Support

Answers to common questions, and how to reach us.

Why does Diskdiary ask me to confirm a disk?

Diskdiary runs in the App Store's sandbox and reads only what you allow. When you choose a disk or a folder, macOS asks you to confirm it once, and Diskdiary remembers the confirmation. To forget it, choose Scan → Forget Remembered Access.

What is the grey wedge marked "?"

On a disk's map, it is used space the scan couldn't attribute to any file it read: local snapshots, other volumes in the same container, file system data, and places Diskdiary wasn't allowed to read. Point at it to see what it likely holds. Help → Why Totals Differ explains the numbers.

Some sizes start with "≥". Why?

Diskdiary couldn't read that folder's contents, so its size is at least what was found. Usually macOS privacy protection is the cause: turning on Full Disk Access for Diskdiary in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access lets it read other apps' data, then rescan. Full Disk Access doesn't override ordinary file permissions. Scan → Show Issues lists everything that couldn't be read.

Why don't Diskdiary's totals match Finder's?

Diskdiary counts space on disk, the way Finder's "on disk" figure does, and adds up only files it could read. Help → About Size Measurements and Help → Why Totals Differ explain the differences.

How do I see what grew?

Open Changes next to Contents to compare folder sizes with yesterday. Select a folder to highlight its change on the map. History begins with your first scan; comparisons show the actual measurement dates. Individual files are shown from the current scan, not tracked historically.

How do I turn the daily snapshot on or off?

Use Diskdiary → Take a Snapshot of Disks Daily, or the switch on the start screen. Diskdiary then opens at login to take the day's snapshot; Show in Menu Bar puts free space and the day's change next to the clock, and its panel lists the folders that grew most. You can turn the snapshot off in System Settings → General → Login Items as well.

How do I delete the history?

Choose Scan → Clear History…. Snapshots are stored only on your Mac.

How do I get warned when a disk or a folder fills up?

Control-click a disk on the start screen and choose Alert When Full…, or Control-click a folder on the map, in the list or in Favorites and choose Alert…. Diskdiary → Settings… lists every alert. Diskdiary checks a disk every few minutes and a folder with every snapshot of its disk, while it runs: turn on the daily snapshot to keep it in the menu bar. A coding agent can set alerts too, with add-alert.

How do I connect a coding agent?

Choose Diskdiary → Connect an Agent… and copy the request under Coding agent into your agent. It asks the agent to install Diskdiary’s skill in its persistent skills directory, following its own installation rules and requesting any required permissions. Start a new agent session if needed to load the skill. The Terminal section provides a command to add the short name diskdiary. To try the command line yourself:

/Applications/Diskdiary.app/Contents/MacOS/Diskdiary help

The command line can inspect scanned folders, query changes since yesterday, open a folder in the app and configure alerts. It does not delete your files.

Does Diskdiary delete anything?

No. It never moves, renames or deletes your files. Show in Finder takes you to an item, and what to remove is your decision.