How To Show Folder Size On A PC, Google Drive, Or Dropbox

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Digital folders play a key role in storing files and documents on our PCs, digital storage spaces, and cloud storage services. Folders also help us to stay organized by storing our files and documents in an orderly manner.

There are several reasons why you would want to know the folder size. The most obvious is to know how much space a folder is taking up. Another instance is when you have limited space in your storage device and want to delete some files.

This article will outline how to show folder size in different operating systems, platforms, and applications.

A Guide – How to Show Folder Size

Showing folder size can be both a simple and difficult process. It depends on the type of platform or the application you are using.

How to Show Folder Size in Windows 10, 8, and 7

Though some features of windows 10, 8, and 7 might appear different from one another, the steps to view folder size is the same on all these operating systems. This is what you need to do:

1. Right-click on the folder you want to view the size in File Explorer.
   
2. Select “Properties.”
   
3. The File Properties dialogue box will appear displaying the folder “Size” and its “Size on disk.” It will also show the file contents of those particular folders.
   
4. Another quick way to show folder size in Windows is to hover your mouse on the folder you want to know the size. This will display a tooltip with folder size.
   

How to Show Folder Size in Windows Explorer

To show the folder size in Windows Explorer, just follow these simple steps:

1. Go to File Explorer “Options.”
   
2. Click on the “View” tab.
   
3. Go to “Advanced Settings.”
   
4. Check the box next to “Display file size information in folder tips.”
   
5. Select “Ok” and your changes will be saved.
   

Once this is done, the folders will display the size information in the folder tips.

How to Show Folder Size on Mac

There are three ways in which you can show folder size on Mac:

Option 1

1. Open Finder on Mac and click on “View” on the Menu Bar.
   
2. Select “as List” from the drop-down menu.
   
3. Click on “View” in the same Menu Bar.
   
4. Then, select “Show View Options.”
   
5. Check on the “Size” then the “Calculate all size” box from the drop-down menu.
   

Option 2

1. Select the folder you want to know the size of.
2. Press “Command + I” to launch the “Get Info” panel. This will show the folder details, including the size.
   

Option 3

1. Open Finder Window.
   
2. Select the folder you want to check the size.
   
3. On the menu bar, click on “View.”
   
4. Select the “Show Preview” option.
   
5. You can also use the “Shift+Command+P” key combination after you have selected a folder in the Finder window.
   

How to Show Folder Size on Linux

Getting the folder size on Linux requires you to use a simple command called du – which means disk usage. The steps to follow to show folder size on Linux include:

1. Open Linux “Terminal.”
2. Type and run the command:
   $ sudo du –sh /var
   
   Note: /var is a sample folder for illustration purposes
3. The output will be:

Output

50G /var

This shows that the folder /var has a size of 50GB. There are Linux distros that have an advanced user interface and file explorer that show the folder size without the need for writing commands.

How to Show Folder Size in Dropbox

To view the size of a folder in your Dropbox, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your account on dropbox.com.
   
2. On the sidebar, click “All Files.”
   
3. Click on a column header and click on “Size.”
   
4. Move over to the folder you want to view the size and click on the check box.
   
5. Click the Ellipsis (…) at the top of the file list.
   
6. Click on “Calculate size.”
   
7. Wait for a while for while the size of the folder is calculated.
8. The folder size is displayed in the “Size” column adjacent to the folder as soon as the calculation has been completed.
   

How to Show Folder Size in Google Drive

There are two methods used to view folder size in Google drive:

Option 1

1. Click on the “My Drive” option on the left pane of the Google Drive home page. This will expand the list of folders that you have.
   
2. Right-click on the folder you want to get the size for and press “Download.”
   
3. This will save a copy of the folder to your computer where you can view its properties and get the size and additional details.
4. You can delete the folder after getting the size details needed.

Option 2

If you are currently using Backup and Sync for Google Drive, the folders you have will appear in file explorer. Right-click the folder you want to check the size of, and select “Properties.” Here you will see the Size of the folder right away.

How to Show Folder Size in Total Commander

It is simple to view folder size in Total Commander an orthodox file manager for Windows, Windows mobile, or Windows phone.

1. Select the folder or directory you want to view the size.
2. Press “Ctrl + Q.”
3. This will show the text information such as its size, number of files, and directories in that folder.

There is also a visually intuitive way to show folder details including the size. This is through the use of the Total Commander Plugin called VisualDirSize 1.2.

How to Sort by Folder Size

Follow these easy steps to sort by folder size:

1. On “File Explorer.”
   
2. Click on “View.”
   
3. Click the drop-down menu on “Sort by.”
   
4. Select “Size” on the drop-down menu.
   

Alternatively:

1. Right-click anywhere in the File Explorer.
2. A pop-up menu will show.
   
3. Click on “Sort By” from the pop-up menu.
   
4. Select “Size.”
   
5. You can also select whether you want the folder to be sorted in Ascending or Descending order.
   
6. You can also sort and group folders by size. Go to File Explorer > Click “View” > Select “Group By” > then choose “Size.”
   

Additional FAQs

How Do You View a Folder’s True Size?

To view the actual folder size, you can use a du Tool such as Microsoft Sysinternals. The tool returns the true folder size because it doesn’t double count files that have multiple hard links. There are also other additional tools to help you view the true size of a folder. These tools also provide intuitive size representation. Some show a graph, others show a pie chart or bars.

Why Do Folders Not Show True Size?

In most cases, a folder can take up more space on disk than its actual size. This is because the files in the folder take up space in the “Filesystems table” where their name and properties are stored. Though the difference is not usually much, when a folder contains several files, this can add up to a lot of space.

On folder “Properties” it is possible to see the difference in folder size by comparing the “Size” and “Size on disk” in the property dialogue box in Windows Explorer. Other reasons why folders do not show true size are:

• Hidden files – There might be hidden files in the folder that add to the size. In the file explorer options, ensure that the “Show hidden Files” option is enabled.

• Disk compression is enabled – If compression is enabled, it causes the total size on the disk to be smaller than the actual folder size.

• Content indexing – Content indexing in file explorer makes can take up space so the tree folder size will not be shown.

How Do You Show Hidden Folders?

In Windows, there are hidden folders, some of which are system folders. The simple steps to show hidden folders include:

• Open “File Explorer”.

• Select “View” Followed by “Options” then “Change folder and search options.”

• Go to the “View” tab.

• In the “Advanced Settings”, click on “Show hidden files, folders, and drives.”

• Click “OK.”

The hidden folders will now appear in File Explorer on your PC.

Over to You

Now you know how to view folder sizes on different OS, platforms, and applications. It is a good thing to know how big the folder you created is and the amount of disk space it is using. There are folders automatically generated by apps you have installed. These can grow rapidly and use up your storage space. You should therefore check the size from time to time.

Do you have simpler or alternative ways to view folder size on these and other platforms? Let us know in the comments section below.