Freeing up space

Ghost space: when deleted files still take space

Deleted 50 GB and nothing changed? An app may still hold those files open. MoreRoom shows how much, which app, and gets it back by quitting it.

By the MoreRoom team, Yando Pte. Ltd.This page as Markdown

In short

  • A deleted file only frees its space once every app that has it open closes it. MoreRoom calls the space held this way ghost space.
  • When it reaches 500 MB, a card appears on the home screen and in Free Up Space: how much is held, and by which app.
  • Click Quit and the app’s name to get the space back (the app may ask you to save your work). Simulators have a Shut Down Simulators button.

How to get ghost space back

  1. Find the card Open the home screen or Free Up Space. The card says how much space deleted files hold and lists up to five apps.
  2. Quit the app Click Quit next to the app. Save your work if the app asks.
  3. See the space come back MoreRoom tells you how much came back, for example “Preview quit · 3.2 GB back”.

Why it happens

On macOS, deleting a file removes its name right away, but its space is only released when the last app using it closes it. A video editor, a virtual machine, a database or a simulator can keep big temporary files open for days — and the Trash, Finder and System Settings won’t show them. That’s the usual reason for “I deleted 50 GB and nothing changed”.

What MoreRoom shows

MoreRoom checks for deleted files that are still open every time you open the home screen or Free Up Space (it takes a fraction of a second). When they hold 500 MB or more, a card appears: “size held by deleted files”, with up to five apps, how many deleted files each one holds, and how much.

Get the space back

Depending on who holds the files, the card offers:

You see It means What to do
Quit App A normal app holds the files Click it. The app may ask you to save documents. If it stays open, MoreRoom says so: save your work and quit it yourself.
Shut Down Simulators Booted iOS simulators hold their temporary files Click it: MoreRoom runs xcrun simctl shutdown all.
Freed by macOS A system process holds them macOS releases them on its own, or after a restart.
Released when it stops A command-line process holds them The space comes back when it finishes.

After quitting, MoreRoom measures the free space again and tells you how much came back.

Restarting your Mac also releases all ghost space.