The File Size of a Directory and the Used Space of a Disk Can Be Different (273588)

SUMMARY

This article discusses the difference between the disk space used by a file directory (file size) and the used space reported for the whole disk (used space). The difference between the two can range from several Megabytes (MB) to Gigabytes (GB).

MORE INFORMATION

The size difference between a directory and the used space of a disk can be caused by any of the following factors:

Disk hardware configurations
Hidden system files
Permission to all files

The used space that is reported will vary and depends on the method that you use to see the disk space. You can use the following methods to check and compare the disk space.

Check the File Size of a Directory

Open Microsoft Windows Explorer, and then expand My Computer.
Click the drive letter of the disk you want to check.
Press CTRL+A to select the whole directory on the drive.
In the right pane, right-click the selected items, and then click Properties.

The Properties dialog box displays the number of files and folders and the size of all the files and folders on the disk.

Check the Used Space of a Disk

In Windows Explorer, right-click the same drive letter as earlier in this article, and then click Properties. The Properties dialog box displays the used disk space and the free disk space.

Compare the Two Sizes

The Properties of both the directory and the disk can be compared to see the difference between the used space and the file size on the disk.

REFERENCES

For additional information about file size on the disk, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q228198 Disk Defragmenter Analysis Shows More File Fragments Than File Size Suggests