{
  "schema": "https://storagestudio.us/schema/wiki-page.v1",
  "title": "Storage charts and history",
  "slug": "storage-charts",
  "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-charts",
  "markdown_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-charts.md",
  "category": "Freeing up space",
  "category_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/freeing-up-space/",
  "tags": [
    "storage charts",
    "history",
    "free up space",
    "storage profile"
  ],
  "summary": "Storage Studio records your free space once an hour and draws it as charts in your Storage Profile. You can see how free space has changed, how much of your data lives on your external drive, and what moved in and out each day.",
  "published_at": "2026-10-01T06:19:22.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:34:57.000Z",
  "headings": [
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "The charts",
      "id": "the-charts"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Moving around the chart",
      "id": "moving-around-the-chart"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Explaining a change",
      "id": "explaining-a-change"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "\"On your fast drive, not this Mac\"",
      "id": "on-your-fast-drive-not-this-mac"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "When the charts are empty",
      "id": "when-the-charts-are-empty"
    }
  ],
  "links_out": [
    {
      "slug": "where-did-my-space-go",
      "label": "Where did my space go?",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/where-did-my-space-go"
    },
    {
      "slug": "background-activity",
      "label": "Job Insights",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/background-activity"
    },
    {
      "slug": "storage-profile",
      "label": "Your Storage Profile",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-profile"
    },
    {
      "slug": "storage-inspector",
      "label": "Storage Inspector",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-inspector"
    },
    {
      "slug": "why-deleting-doesnt-free-space",
      "label": "Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/why-deleting-doesnt-free-space"
    },
    {
      "slug": "data-transfers",
      "label": "Data Transfers",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers"
    }
  ],
  "links_in": [
    {
      "slug": "the-home-screen",
      "title": "The Home screen",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-home-screen"
    },
    {
      "slug": "where-did-my-space-go",
      "title": "Where did my space go?",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/where-did-my-space-go"
    },
    {
      "slug": "storage-profile",
      "title": "Your Storage Profile",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-profile"
    }
  ],
  "diagrams": [
    {
      "kind": "flowchart",
      "caption": "From a drop on the chart to an explanation",
      "outline": "- Pick a range or drag across a drop\n  - leads to Chart zooms to that stretch\n- Chart zooms to that stretch\n  - leads to What changed in this period appears below\n- What changed in this period appears below\n  - leads to Each line names an app or place and offers the next step\n",
      "source": "%% caption: From a drop on the chart to an explanation\nflowchart LR\n  A[Pick a range or drag across a drop] --> B[Chart zooms to that stretch]\n  B --> C[What changed in this period appears below]\n  C --> D[Each line names an app or place and offers the next step]"
    }
  ],
  "images": [],
  "screenshots_pending": [
    {
      "alt": "The Storage Profile window in Demo Mode scrolled to \"Your storage over time\", showing the \"Free space over time\" chart with the 1mo range selected and the \"On your fast drive, not this Mac\" chart below",
      "caption": "Storage charts in the Storage Profile"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [],
  "text": "Storage Studio takes a reading of your storage once an hour and keeps it on your Mac, so you can see how your free space has changed over time. The charts live in your Storage Profile , under Your storage over time . Open it from the More menu (•••) → Storage Profile… . The charts Chart What it shows Free space over time Free space on your Mac ( Internal , blue) and on your external drive ( NVMe , green), for the period you pick On your fast drive, not this Mac How much of your data is living on your external drive instead of your Mac Used vs free — latest snapshot How full each disk is at the most recent reading Top monitored directories The biggest folders Storage Studio keeps an eye on, from today's reading Data transferred OUT — daily by service What left your Mac's disk each day, for the last 30 days, by the feature that moved it Data transferred IN — daily by service What came back to your Mac's disk each day, for the last 30 days Moving around the chart Above Free space over time , pick a range: from 1d through weeks and months to 1y , the current week, month or year so far ( WTD , MTD , YTD ), or Lifetime . It opens on 1mo . Hover over the chart to see the date and both free-space readings at that moment. Drag across a stretch to zoom into it. Pinch, or hold Option and scroll, to zoom in and out. Swipe sideways , or hold Option and drag, to move through time. Double-click , or click Reset zoom , to see everything again. The