By default, MacOS finder does not calculate folder sizes for you. This is very important for many users, mainly because we need to see which folder needs more attention to solve the problem of low device storage, or even more important, low icloud storage. When you have that problem, you don not necessarily need to upgrade your storage right off, but off course you can check files or folders consuming your storage, and delete the unnecessary items.
There is No Way to See Folder Sizes by Default
Take a look at the example screenshot above. That’s what Apple does by default. The folder sizes are unknown, so we do not know which folder needs more attention. Apple has created a tool for analysing the device storage in System Settings, but it does not include folders. We can check storage consumptions based on categories. We can also see big files in our device by clicking on the Documents category, but more often than not, it is still not enough. In fact, folder size calculation is still needed by many users.
How to Actually Calculate Folder Sizes Recursively
Although it is not enabled by default, you can calculate folder sizes very easily by opening up finder, then go to the folder you want to calculate recursively. On the menu bar, hit View –> Show View Options, or Cmd + J.
After doing so, a window will open. Check on Calculate all sizes. Close the window. Wait a few seconds until all the folder sizes appear on the size column.
That is how you calculate all folder sizes in MacOS Finder. If there are a lot of subfolders in the main folder, MacOS will take a few seconds to process the calculation. This option is very handy if you are running out of space, whether it is device storage or iCloud storage. If you are new to MacOS and still trying to understand the operating system, check out my post about Advantages of Using Macbook.
