TreeSize: The basics

“TreeSize is another invaluable tool in the engineer’s toolkit.”

At some point in your time as a computer owner, it’s likely that you’ve tried to install some new software but been unable to do so as there’s not enough disk space. 

The logical next step is to check your files. 

You go through your documents, pictures, music and downloads but still can’t work out where all the space has gone. 

There isn’t that much on there, right? 

The effective way to check 

If you’re looking to kill some time, you can manually go through and check the properties of every folder on your device… 

Or you can use TreeSize. 

TreeSize is another invaluable tool in the engineer’s toolkit, one we certainly recommend using. 

What is TreeSize? 

TreeSize, created by JAM software, is a tool that’s used to analyse your disk space. 

You can look at the available storage space left on your computer as well as checking how much space your files are currently taking. 

It can be great motivation for any file hoarder who needs that extra push to clear out everything unnecessary.   

TreeSize can also be used to clear out your disk space, now that you know what’s taking it all up. 

It has a reporting feature which takes the data and allows you to create reports like charts or tables. 

The reports can then be exported as HTML, XML, Microsoft Excel formats or plain text, meaning you can work with the reports in a way that suits you. 

TreeSize displays all the files on the drive that you select. 

One of its main appeals is that it’s much easier to navigate and use than the storage settings on your machine’s operating system. 

You can never go wrong with a user-friendly interface. 

Utilise the data 

Once you’ve scanned your drive, you can immediately see which files and folders are using up the most space, this includes hidden objects. 

Sometimes, the issue will simply be that you have too many files on the disk, but this isn’t always the case. 

There can be an error with Windows updates which means that temporary files haven’t been removed. 

Installed applications can also create an abundance of log files. 

Whatever the reason is, TreeSize will give you a good idea of what’s taking up all the room on your drive. 

There are two different versions of TreeSize available to install, the normal install and the portable install. 

The portable install has all the same functions as the normal version, but it doesn’t take up any storage on your machine. 

Both of these installs are available in 32bit and 64bit. 

Development 

The first version of TreeSize was written in 1996, by Joachim Marder. 

It was created to offer all the same features as a program called ‘du’ which was developed by Unix. 

The difference between the two was that TreeSize would have a ‘Graphical User Interface’, also known as a GUI, while du did not. 

Then, in 1997, a new Germany company called JAM Software officially released TreeSize in a freeware and two shareware versions. 

Later in October 2012, a freeware version of the program with an added touch-optimised interface was published for Windows mobile devices. 

Now, TreeSize can scan Windows devices, mobile devices and even SharePoint and FTP servers. 

Since the portable version is available and won’t take up any space on your device, there’s no harm in installing TreeSize. 

It can be a valuable asset to you and your file management. 

For more information and advice on how to manage your devices and systems, get in contact with our team.