How to Check Folder Size in Windows 11
Checking a folder’s size in Windows 11 tells you exactly how much space it takes up on your hard drive.
This process is straightforward: simply right-click on any folder you want to check, and then select “Properties” from the menu that pops up.
Knowing folder sizes helps you manage your computer’s storage. For example, you can find out if that large game installation is taking up 50 gigabytes or if your downloaded movies are filling up your drive.
Keeping track of which folders are the biggest helps you free up space when your PC starts feeling slow. This simple step can make a big difference in your computer’s performance.
Right-click the folder and select “Properties” to see its total size. Alternatively, hover your mouse cursor over the folder in File Explorer for a quick size estimate. This helps manage disk space effectively.
View folder size in File Explorer
Checking folder size in Windows 11 is a common task using File Explorer. Locate the folder you’re interested in, right-click on it, and choose “Properties” from the context menu. A new window will appear, showing you exactly how much space that folder is using on your computer.
- Open File Explorer.
- Find the folder you want to check.
- Right-click on the folder.
- Select “Properties” from the menu that appears.
A new window will open. Look for the “Size” and “Size on disk” fields to see how much space that folder is using. 
The Properties window for a folder displays its creation date and the total number of files contained within it. This information helps you track when a folder was first made and how much content it holds.
How to view folder size by hovering your mouse
A quick method for checking folder size in Windows 11 involves using your mouse. Open File Explorer, then move your cursor over the folder you want to know about. After a short pause, a tooltip will appear showing the folder’s size without requiring any clicks.
- Open File Explorer.
- Move your mouse cursor over the folder you want to check.
- Wait a second, and a small box will pop up showing the size.
Advanced Tip: Using the Command Prompt
If you prefer using text commands, you can check folder size in Windows 11 with the Command Prompt. Open the Command Prompt, then type the command ‘dir’ followed by the full path to the folder you want to check, like ‘dir 📁C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents’. This command lists the folder’s contents and its total size.
You can check the size of a specific directory using the `dir /s` command (a ‘directory’ is another term for a folder). This command lists all files and subdirectories within the chosen directory, showing their total size. Using `dir /s` helps you understand how much space a folder occupies on your drive.
dir C:\Users\GenericUser\DocumentsThis command lists the contents and the total space used within that path.
Summary
- Checking folder sizes helps you manage your storage space and improve PC performance.
- You can view folder size by right-clicking a folder and selecting “Properties.”
- Hovering your mouse over a folder is a quick way to see its size without opening extra windows.
- Regularly checking your folders prevents your computer from getting clogged with unnecessary data.
Checking folder sizes in Windows 11 helps manage your computer’s storage and keep it running smoothly. You can easily see a folder’s size by right-clicking the folder and selecting ‘Properties’. Alternatively, you can hover your mouse over the folder in File Explorer to see its size. Regularly checking your folders prevents your PC from getting bogged down by too much data.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.
And 3th? How to show folder size in the column ‘Size’. That would be handy too.
We the People have been begging MS to allow Folder Size to be represented in the Size column Since before Windows 95!!!! We are still waiting….This is 2022….are you kidding me!
This post lacks how to show the size of a selection of folders. By default, selecting several folders only shows the size of the first folder.
Sadly, this information is rather useless. This is neither a “handy” way to view folder sizes, nor is it practical when checking many folders for their size, for instance when wanting to free disk space. Which I would say is one of the very few times that you need to see a folder’s size in the list.
Is there no way to display the folder size in the “size” column? Not even third party programs can do that (if you manage to find one, “Folder Size” is impossible to locate and needs a secondary window to display what you want to see, nothing changes in the native explorer window).
What I see is, a “size” column. But it has been empty for all folders in existence for decades, for no apparent reason. If the reason is that calculating the size of a folder would take so long (because you need to scan the entire directory, which can take some time) then why not add a checkbox in the explorer options menu? “Display folder sizes. []” Easy. Just why does it have to be so complicated, and why does Windows seem to just deliver useless updates, for such a long time now? Since Win7, it has been going down. Win7 is best Windows, change my mind.
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