What is hidden space

Sometimes the total size of all scanned files and folders on a disk still don’t make for the entire used space on that disk. This happens because there may be some restricted folders, which DaisyDisk couldn’t scan with default permissions, or which are even entirely unreachable. DaisyDisk detects the remainder of space and displays a special item hidden space of the corresponding size.

When you click on it, you see a further breakdown of the hidden space:

The following items typically contribute to the hidden space:

Oct 14, 2017  Since I installed High Sierra I get more space used by 'hidden system files' and 'mobile backups'. I looked into it, disabled TimeMachine automatic backup. Even tried the other terminal commands to delete local snapshots but didn't work. After checking with DaisyDisk I still have about 60GB. Mar 10, 2020  DaisyDisk now scans the local snapshots of the APFS file system and displays them inside the 'hidden space' area. Now it’s much easier to deal with the hidden space, because the snapshots are often its largest component. You can now delete the snapshots by simple drag-and-drop, as with regular files. Added 'Open in Terminal' context menu command. DaisyDisk is a disk analyzer tool for OS X that visualizes hard disk usage and allows to free up hard disk space Free up gigabytes of disk space in minutes using the visual interactive map that reveals the biggest space hogs on your disk. Unlike the stand-alone store, the App Store’s DaisyDisk lacks the display of hidden disk space, so in some cases, there is a significant mismatch between the sum of all scanned folders and the sum of used folders, so App Store customers are confused about disk space. Aug 02, 2018  This has been going on for a while after I changed the format of the SSD to APFS. I deleted 80gb right now, and I still have 349gb available. I already turned off optimize storage from iCloud. What can I do so that it updates as soon as I delete? I have 113gb in hidden space. DaisyDisk's hidden space (if scanned as administrator) should be within 4-8GB limit for most Macs. If the numbers are larger, try repairing the volume as this may serve an indicator for file system errors. Taras Brizitsky, DaisyDisk's designer.

Jul 10, 2019  DaisyDisk is a very useful tool that can show you in an user friendly manner what files are taking up large chunks of storage space, and then helps you decide if you still need them or not. The DaisyDisk app also includes simple tools for previewing and deleting the unwanted items, so you can easily clean up your volume without going through.

• purgeable space (covered in a separate article) — mostly local snapshots of Time Machine, and also swap files, sleep images and other temporary system files.
• other volumes (covered in a separate article) — sub-volumes within the same physical disk that share its pool of free space (a new feature of APFS). This item may include some invisible system volumes and the volumes you created yourself.
• still hidden — the ultimate remainder of unaccounted space, usually consists of:
  • Home folders of other users on the same Mac, if any
  • System stuff, like Spotlight index, document versions, etc.
  • File system overhead (2-3 GB is normal for the startup disk)
  • Space missing due to file system errors

How to reveal the hidden space

• macOS Mojave or later: You may see a lot of hidden space if you deny DaisyDisk access to your Calendar, Photos, Contacts and other privacy-sensitive folders. The system shows you the corresponding dialogs and remembers your choices the first time you scan your disk. In case if you deny the access, the size of hidden space will grow by the corresponding amount, while some folders on the map will appear empty. To override your previous choices, you can open > , go to the tab and add DaisyDisk to the “Full Disk Access” list. Then rescan your disk. DaisyDisk will not read the actual content of your private data, only the metadata (such as name and size). This approach is recommended in Apple's official WWDC 2018 video which mentions DaisyDisk as an example (begin at 9:22).
• Use the scan as administrator command. The hidden space should disappear, or become significantly smaller by size. And in reverse, some other folders will grow in size correspondingly, and restricted files and folders will become visible here and there on your disk.
• Note that some small amount of hidden space (a few GB) may still remain even after scanning as administrator. This is normal. Usually this space is used by the file system itself.
• When you delete a file or folder and Time Machine is turned on, the system may not delete the files entirely, but move them to the purgeable space, causing it to grow by the corresponding amount. However, the system often delays updating the size of the purgeable space by few minutes. During this delay, you may temporarily see the hidden space being “borrowed” by the equal amount. DaisyDisk will automatically refresh (without rescanning) the numbers or hidden and purgeable space after the system updates them globally.
• Also, just after you delete the purgeable space, you may temporarily see the hidden space being “borrowed” by the corresponding amount. Please allow some time (from few seconds to few minutes) before the system completes reclaiming the purgeable space in the background. The purging may be additionally delayed if the Time Machine is in process of backing up.
• If you are using third-party backup tools such as Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC), they can create their own file system snapshots. Unlike the Time Machine snapshots, the third-party snapshots are not counted toward the purgeable space, but toward the still hidden space. You can check for presence of any third-party snapshots using tmutil listlocalsnapshots / command in Terminal. In order to reveal and delete such snapshots, please use the corresponding third-party apps. For example, here’s how you delete a snapshot created by CCC.
• Large amounts of hidden disk space may also indicate errors in the file system. You can use the Disk Utility to verify and repair your disk’s integrity. In some cases, you may need to boot your Mac in Recovery mode and run the Disk Utility from there.

  In the most obstinate cases with APFS disks, you may need to use the lower-level fsck_apfsDrop x vst crack. command-line utility to verify and repair the APFS volume from the Recovery mode.

  Similarly, for HFS+ disks, you may need to use fsck_hfs. Beside verifying, you can use it to repair the HFS+ catalog file. WARNING: this operation may not be safe for your data! You should make a full backup of your disk before trying. Please seek professional help on the matter.

• Some backup tools are known to leave garbage in /Volumes folder. Check it out with the Terminal app.
• If nothing of the above helps, please contact our support.

The Collector

You can tear off DaisyDisk’s petals and drop them to the special area at the bottom called Collector:

In addition to drag-and-drop, you can put files and folders to the Collector by selecting the Move Selected File to Collector command from the item’s context menu, or by pressing ⌘⌫ hotkey while pointing to an object.

Don’t worry, the files remain intact until you click the button.

You can expand the Collector by clicking on it to make sure you are not about to accidentally delete some needed files. The expanded Collector works just like the sidebar, so you can preview files and drag them out. Another way to get an item out of the Collector is to point and click the button near its name

What can you delete?

Some folders like /System, /Library or current user’s home folder are not meant to be deleted, so the Collector will not accept them.

Daisydisk Still Hidden Space In Space

Semi-transparent (consolidated) petals also cannot be removed, you’ll have to expand the group and drag individual files and folders.

Clicking the button starts deletion process, but you’ll have 5 seconds to change your mind and press .

DaisyDisk permanently removes files and folders instead of moving them to the system Trash, so that the disk space is actually recovered. These files cannot be undeleted, but there are other ways.

Daisydisk Still Hidden Space Program

Free space not appearing after deletion?

Contrary to what you may expect, deleting files in macOS may not immediately produce free space. If Time Machine is enabled on your Mac (which should always be recommended), it will regularly back up your entire disk’s content in so called local snapshots. The snapshots are designed in such a way that they don’t consume additional disk space if there is little change compared to the previous backup.

Daisydisk Still Hidden Space Furniture

So, when you delete a file, its copy may still be retained in the local snapshots, and still consume the same amount of disk space. In result, the free space will not grow, but the amount of hidden space, and more specifically, the purgeable space, will increase by the corresponding amount. This is normal — macOS will eventually automatically reclaim the purgeable space when the apps request more disk space. Alternatively, you can forcedly purge it with DaisyDisk.