Smart Directory Size

Even after more than a decade of upgrades, and iterations, Windows is still not capable of enlisting folders while also showing their size. The good thing is there are an abundance of applications out there like Smart Directory Size which aim to do just that, and integrate in the context menu for more comfort.

First of all, you need to make sure that .NET Framework is installed on your computer for the application to function. You can take Smart Directory Size with you on a thumb drive to use on other PCs as well, with the same condition. Portability also means that registries remain intact, so you don’t have to worry about affecting the target computer.

In terms of visual design, the application isn’t fitted with many elements to look at, especially since aesthetics are not the primary focus. What is important is quick accommodation, which you’re sure to benefit from because of the simple, general layout.

Accessing the properties panel gives you the possibility to integrate the application’s scan feature in the default system context menu, to make it easier to process a folder. If not, you need to use the built-in browse dialog to grab a folder of interest, because dropping it over the main window has no effect.

Depending on the size, and complexity of the folder, it can take a bit of time for the scan process to finish. All detected folders are shown in a tree list, which you can expand to analyze all content. Unfortunately, the tree view is rather poorly implemented, being rather difficult to tell name, size info, and others. Files aren’t displayed, so you can only analyze a directory structure at a time.

On an ending note, Smart Directory Size doesn’t really bring anything new on the block, but manages to get the job done as expected. Sure enough, the rough visual design, and poor representation of folder structures can quickly make you look for alternatives, but for quick analysis it can do well.