I moved files but my free space didn't go up

Moving files off your Mac doesn't always raise the free-space figure straight away. macOS often keeps automatic backups — local snapshots — of files that have just been removed, and holds that space until it lets the snapshots go. That space comes back on its own; you can also release it sooner. If it doesn't, check whether the original is actually still on your Mac.

What you might see

• After Smart Care: "Your Mac may hold on to the space those moves freed for a little while — it keeps automatic backups of files that have just been removed. It comes back on its own, and you can release it sooner from Emergency Space."
• In Where Did My Space Go: "This is space from files that have already been moved or deleted. … It comes back on its own, and releasing it now doesn't delete anything you still have."
• On a check of a moved item: "The original file is still on your Mac, so no space came back from this one."
• In Data Parking: "… was copied successfully, but the original couldn't be removed afterwards, so it's still using space."

Likely causes

• Local snapshots. macOS keeps snapshots for a while — for example for Time Machine — and the files in them still count against your disk. See Local snapshots.
• The original wasn't removed. A move whose last step didn't finish leaves the original in place, so the copy on your drive is extra rather than instead.
• Removed files are waiting somewhere. Items in the Trash still use space, and so does the Recycle Vault when it has to keep removed files on your Mac — for example when no external drive is set up for it.
• The space was already counted as free. Some reclaimable space is already shown as available by macOS, so clearing it doesn't change the figure. See Purgeable space.
• You copied instead of moved. A copy, such as a Copy transfer to a cloud account, leaves the original where it was.

%% caption: Finding where the space from a move went
flowchart TD
  A[Free space didn't go up after a move] --> B{Did the move finish?}
  B -->|No, original still there| C[Fix the move and run it again]
  B -->|Yes| D{Is space held by automatic backups?}
  D -->|Yes| E[Wait, or use Review and release]
  D -->|No| F{Items in the Trash or Recycle Vault on this Mac?}
  F -->|Yes| G[Empty the Trash when sure, or connect a drive for the Vault]
  F -->|No| H[Space was probably already counted as free]

How to fix it

1. Give it time. Space held by snapshots usually comes back by itself.
2. Release it sooner. Open Where Did My Space Go… from the More menu and use Review and release…, or open Emergency Space. Local Snapshots… in the More menu shows the snapshots and lets you reclaim space from them. Releasing snapshot space doesn't delete anything you still have.
3. Check the move finished. In Data Parking's Moves list, a move marked Completed has removed the original. For one that didn't, see A folder move failed or was cancelled.
4. Check the Trash and the Recycle Vault. In Settings → Services, the Recycle Vault row tells you if it's "Holding removed files on this Mac".
5. Look at the whole picture in What's Using Space… — its Space held by backups section shows how much local snapshots are holding.

See also: Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back · Where did my space go? · Emergency Space · The Trash and the space it holds · Something's not working: start here