chart directly below follows the same zoom, so the two always show the same stretch of time. From a drop on the chart to an explanation Flowchart outline: From a drop on the chart to an explanation Pick a range or drag across a drop leads to Chart zooms to that stretch Chart zooms to that stretch leads to What changed in this period appears below What changed in this period appears below leads to Each line names an app or place and offers the next step Explaining a change Under Free space over time sits the explanation for whatever stretch you're looking at: What changed in this period , ranked by how much each app or place gained or lost. It also tells you when the chart's free-space figure includes space your Mac is holding in automatic backups, so you can see how much you could actually use. See Where did my space go? . \"On your fast drive, not this Mac\" This chart is measured from the drive itself. It shows how much of your data is on your external drive right now instead of on your Mac, so it goes down if you move something back. You can check it any time by looking at the drive. When the charts are empty Charts need at least two readings. On a new install you'll see Not enough data yet : Storage Studio writes one snapshot per hour. Charts unlock after the second snapshot — check back in an hour. The readings stay on your Mac. The job that takes them appears in Job Insights as Storage history . See also: Your Storage Profile · Storage Inspector · Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back · Data Transfers",
  "markdown": "Storage Studio takes a reading of your storage once an hour and keeps it on your Mac, so you can see how your free space has changed over time. The charts live in your **Storage Profile**, under **Your storage over time**. Open it from the More menu (•••) → **Storage Profile…**.\n\n## The charts\n\n| Chart | What it shows |\n|---|---|\n| Free space over time | Free space on your Mac (**Internal**, blue) and on your external drive (**NVMe**, green), for the period you pick |\n| On your fast drive, not this Mac | How much of your data is living on your external drive instead of your Mac |\n| Used vs free — latest snapshot | How full each disk is at the most recent reading |\n| Top monitored directories | The biggest folders Storage Studio keeps an eye on, from today's reading |\n| Data transferred OUT — daily by service | What left your Mac's disk each day, for the last 30 days, by the feature that moved it |\n| Data transferred IN — daily by service | What came back to your Mac's disk each day, for the last 30 days |\n\n## Moving around the chart\n\nAbove **Free space over time**, pick a range: from **1d** through weeks and months to **1y**, the current week, month or year so far (**WTD**, **MTD**, **YTD**), or **Lifetime**. It opens on **1mo**.\n\n- **Hover** over the chart to see the date and both free-space readings at that moment.\n- **Drag** across a stretch to zoom into it. Pinch, or hold Option and scroll, to zoom in and out.\n- **Swipe sideways**, or hold Option and drag, to move through time.\n- **Double-click**, or click **Reset zoom**, to see everything again.\n\nThe chart directly below follows the same zoom, so the two always show the same stretch of time.\n\n```mermaid\n%% caption: From a drop on the chart to an explanation\nflowchart LR\n  A[Pick a range or drag across a drop] --> B[Chart zooms to that stretch]\n  B --> C[What changed in this period appears below]\n  C --> D[Each line names an app or place and offers the next step]\n```\n\n*Flowchart — From a drop on the chart to an explanation. Outline:*\n\n- Pick a range or drag across a drop\n  - leads to Chart zooms to that stretch\n- Chart zooms to that stretch\n  - leads to What changed in this period appears below\n- What changed in this period appears below\n  - leads to Each line names an app or place and offers the next step\n\n## Explaining a change\n\nUnder **Free space over time** sits the explanation for whatever stretch you're looking at: **What changed in this period**, ranked by how much each app or place gained or lost. It also tells you when the chart's free-space figure includes space your Mac is holding in automatic backups, so you can see how much you could actually use. See [Where did my space go?](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/where-did-my-space-go).\n\n## \"On your fast drive, not this Mac\"\n\nThis chart is measured from the drive itself. It shows how much of your data is on your external drive right now instead of on your Mac, so it goes down if you move something back. You can check it any time by looking at the drive.\n\n## When the charts are empty\n\nCharts need at least two readings. On a new install you'll see **Not enough data yet**: *Storage Studio writes one snapshot per hour. Charts unlock after the second snapshot — check back in an hour.* The readings stay on your Mac. The job that takes them appears in [Job Insights](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/background-activity) as **Storage history**.\n\nSee also: [Your Storage Profile](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-profile) · [Storage Inspector](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-inspector) · [Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/why-deleting-doesnt-free-space) · [Data Transfers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers)\n"
}