---
id: mac-storage-basics.how-do-i-see-disk-usage-in-terminal
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-see-disk-usage-in-terminal
category: "Mac storage basics"
subcategory: "Checking your storage"
question: "How do I see what's using disk space from Terminal?"
alt_questions:
  - "du command mac"
  - "terminal find big folders mac"
  - "df -h mac"
  - "disk usage command line macos"
  - "sort folders by size terminal"
  - "check disk space terminal mac"
short_answer: "Run df -h to see each volume's free space, and du -sh ~/* | sort -h to rank the items in your home folder by size. Some folders need Full Disk Access for Terminal."
tags: ["terminal", "du", "df"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-see-folder-sizes-in-finder", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/why-do-two-copies-of-a-file-not-use-double-the-space"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How do I see what's using disk space from Terminal?

Two built-in commands cover most needs:

- `df -h` shows each mounted volume with its size, used and available space.
- `du -sh ~/*` shows the size of each item in your home folder; add `| sort -h` to list them smallest to largest.

Run `du` on a specific folder (for example your Library) to dig further. Some folders will report "Operation not permitted" unless Terminal has Full Disk Access, and sizes of APFS clones and sparse files can look larger than the space they really use.

If you'd rather not use Terminal, Finder's Calculate all sizes or Storage Studio's What's Using Space gives the same picture with clickable rows. See [folder sizes in Finder](https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-see-folder-sizes-in-finder).