If you have been using Windows computers for at least 2 decades, you may still remember the open source app WinDirStat.
WinDirstat, in a nutshell, visualizes disk usage and supports cleanup operations. Programs like it, or my current favorite WizTree, are helpful in detecting large files and folders.
The programs are useful especially when it comes to cleaning up disk space. If your disk space is running low, these programs may help you find large files or lots of smaller files that you do not need anymore.
Something like a downloaded Windows ISO image or a 4K test movie for example.
19 years later: a new version is released
A new version of the open source tool is now available. While WinDirStat 2.0.1 has been released 19 years after the previous version, it did not took 19 years to develop the new version.
A new developer offered to help last year and the new version is the result of the involvement.
As you can imagine, the new version had a lot of catching up to do. The official changelog reflects that. There is now an official native 64-bit version and a native ARM version. The installer is now using MSI, and compatibility with all recent and not so recent versions of Windows is guaranteed.
Next to these architectural changes, there are plenty of functional changes.
Here is a short list of important improvements:
- Multiple items can now be selected, e.g. for cleaning or moving.
- Scan results can be exported as CSV files.
- Full Explorer context menu now available.
- Support for long file names.
- Duplicate file finder supports file hashes now.
- Improved resolution scaling.
Note: I encountered an issue while running the program. It reported a total disk size of 202.1 TB on the main drive of the laptop I ran it on. This drive has an actual size of just 1 TB. It only reported the physical size incorrectly. The logical size was correctly displayed.
The program is easy to use. While it does not scan drives as fast as WizTree, it does so reasonably fast.
The main interface uses three panes. The first displays folders and files, the second file extensions, and the third a visual representation of the space.
You can use the options menu to hide some of the panes. A click on a folder expands it and shows subfolders and files that it contains. Each folder is listed with its size and number of files.
It is relatively easy to spot large folders and files. The program lacks an option to display the largest files though, which may make the process a bit cumbersome.
You may delete files right away or use the cleanup menu, which offers various options.
Closing Words
It is good to see that WinDirStat has been revived from the dead. While I still prefer WizTree, as it is faster and has better functionality, it is a solid alternative.
Do you use disk space analyzers? If so, which is your favorite and why? Feel free to leave a comment down below.