DiskWhisk

Support

Can’t find your answer? Email [email protected]. A real person replies, usually within one business day. In the app, Help → Send Feedback… fills in your app and macOS versions for you.

Getting started

  1. Open the downloaded DiskWhisk.dmg and drag DiskWhisk into Applications.
  2. Launch it, pick a disk (or Open Folder…) and click Scan.
  3. Click any block in the treemap to find it in the list. Double-click to zoom into its folder. Press Space to Quick Look.
How do I give DiskWhisk Full Disk Access?
  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access (or click Open Settings… in DiskWhisk’s start window).
  2. Turn on DiskWhisk. If it isn’t listed, click + and choose it from Applications.
  3. Quit and reopen DiskWhisk, then scan again.

Without it, macOS hides protected folders such as Mail, Messages, Safari and other apps’ containers. They appear as “Other Space” and in the count of unreadable folders shown at the bottom of the window.

What is “Other Space”?

When you scan a whole disk, Other Space is used space that DiskWhisk couldn’t attribute to a file. Usually that’s APFS snapshots (including Time Machine local snapshots), other volumes in the same container (Preboot, Recovery, VM), and folders it wasn’t allowed to read. Granting Full Disk Access shrinks it. You can hide it with View → Show Free Space.

Why are sizes different from Finder?

DiskWhisk shows the space files actually take up on disk, which is what you get back when you delete them. Finder’s “Get Info” shows file length instead. They differ for compressed files, sparse files, and cloud files that haven’t been downloaded. Like Finder, DiskWhisk uses decimal units (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes). Files that share storage (APFS clones) are counted in full in each place they appear.

Why do some iCloud Drive files show 0 bytes?

Files that live only in iCloud and haven’t been downloaded to this Mac take up no local space, so they show as 0 bytes. That’s correct: deleting them wouldn’t free anything on this Mac.

Are apps and photo libraries shown as one block?

Yes. Packages like apps and the Photos library count as single files, just as Finder shows them. Turn on View → Show Package Contents to look inside.

Can DiskWhisk delete something important?

DiskWhisk never deletes anything permanently. Move to Trash asks first and puts items in the Trash, where you can restore them until you empty it. Be careful with anything inside /System, /Library or ~/Library unless you know what it is.

What does the free version include?

Every feature. It shows the first 99 GB of files in each scan, working through folders in alphabetical order. Files beyond that are grouped into a striped Locked block in each folder, showing how much space they take and what share of the folder that is, so you still see where your space goes. A license removes the limit.

I bought a license. How do I activate it?

Choose DiskWhisk → Enter License…, paste your license key and click Activate. Your key is in your DiskWhisk account; sign in with your purchase email, and the order confirmation email links there too. You can use one license on up to three of your Macs.

I lost my license key.

Sign in to your DiskWhisk account with the email address you bought with (you’ll get a one-time code by email). Your key is listed under your purchase. Or email us and we’ll help.

How do I move my license to a new Mac?

On the old Mac, open DiskWhisk → Enter License… and click Deactivate This Mac, then activate on the new one. If the old Mac is gone, sign in to your DiskWhisk account and remove it from the list of activations.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. If DiskWhisk isn’t right for you, email us within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. No questions asked.

How do updates work?

DiskWhisk checks for updates automatically (you can change this when it first asks, or use DiskWhisk → Check for Updates…). Updates are signed and notarized. See the release notes.

System requirements

macOS 14 Sonoma or later, including macOS 26. Apple silicon and Intel.