I just formatted an 8TB Seagate USB drive with 8TB capacity.
I formatted the drive as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
When I Get Info on the newly formatted empty 8TB drive, it shows 1.49 GB used.
If I reveal the hidden folders in the Finder, I can see two folders, whose sizes are much less than the "Used" space shown above.
What is taking up 1.49 Gb of space on this blank, newly formatted drive?
Metadata.
That is to say, macOS needs to use some storage to keep track of all your files, what storage your files are using, the time stamps, permissions, ownership, etc... and it needs to build a list of all unused blocks so that when it gives storage to a file, it can give storage it is not currently using for another file.
There is going to be a metadata transaction journal where macOS will write out information about metadata changes it is making, and if the system crashes in the middle of a metadata update, it will replay the journal and either apply to completion a metadata change, or it will roll it back to a safe point.
All of this stuff is hidden, but absolutely necessary to operate a file system.
Metadata.
That is to say, macOS needs to use some storage to keep track of all your files, what storage your files are using, the time stamps, permissions, ownership, etc... and it needs to build a list of all unused blocks so that when it gives storage to a file, it can give storage it is not currently using for another file.
There is going to be a metadata transaction journal where macOS will write out information about metadata changes it is making, and if the system crashes in the middle of a metadata update, it will replay the journal and either apply to completion a metadata change, or it will roll it back to a safe point.
All of this stuff is hidden, but absolutely necessary to operate a file system.
tfeledy wrote:
I just formatted an 8TB Seagate USB drive with 8TB capacity.
What is taking up 1.49 Gb of space on this blank, newly formatted drive?
Formatting. You are talking about 8TB=8000GB and you are concerned over 1.49 GB ?
You always have to give up some disk space to formatting—now multiple that x8
8TB Drive just formatted shows 1.49 GB used?
