X-WinDirStat

Analyzing disk space may seem like a redundant task, especially since drives keep getting bigger and bigger, while online services provide additional virtual storing space. However, video games, programs, and files also take up more space, and it is up to applications like X-WinDirStat to cleverly display them.

One of the application’s main advantages is that it can be used on the go, because it requires no installation. However, it’s not the official portable edition of WinDirStat, with a chance that it’s not exactly up to date. If you’re interested, you can check out Portable WinDirStat and keep an eye on it for any updates.

The initial prompt asks to select a source to scan. This can be all connected drives, a particular one, or a folder of interest. Depending on the size, complexity, and number of files, it can take some time to finish scanning. Results are generated in real time, in which case you can watch a little version of Pac-Man running back and forth while a directory is scanned.

When done, a table shows the content of the source, along with different representations of disk space usage, such as a progress slider, percentage, size in value, and number of items found within. However, the main attraction here is the visual representation of the folder structure, with highly-detailed figures showing each file, and each type in a different color for easy identification.

The bigger the shape, the larger the file, with the possibility to select it for more details. There’s also a legend that gives you the possibility to see associated formats and colors, as well as select an entire group, while highlighted on the preview area.

X-WinDirStat isn’t just about viewing disk space, and also comes with various management options. One area in particular lets you customize the whole process, as well as the visual display. Moreover, you can have File Explorer opened in that spot, or Command Prompt for more options.

Bottom line is that it’s best to clean your computer from time to time, because files you don’t need aren’t polite enough to automatically get removed from your computer. Windows allows basic disk space management, but using X-WinDirStat is way more fun through the cool visuals, and practical because of various, quickly accessible file and folder operations.