Find what's using the most space
Your repository is bigger than you expected, and you want to know why. This guide shows where to look, from the whole repository down to single files.
1. Find the biggest sources
- Open the Dashboard.
- Sort by Physical (all): select the column header. The sources at the top take the most space.
- Compare Physical (all) with Physical. When Physical (all) is much bigger, old versions cost more than the latest snapshot. Accum shows the ratio.
Right-click the column headers to show Reclaimable and % of repo. Reclaimable says what deleting every snapshot of the source would give back.
2. Find the biggest folders and files
In the Tree:
- Open the Tree and pick the source, or All sources.
- Set Show to All snapshots, so files you've since deleted from disk count too.
- Sort by Physical (all). Double-click a folder to go down a level.
In Search:
- Open Search with an empty search box. It lists every file, biggest first.
- Sort by Physical (all) to rank files by the space all their versions take.
- Switch to Folders to rank folders instead. Min depth focuses on deeper folders.
3. Look for the usual causes
| What you see | Likely cause | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| A file with many Versions and a big Physical (all) | A file that changes often, such as a database, a virtual disk or a log | Find files that change every day |
| Copies or Src above 1 | The same data at several paths, or in nested sources | The file panel's Identical copies |
| On disk: deleted with a big size | Files you deleted from disk that old snapshots still hold | Search with Deleted from disk ticked |
| A source with a high Accum | Old snapshots that hold a lot of changed data | Simulate a tighter retention |
| One huge folder that shouldn't be there | Something backed up by mistake | Clean up after a huge accidental backup |
4. Check what a file really costs
Right-click a file and select Details. The file panel shows its versions, the data it shares with other files, and Reclaimable: what removing it would give back. A file can be large and still free nothing, because identical copies keep its data stored (How KopiaLens counts space).