Disk Utility and Finder doesn't report the same amount of free space (very big difference)

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Level 1

92 points

Disk Utility and Finder doesn't report the same amount of free space (very big difference)

Hello! I noticed that disk utility and finder are reporting different amount of free space on my computer. I ran first aid already, and I used different apps to help me check why this is happening. Upon my investigation, omnidisksweeper and other third party apps reported a similar result with disk utility. However, when I computed the amount of free space myself, I noticed that it was similar with finder, which was very weird for me. Any tips or recommendations will be appreciated to help me resolve this issue. Thank you in advance and cheers!!!

Posted on Oct 29, 2021 6:47 AM

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Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

197,303 points

Oct 29, 2021 10:15 AM in response to erny121102

The Finder does not report the free storage below a Finder window, it reports "available" storage. This includes storage that is in use, but could be purged on demand. You can see free storage in the Finder only, if you open the Info ⌘I for the system volume. The "available" storage is usually much higher than the really free storage and much too optimistic. To know what is really free and can be used directly, check with Disk Utility.

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Answer 2

Ronasara

Level 6

15,043 points

Oct 29, 2021 9:38 AM in response to erny121102

I'm sorry, there is no resolution. This situation has often been reported here on the forum. When it is critical to know how much storage is used, the Disk Utility report should be used.

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Disk Utility and Finder doesn't report the same amount of free space (very big difference)

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