What the NotchStar Disk scan finds
When you press Scan in the Overview section of the Disk tab, NotchStar looks in four places inside your home folder and lists what it finds, largest first. It removes nothing. You choose what goes to the Trash.
The four places
| Group | Where it looks | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| App caches | ~/Library/Caches | Files apps rebuild when needed |
| Logs | ~/Library/Logs | Diagnostic logs |
| Xcode build data | ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData and iOS DeviceSupport | Build output and device symbols |
| Old downloads | ~/Downloads | Items not modified for more than 90 days |
Each group lists the folders or files directly inside that location, with the size of each. Sizes are the space actually allocated on disk, and symbolic links are never followed.
Other things the tab finds
The Overview scan is only one part. The other sections look for different things, each on its own button:
- Space ranks the folders in your home folder by size. See how to find the biggest folders.
- Duplicates finds identical copies. See how duplicates are found.
- Apps lists apps with the files they leave behind. See app leftovers.
- Compress finds large photos and videos to shrink. See compressing large videos.
What it will not find
It does not look at System Data, other users’ folders, or system locations. It is also not a full map of the disk. For the question of what is safe in each place, read is NotchStar Disk cleanup safe. The Disk feature page has the full list of sections.
