Freeing up space · Temporary files and Storage Studio's own footprint
How much disk space does Storage Studio itself use?
Short answer: It measures its own footprint after launch, separating rebuildable caches, held copies and logs (offered for clearing) from the small records that make moves undoable (never removed). It tells you if anything is unexpectedly large.
Storage Studio audits itself before it points at anything else. Shortly after launch it measures what it's holding on your built-in drive and sorts it into two kinds:
- Rebuildable — caches, held copies and logs. Large amounts are offered for clearing, or for moving to your fast drive when one is connected.
- Irreplaceable — the small records that let a move be undone. These are never offered for removal.
If it's holding something large you wouldn't expect, it tells you once, in plain English. The backup engine's cache, once it lives on your drive, also clears any copy left on your Mac by itself whenever the drive is connected and no backup is using it.
For the whole picture — on your Mac and on your drive, with what each part is for — see Storage Studio's own footprint card.