Freeing up space · Temporary files and Storage Studio's own footprint
Does restarting my Mac free up space?
Short answer: A little, sometimes: a restart clears your Mac's temporary area, but not its cache area. If space fills again quickly, Storage Studio can show which app is leaving folders behind.
Sometimes, a little. Your Mac clears its temporary area when you restart, so anything apps left there goes away. The cache area isn't emptied by a restart — your Mac clears that by itself when the disk gets tight.
If a restart doesn't help, or space fills up again quickly, an app is likely leaving folders behind; Storage Studio measures both areas and names the app responsible. See What temporary files does Storage Studio measure?