GrandPerspective 4+

I have used this app for many years on various Macs with various versions of Mac OS X. In all this time, it has been the best way to figure out what is filling up a disk. In the early days, there were a few bugs, and I mention this only because the app was so useful, one would put up with a few crashes because Grand Perspective was still the best way to get the job done. Now the app is a simple, solid tool, that I only use occasionally, but it absolutely indespensible when I need it. And it is solid now: I haven't had any trouble in years and years.

The app presents the user with a large rectangular box which respresents the container that is being analyzed. Often the large box is a volume. Often it is a folder that needs a little more scrutiny. The box is filled with smaller boxes. The smaller boxes are the folders or files on the disk. The size of the little boxes represents the size of the files. Files in folders are boxes in boxes. There is a control to zoom in and out. Say, that big box there is my photos. Let's take a look at what is in there. That other box is apps. Wow, that one app is bigger than I thought. That's the idea. When you hover over a box, the interface tells you what the path is, how big the file is, etc.

Anyway, Grand Perspective is a great little program that does it job well. I don't think you will be disappointed.

I have used this fantastic tool for a decade at this point. It is my go-to when my Mac says it is out of space. Why Apple can get away with $400 for the same SSD you can buy external for $100 is beyond me.

Honestly, I don’t understand most of the negative reviews. Are they even using this app?
It was intuitive to me, and I an sure covered in the directions, but I’ll write it here hoping it’ll help anyone who may be struggling.
1. If you deny access to special folders such as ‘downloads’ and ‘documents’, you won’t get to see what is in them. You can fix this in System Preferences under Privacy. This is a Mac OS security/privacy feature, and not something the developer would have any control over.
2. All files in a folder are grouped together in the same ‘cube’ and is the same color. Folder sizes are apparent by looking at the grouping of files of the same color. Single large square? that’s a big file. Many brown files forming a large blob? That’s a big folder. Even the folder that folder is in is part of how the visualization is organized.
3. The names and full path of files are shown when you move the mouse over the squares. Writing the names of things inside the squares would be very messy. You can even ‘reveal in finder’ to open the folder containing that file.

I hope this helps some folks! This is a very simple app, but incredibly useful when managing disk space.

I've been a fan of Grand Perspective for what feels like ages, way before it even hit the app store. Snapping up a copy as soon as it became available was a no-brainer for me. This tool is my go-to whenever my Mac hits me with the dreaded "your disk is almost full" message. Step one, always: empty the trash. If that doesn't cut it, Grand Perspective is my reliable plan B. Its use of treemaps to show disk usage isn't just effective – it's genuinely fascinating to see. It's not just about freeing up space; it's about understanding what's eating it up, visually. In a nutshell, Grand Perspective makes disk management more than just a chore; it turns it into a visually engaging, almost enjoyable task.