Free and open source for macOS 14 and up

See what fills your disk.
Give it some headroom.

A fast, native disk space analyzer and duplicate finder that tells you what is safe to delete.

Download for Mac View source
  • Media
  • Apps
  • Documents
  • Code
  • Caches
  • Safe to clean
Sample data

Hover for the verdict. Click a folder to zoom in.

Ready 0 files 0 used 0 free 0 safe to clean
0Mfiles scanned in about 20 seconds
0+known locations with a safety verdict
$0no Pro tier, no subscription, no trial
MITopen source, builds in one command

Everything a disk cleaner sells. Nothing held back.

Scan a folder or the whole disk, understand where the space went, and remove only what is safe to remove.

Headroom treemap colored by file age

Interactive treemap

Every rectangle is a file or folder, sized by what it takes on disk. Color by category, age or safety. Double-click to zoom.

Scans a million files in seconds

Built on getattrlistbulk, the fastest directory read macOS offers, fanned out across every core.

Folder tree that never stalls

A virtualized outline with sortable sizes, share of parent and a safety column. Folders sort only when shown.

Duplicate finder

Byte-for-byte copies, ranked by the space one copy gives back. Four passes, so a 40 GB disk image is never read in full to prove it differs. See how it works

Developer cleanup

DerivedData, node_modules, npm, pnpm, pip, Gradle and Cargo caches, build output and logs, found and sized for review.

Private by design

Everything runs on your Mac. No account, no analytics, no cloud. The code is public.

Duplicate finder

Five files that look alike. Four passes, each cheaper than reading a file. Only byte-for-byte copies survive.

  1. 1Size
  2. 2Header
  3. 3Samples
  4. 4Full hash

Scroll to run the passes.

  • IMG_4021.heicPictures / 202414.2 MB
    IdenticalNewest copy, kept
  • IMG_4022.heicDownloads9.8 MB
    Different sizeDropped without a single read
  • IMG_4021.heicDownloads14.2 MB
    IdenticalTo the Trash
  • panorama.heicPictures / Screens14.2 MB
    Header differsDropped after 64 KB
  • IMG_4021 copy.heicDesktop / old14.2 MB
    IdenticalTo the Trash

Bytes read: 0

Headroom Duplicates pane listing groups of identical files ranked by reclaimable space
The Duplicates pane. Groups are ranked by the space one copy would give back; select with one click and send the rest to the Trash.

Know before you delete

Every recognized item gets a plain-language verdict and a note on what deleting it affects.

Safe

Regenerable data such as caches, build output and package stores.

Usually safe

Rebuilt on demand, may take a while or a re-download to recreate.

Check first

Settings or user data. Read the note in the Inspector before removing.

Never

Keychains, Mail, Photos library, the system itself. Headroom will tell you so.

Headroom folder tree with sizes, share of parent and a Safe to delete column
Trash mode is the default and fully recoverable. Permanent mode uses a parallel delete engine for huge folders and cannot be undone.

Up and running in a minute

  1. 1
    Download the DMG from GitHub Releases. Signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple.
  2. 2
    Drag Headroom to Applications and open it.
  3. 3
    Scan a folder, your home folder or the whole startup disk.
  4. 4
    Clean what the safety verdicts say is safe.

macOS 14 Sonoma or newer, Apple silicon and Intel. Prefer to build it yourself? git clone and run ./build.sh run.

Headroom storage by category: virtual machines, applications, dependencies, caches and media

Questions

Short answers. The README has the long ones.

Is there a Pro version of Headroom?

No. There is no Pro tier, subscription, lifetime purchase, trial or in-app purchase. Every feature is free and unlocked for everyone: the treemap, one-click cleanup, developer deep scan, safety hints, Trash-first deletion and fast permanent deletion.

Is there a free Mac disk cleaner with no subscription?

Yes, this one. Headroom is a free, open-source Mac disk space analyzer and cleaner that never locks cleanup or developer scans behind a paywall, and never asks for an account or payment.

Is Headroom the same app as DiskTree?

Yes. Headroom was called DiskTree until version 1.0 (October 2026): same app, same settings, same bundle id, so updates install in place. It is not affiliated with the paid DiskTree app at disktree.org or with any other app named Headroom. The code is at github.com/Ryware/Headroom.

How does the duplicate finder work?

Files are grouped by size, then by a hash of their first 64 KB, then by samples from the middle and end, then by a full SHA-256 of the whole file. Only files that still match after the last step are listed, so every group is byte-for-byte identical. Files under 1 MB and files inside app bundles are skipped, and Headroom always keeps one copy of each file unless you turn that guard off.

What is Headroom?

Headroom is a free, open-source, native macOS app that shows what is using space on your Mac. It scans a folder or disk, visualizes the result as a folder tree, treemap and category charts, explains whether items are safe to delete and helps you clean them up.

Is Headroom really free?

Yes. It is MIT-licensed with no ads, subscriptions, accounts, in-app purchases or analytics. It was made to be enjoyed.

How do I see what is taking up space on my Mac?

Open Headroom, choose Home or Startup Disk and wait for the scan. The dashboard shows free and used space and the biggest categories, the folder tree lists folders by size, and the treemap draws every file as a rectangle sized by how much space it uses.

Is it safe to delete node_modules, DerivedData or cache folders?

Usually yes, because they are regenerable: node_modules can be reinstalled, Xcode DerivedData is rebuilt on the next build and caches are recreated on demand. Headroom labels recognized items Safe, Usually safe, Caution or Never and explains the effect. Keep Trash mode on if you want to be able to undo.

What is the difference between Trash and Permanent mode?

Trash mode moves items to the macOS Trash so you can restore them until you empty it. Permanent mode removes them immediately with a fast parallel engine like rimraf and cannot be undone.

How fast is Headroom?

It uses getattrlistbulk(2) and scans directories in parallel across all cores. A home folder with about 1.26 million files and 216,000 folders scanned in roughly 20 seconds.

Does Headroom send my data anywhere?

No. Scanning and analysis happen entirely on your Mac. There is no account system, analytics SDK or cloud service in the app. This website uses Google Analytics to count visits and downloads; the app itself sends nothing.

Is there a WizTree or TreeSize alternative for Mac?

Headroom is a free, native Mac app in the same spirit: a fast scan, a sortable size tree and a treemap, plus safety explanations and one-click developer cleanup.

What are the system requirements?

macOS 14 Sonoma or newer on Apple silicon or Intel. Full Disk Access is only needed for protected locations such as Mail, Messages and Safari data.

Give your disk some room to breathe.

Free, open source, every feature included.

Download for Mac