Find files larger than 500 MB on Mac

List the biggest files in your home folder that are eating disk space.

macOSFilesTerminalLow risk

Run the command below — it lists every file over 500 MB with its human-readable size, e.g. 1.2G.

01Command

Command

$ find ~ -type f -size +500M 2>/dev/null -exec ls -lh {} \;

02What it does

find walks your home directory and tests each regular file with -size +500M; ls -lh prints each match with a readable size and modification date. 2>/dev/null silences the permission errors from system-protected folders that even your own scan cannot enter. Adjust the threshold (e.g. +1G) or point the search at a specific folder. Delete what you find with Finder or Trash it there so it is recoverable — do not pipe the list into rm.

03Risk

RiskLow risk

RequirementsThe first scan of the home folder can take a minute or two.

CompatibilitymacOS 10.11 El Capitan – 15 Sequoia

!Warning: Don't blindly delete matches — Time Machine snapshots, VM disk images and iOS backups often live here and may be needed.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

macOS find command reference
SS64 · technical · 2026-09-16
Evidence: find -size +NNM matches files larger than the given size in megabytes; -exec runs a command on each match.

Last verified: 2026-09-16 · Category: Files & Folders