Tidy MacSystem Settings › General › Storage uses Spotlight’s index to size each category, so it stays on “Calculating…” when that index is still being built or is damaged. Restart first, then give Spotlight time to finish. If it’s still stuck, rebuild the index with sudo mdutil -E / and run First Aid in Disk Utility.
- Restart your Mac and open Storage again after a few minutes.
- Check whether Spotlight is still indexing, and let it finish.
- Get the real numbers meanwhile with df -h / or Disk Utility.
- Rebuild the Spotlight index with sudo mdutil -E /.
- Run First Aid on the startup disk in Disk Utility.
- Install any pending macOS update.
Why it gets stuck
The Storage page in System Settings › General › Storage doesn't scan your disk from scratch. It asks Spotlight's index how much each category uses. If the index is still being built (after an update, a migration or a restore) or is damaged, the bars stay grey and the page says "Calculating…" for a long time.
Step 1: Restart, then wait
A restart clears stuck background processes. Open Storage again after a few minutes. Right after a macOS update or a migration, indexing can take an hour or more on a full disk.
Step 2: Check whether Spotlight is indexing
Press Command-Space and type anything. If Spotlight is still working through your disk, it says so under the results. Let it finish.
Step 3: Get the numbers another way
You don't have to wait to see how full the disk is:
df -h /Or open Disk Utility and select Macintosh HD. These read the file system directly. More Terminal commands
Let Tidy Mac do this for you
See every part of your storage explained, and clear junk to the Trash with Undo. $9.99 once, 2 Macs.
Step 4: Rebuild the Spotlight index
If it's been stuck for a day, erase and rebuild the index:
sudo mdutil -E /It asks for your password. Spotlight search results are incomplete until the rebuild finishes, and Storage fills in after that.
Step 5: Run First Aid
Open Disk Utility, select your startup disk, click First Aid and then Run. File system errors can stop both Spotlight and Storage from finishing.
Step 6: Update macOS
Check System Settings › General › Software Update. Storage bugs are sometimes fixed in point releases.
Where Tidy Mac fits
Tidy Mac doesn't rely on the Storage page. It measures folders itself, counts APFS clones once and iCloud-only files as zero, so its totals match Disk Utility even while Storage is still calculating. It also splits System Data into named parts. See pricing
Frequently asked questions
How long should Mac storage take to calculate?
Usually seconds to a few minutes. After a macOS update, a migration or a restore, Spotlight may need an hour or more to re-index first.
Is it safe to rebuild the Spotlight index?
Yes. sudo mdutil -E / only erases the search index, not your files. Spotlight rebuilds it in the background; search results are incomplete until it finishes.
Can a cleaner app cause storage to stay on Calculating?
Some users report it went away after removing a third-party cleaner or optimizer. If you have one installed, quit it, restart and check again.
How do I see what’s using space while Storage is stuck?
Use Disk Utility or df -h / for the total, and find large files with Finder or Terminal.