FileSizeBuddy – Support Center
Welcome to the FileSizeBuddy Support Page.
Here you will find answers to common questions, information about how the app works, and guidance on permissions, file deletion, and troubleshooting.
If you need further assistance, you can contact support directly.
Support Email:
📧 t.pentzek@icloud.com
About FileSizeBuddy
FileSizeBuddy is a macOS utility designed to help users quickly find large files, analyze disk usage, and free up storage space safely. Instead of manually searching through folders, the app scans selected drives or directories and highlights files and folders that consume the most storage.
The goal of FileSizeBuddy is simple:
Make it easy to understand where your disk space is being used and help you clean it up safely.
Main Features
Fast Disk Scanning
FileSizeBuddy scans your selected drive or folder and analyzes the size of all contained files and directories.
The scan process:
- Traverses the entire folder structure
- Calculates file sizes
- Identifies the largest files and folders
- Builds a clear overview of disk usage
This allows you to quickly identify storage-heavy items such as:
- Large video files
- Disk images
- Backups
- Old downloads
- Archive files
- Temporary files
Largest Files Overview
After a scan, FileSizeBuddy presents a list of the largest files found on the selected drive or folder.
This feature helps you immediately identify the biggest storage consumers. Files are displayed with:
- File name
- File size
- File location
This makes it easy to review and decide whether a file should be removed.
Disk Usage Visualization
FileSizeBuddy includes graphical views that help you understand disk usage visually.
Tree Map
The Tree Map displays files and folders as blocks.
- Larger blocks represent larger files
- Nested blocks represent folder structures
- Large storage consumers become instantly visible
This is one of the fastest ways to discover hidden space usage deep inside folders.
Pie Chart
The pie chart provides a quick overview of storage distribution.
It allows users to see:
- Which folders consume the most space
- How storage is divided between large categories
These visualizations make it much easier to understand your disk usage than traditional folder browsing.
Safe File Removal
FileSizeBuddy does not permanently delete files.
Instead, files selected for removal are moved to the macOS Trash. This provides an additional safety layer because files can be restored if they were deleted accidentally.
However, users should still review files carefully before removing them.
Cache Cleaning
Applications and system processes often create temporary files known as cache files.
Over time these files can consume significant disk space. FileSizeBuddy helps identify common cache locations and allows users to clean them when appropriate.
Cleaning cache files can sometimes free several gigabytes of storage.
macOS Security and Permissions
macOS uses strict privacy protection for file access.
For this reason, FileSizeBuddy may ask for permission to access certain folders. This is normal and required by macOS security policies.
Examples of protected folders include:
- Documents
- Desktop
- Downloads
- External drives
- System folders
Users must grant permission in order for the app to scan these locations.
Security-Scoped Access
FileSizeBuddy uses Apple’s recommended security-scoped access system.
This means:
- The app only accesses folders you explicitly select
- Your data remains private
- Access permissions follow macOS security rules
Important Safety Notice
FileSizeBuddy is designed to help locate large files and free disk space.
However:
- The application cannot determine whether a file is important to the user or another program.
- Deleting certain files may affect installed applications or stored data.
For this reason:
Always review files carefully before deleting them.
FileSizeBuddy moves files to the Trash instead of deleting them permanently, but users remain responsible for verifying the files they remove.
Why Some Files Cannot Be Deleted
In some cases, FileSizeBuddy may display a message indicating that a file cannot be deleted.
This can happen for several reasons:
File Owned by Another User
Some files belong to another macOS user account and cannot be removed by the current user.
System Protection
macOS protects certain system files and folders to prevent accidental damage to the operating system.
Insufficient Permissions
The app may not have the required permissions to modify a specific folder.
In these cases, the application will not attempt forced deletion.
Troubleshooting
The App Cannot Access a Folder
If FileSizeBuddy cannot scan a folder:
- Make sure you granted permission when prompted.
- Check System Settings → Privacy & Security.
- Verify the app has access to the selected location.
Some Files Are Missing From the Scan
Certain protected system files may not appear in the scan results due to macOS security restrictions.
This behavior is normal.
A File Could Not Be Deleted
If a deletion fails, the most common reasons are:
- File owned by another user
- File currently in use by an application
- macOS system protection
Try closing applications that may be using the file.
Contact Support
If you experience issues with FileSizeBuddy or have suggestions for improvements, please contact support.
📧 t.pentzek@icloud.com
When contacting support, please include:
- macOS version
- FileSizeBuddy version
- Description of the issue
- Screenshots (if possible)
This helps resolve problems faster.
Privacy
FileSizeBuddy does not collect personal data.
The application runs locally on your Mac and does not upload your files or scan results to external servers.
All file analysis is performed directly on your device.
Updates
New versions of FileSizeBuddy may include:
- performance improvements
- improved disk scanning
- new visualization features
- bug fixes
Users are encouraged to keep the application updated to benefit from the latest improvements.