{"id":"finder-location.why-is-storage-studios-folder-size-different-from-finders","url":"/faq/finder-location/why-is-storage-studios-folder-size-different-from-finders","category":{"id":"finder-location","title":"Finding things in Finder"},"subcategory":{"id":"finding-moved-items","title":"Finding what was moved"},"question":"Why is a folder's size in Storage Studio different from what Finder shows?","alt_questions":["Folder size doesn't match Finder Get Info","Storage Studio says bigger than Finder","Why does Data Parking show a different size?","size on disk vs size Mac","What does the ≥ sign before a size mean?"],"short_answer":"Storage Studio measures the room a folder really takes on disk, including hidden files at every depth — what you'd get back by moving it. Finder's Get Info shows both size and on-disk figures, and a ≥ means part couldn't be read.","answer_markdown":"Storage Studio measures how much room a folder really takes up on disk, including everything inside it at every depth and any hidden files — the same amount you'd get back by moving it. Finder's **Get Info** shows two figures, the size and the space used on disk, and the two often differ.\n\nOther reasons the numbers can differ:\n\n- A **≥** in front of a size means part of the folder couldn't be read, so it's a minimum.\n- A folder still being counted shows a spinner, never zero.\n- Moved items count as shortcuts in Finder, so they look tiny there.\n\nIf something looks stale, the refresh button re-measures it.","answer_html":"

Storage Studio measures how much room a folder really takes up on disk, including everything inside it at every depth and any hidden files — the same amount you'd get back by moving it. Finder's Get Info shows two figures, the size and the space used on disk, and the two often differ.

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Other reasons the numbers can differ:

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If something looks stale, the refresh button re-measures it.

","answer_text":"Storage Studio measures how much room a folder really takes up on disk, including everything inside it at every depth and any hidden files — the same amount you'd get back by moving it. Finder's Get Info shows two figures, the size and the space used on disk, and the two often differ.\n\nOther reasons the numbers can differ:\n\n- A ≥ in front of a size means part of the folder couldn't be read, so it's a minimum.\n- A folder still being counted shows a spinner, never zero.\n- Moved items count as shortcuts in Finder, so they look tiny there.\n\nIf something looks stale, the refresh button re-measures it.","tags":["folder size","get info","finder"],"related":[{"id":"finder-location.does-moving-a-folder-include-hidden-files","question":"Does moving a folder also move hidden files I can't see in Finder?","url":"/faq/finder-location/does-moving-a-folder-include-hidden-files"},{"id":"finder-location.why-does-get-info-show-a-tiny-size-for-a-moved-folder","question":"Why does Finder's Get Info show only a few kilobytes for a folder I moved?","url":"/faq/finder-location/why-does-get-info-show-a-tiny-size-for-a-moved-folder"},{"id":"finder-location.where-does-data-parking-put-things-on-my-drive","question":"Where on my external drive does Data Parking put the folders I move?","url":"/faq/finder-location/where-does-data-parking-put-things-on-my-drive"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Why is a folder's size in Storage Studio different from what Finder shows? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Storage Studio measures the room a folder really takes on disk, including hidden files at every depth — what you'd get back by moving it. Finder's Get Info shows both size and on-disk figures, and a ≥ means part couldn't be read.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Finding things in Finder","path":"/faq/finder-location/"},{"name":"Why is a folder's size in Storage Studio different from what Finder shows?","path":"/faq/finder-location/why-is-storage-studios-folder-size-different-from-finders"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/why-is-storage-studios-folder-size-different-from-finders","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why is a folder's size in Storage Studio different from what Finder shows?","alternateName":["Folder size doesn't match Finder Get Info","Storage Studio says bigger than Finder","Why does Data Parking show a different size?","size on disk vs size Mac","What does the ≥ sign before a size mean?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Storage Studio measures how much room a folder really takes up on disk, including everything inside it at every depth and any hidden files — the same amount you'd get back by moving it. Finder's Get Info shows two figures, the size and the space used on disk, and the two often differ.\n\nOther reasons the numbers can differ:\n\n- A ≥ in front of a size means part of the folder couldn't be read, so it's a minimum.\n- A folder still being counted shows a spinner, never zero.\n- Moved items count as shortcuts in Finder, so they look tiny there.\n\nIf something looks stale, the refresh button re-measures it.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/why-is-storage-studios-folder-size-different-from-finders"}}]},"fragment":"
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Finding things in Finder · Finding what was moved

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Why is a folder's size in Storage Studio different from what Finder shows?

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Short answer: Storage Studio measures the room a folder really takes on disk, including hidden files at every depth — what you'd get back by moving it. Finder's Get Info shows both size and on-disk figures, and a ≥ means part couldn't be read.

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Storage Studio measures how much room a folder really takes up on disk, including everything inside it at every depth and any hidden files — the same amount you'd get back by moving it. Finder's Get Info shows two figures, the size and the space used on disk, and the two often differ.

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Other reasons the numbers can differ:

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  • A ≥ in front of a size means part of the folder couldn't be read, so it's a minimum.
  • A folder still being counted shows a spinner, never zero.
  • Moved items count as shortcuts in Finder, so they look tiny there.
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If something looks stale, the refresh button re-measures it.

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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