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macOS shows inconsistent free disk space, how to fix?

Hello, There are inconsistent reports of free disk space (available disk space) in Finder, Disk Utility, and About My Mac. I've included a screengrab. Help me in fixing this problem. Take note of the following free space reports: Finder - 120.97 GB; Disk Utility - 26.75 GB; About This Mac - 26.75 GB. The total amount of consumed space, as indicated in "About This Mac," comes to 142.38 GB, which is more than the 120.47 GB that my disk can hold. 142.38 GB is the result of the following calculation: 3.41 (Audio) + 2.97 (Movies) + 2.01 (Photos) + 13.02 (Apps) + 94.22 (Backups) + 26.75 (Free).

Best Answered by

iBoysoft author Amanda Wong

Amanda Wong

Answered on Tuesday, December 3, 2024

One of the most possible reasons why macOS shows inconsistent free disk space is Time Machine's local snapshots. This part is included in the used space by both Disk Utility and the storage display. The reason the Finder doesn't is that such snapshots are regarded as free space because they are immediately removed if there is insufficient free space. 

Besides, the issue that macOS shows wrong free space could be caused by disk errors, system glitches, problematic Spotlight index, etc., when you encounter this issue, apply the following methods to fix it:

  • Restart your Mac
  • Remove purgeable space
  • Erase local snapshots
  • Reindex Spotlight
  • Repair the disk with First Aid
  • Update macOS
 

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