---
id: troubleshooting.folder-size-is-a-minimum
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/folder-size-is-a-minimum
category: "Troubleshooting & messages"
subcategory: "Permissions and Full Disk Access"
question: "Why does a folder's size say it's only a minimum?"
alt_questions:
  - "part of this folder couldn't be read so this is a minimum"
  - "folder size minimum storage studio"
  - "at least in your home folder some of it couldn't be read"
  - "size shown is too small"
short_answer: "Some of the folder couldn't be read, so the figure is what could be counted — the real size is at least that. Full Disk Access usually lets Storage Studio count the rest."
tags: ["folder size", "full disk access", "measuring"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/breakdown-doesnt-add-up-to-whole-disk", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/storage-studio-was-blocked-from-some-files"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Why does a folder's size say it's only a minimum?

Part of the folder couldn't be read — usually because macOS protects it, or an app has it locked — so Storage Studio shows the size it could count and labels it a minimum. The real size is at least that, possibly more.

Granting **Full Disk Access** in **System Settings → Privacy & Security** usually lets it count everything. Some system areas stay unreadable to every app by design.