WinDirStat Freeware

Martin Brinkmann
Dec 23, 2005
Updated • Feb 27, 2013
Software, Windows software
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Windows Directory Statistics is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for Microsoft Windows. It reads the disk content once and displays three different views.

The directory list which is sorted by file / subtree size, the treemap which shows the whole content of the directory tree and finally the extension list which serves as a legend and shows statistics about the file types.

Windows Direct Statistics (WinDirStat) Statistics Viewer and Cleanup Tool

WinDirStat is a free tool that displays disk usage statistics in an interesting manner. After installation, the program starts and surveys the entire directory tree. The directory is then presented in three views: The directory list, the treemap and the extension list. The directory list is similar to that of Windows Explorer, but is instead sorted into subtree/ file size. The treemap displays all of the contents of the directory in a direct fashion. The extension list demonstrates statistics for each of the file types.

windows directory statistic file size 1

Each file on the treemap is represented by a colored rectangle. The size of the rectangle representing a file in relation to other files is dependent upon the file size. There is a juxtaposition of all files displayed by color, size and shape. Rectangles within rectangles contain all files and subdirectories and the area occupied by the various sizes represents a proportion to the original files. This is a very interesting way of viewing the occupied space of the hard drive. It takes the typical GUI a step further to give a comprehensive representation of memory usage through a unique visual perspective. Withstanding this, it is still functional.

Specific colors represent particular types of files and these are displayed in the extension list. There is shading to the structure of the treemap that accentuates the directory structure. It is a perspective as well as a listing.

The PC used in this demonstration has hard drive partitions, virtual disk images, and virtual hard disk data, so it presents a bilateral view as a result of the two VDIs.
You can download the WinDirStat version 1.1.2 installer from the following link:

http://windirstat.info/download.html

Files representing larger amounts of disk space are represented by colors while file occupying less space are represented in grayscale. You can see this in the extension list.

windows directory stats

The directory list is straightforward and clearly lists partition usage and basic statistics of the directory.

Given this perspective, WinDirStat certainly clarifies directory structure and memory usage in a unique way while offering other features. The extension list details statistics for every file type including percentage of memory occupancy on the hard drive and the quantities of given file types. On the computer used in this demonstration, for example, there are 8,376 .mui files occupying .1% or less of disk space at 228.6MB. This software is that detailed.

By clicking on particular areas of the treemap, you can see specifics about that file location. There is a Zoom-in feature so that you can enlarge areas of the treemap and analyze them. By clicking a small area, we are able to see a complete list of the files occupying that subdirectory in the directory list.

It is difficult to make out the cursor in this screenshot but it is in the middle, near the violet areas and it is a map of .dll files, all of which are listed in the directory list with a single click. By clicking the Cleanup tab, you can select “Explore here” and get all of the details for the directory and/ or subdirectories and select specific files to cleanup.

Overall, the latest version of WinDirStat is definitely worth checking out, particularly for advanced users and those who want to do a detailed hard drive cleanup.

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Comments

  1. Alex said on December 27, 2005 at 12:05 am
    Reply

    There’s also a great java based application that does everything this does except it uses pie charts, ring charts, or bar charts in addition to the text, instead of the funky rectangle graphic. It’s called jdiskreport. Check it out at http://www.jgoodies.com

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