
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."
tags: ["space history", "free space", "analysis"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/disk-visualisers-vs-storage-studio", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/why-no-tool-can-account-for-every-byte"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Can a disk analyser tell me where my free space went last week?

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](https://storagestudio.us/manual/whats-using-space).