A free disk space tracker
TreeSize is a free disk management utility from Jam Software that helps track your computer’s storage space. The app is compatible with any edition of Windows starting with Vista (including Windows 11) and can be installed in either English or German. TreeSize scans your whole drive, listing off the size of various folders and subfolders, ensuring that you’re never surprised by lost space again. For Mac users, OmniDiskSweeper is a good alternative.
Similar to other disk space management apps like WinDirStat, running TreeSize is a useful way to scan and monitor your computer’s available capacity. It’s also a great tool for visualization, providing a range of options for users to see at a glance which programs are the biggest space hogs.
Data storage at a glance
Technology is decades past the floppy disk and the CD-ROM era, but even today in the age of cheap terabytes, it’s still possible to run out of space. Heavyweight programs like Photoshop or modern video games can eat up gigabytes of storage rapidly, especially if you’re not uninstalling as you go. After years of working or gaming on the same PC, the program debris starts to pile up.
The reason TreeSize is such an excellent utility program for Windows users is that its UI was built for the platform. Free and lightweight, it uses contextual ribbons to highlight each folder in your File Explorer, using bars to compare the file sizes and listing off the amount of data stored within each. You can also elect to view these results in a hierarchical 2D treemap chart at any time.
By default, TreeSize starts in a standard window with files in a tree-view mode. This is a descending order of all a folder’s files according to size. The tree-view mode is a good balance of information and readability, but there is also a more cluttered three-dimensional view. This sacrifices cleanness for added at-a-glance information. This is recommended only if you’re actively sifting through folders for data to delete.
There is a professional tier of TreeSize that comes with additional features missing in the free version. These include automation and scripting options, a portable version that can be installed via a USB device, and support for a Windows server. These added perks are useful on a case-by-case basis, so since both tiers let you download TreeSize free for a 30-day free trial, it’s recommended to test it for yourself to see whether the paid tier is necessary.
Scan and clean with TreeSize
Besides listing how much space a folder is storing, TreeSize is also fully capable of scanning hard drives and mobile devices. It does so by using Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) and WebDAV. The program keeps track of any avenues of data storage, and monitoring space used within each of them by scanning cloud and network drives. The scan results are then broken down into specific files for easy navigation.You can also set filters to include only one specific extension, like .bmp or .png, as another example of how you can maintain control over what files you’re looking for. Filters can also be set to change the displayed viewing mode from size to allocated space, percent, file count, or more. This can be helpful in determining which folders have the least content but are still taking up the most space.
TreeSize vs WinDirStat
While OmniDiskSweeper is a good TreeSize alternative for Mac users, on Windows the biggest competition is a similar program called WinDirStat. This is another free disk clean-up software to help monitor drive space. It tracks disk usage statistics and is beginner-friendly, reading off your selected device and presenting its findings in three separate views: Directory; treemap; and extension. WinDirStat doesn’t stop users from deleting system files, however, which makes it the less safe option for novice users.
On the other hand, TreeSize’s major advantage is its smooth incorporation with Windows File Explorer. It integrates seamlessly with the context menu and provides input that feels like it should be there anyway. Besides ensuring easy access to the app, this integration also extends to familiar keyboard shortcuts within File Explorer, keeping navigation familiar.
Some system improvements
Over the years, TreeSize has implemented minor to major software improvements to provide users a hassle-free experience. Most of these include smoothing over formatting and file renaming errors. The error that occurs when initiating the TreeSize File Search function using Chinese (Traditional) has been remedied, as well. Additionally, the sorting by check state feature has been reinstated. Abrupt app freezing while conducting a file search through a ZIP file has been addressed, too.
Furthermore, the developers have also improved the software’s integration with Windows 11’s context menu. Plus, any possible error that may occur when updating a SharePoint scan or calculating MD5 hashes for partially unreadable ZIP files has been attended to. Finally, users can now make snapshots or shadow copies on ReFS disks seamlessly.
A helpful app for space management
TreeSize is a useful disk analyzer application, helpful for monitoring storage and meshing organically with the Windows File Explorer. It scans Windows folders quickly and thoroughly, but again what makes it stand out is the amount of control it still leaves to the user. You can opt to scan only a portion of a drive, or even just one specific folder through the Select Directory button. Images notoriously take up lots of storage space, and with TreeSize you can choose to scan certain folders or filter by criteria like file format type, resulting in saving you time and getting readings with more precision and speed.
