WinDirStat is a simple and useful program that shows a colored TreeMap representing the space occupied by all the files stored on Hard Drives.

The daily use of a Personal Computer involves downloading and storing all types of files and documents. We will likely keep some control over the number of stored files on the PC, but even so, sometimes, we will need the support of an external tool to carry out a more exhaustive control of the stored files.

WinDirStat (Windows Directory Statistics) analyzes PC storage drives and shows a graph representing files and their size.

When the program ends the analysis process of selected drives, the main screen will be divided into 3 main areas:

1. File browser (top left): This zone shows a list of folders and directories found in the units analyzed. For example, if we have analyzed C:\ drive unit, we will see a list with all the directories and files of C:\. This list is ordered from largest to smallest size, so the first items of the list will be those directories/files occupying more space on the hard disk.
   If we browse any listed directory, the files and directories contained by that directory will also be ordered by size, so we can identify quickly and easily the files and folders that have more size.
   In addition to the name of the directory/file, the following data of each directory/file (Item) is also displayed: percentage bar of each Item, numeric percentage of each item (42%), Size (4GB), Items (number of sub-directories/files that contained by a directory), Files (number of files contained by a directory), Subdirectories (number of subdirectories contained by a directory), Last Change (last modified date of the file/directory), Attributes (the attributes of the directory/file: read, write, hidden, etc.).
   When we select a directory/file from this panel, we will see highlighted an area of the TreeMap located at the bottom of the window.
2. TreeMap (bottom): This panel is the most important of the program. It displays a series of colored rectangles that have different sizes.
   Each rectangle represents a directory/file. The rectangles may contain other rectangles (directories). If we click on any rectangle, we will see the related information of that rectangle (file/directory) on the file explorer program.
   The size of the rectangle is determined by its size on the disk. This way, we should locate and select the largest rectangle to obtain more information about the directory/file.
   The colors of the rectangle represent the type of file. For example, .mp3 files can associate with yellow color in such a way that all the yellow rectangles represent a .mp3 file.
3. Extension list (top right): a list with all extensions of the files found. The 12 most common extensions will be associated with a color, so we can locate extension color on the TreeMap easily and know how files with a certain extension are distributed on the hard drive.
   If we click on any of the extensions, all files with that extension will be highlighted on the TreeMap.

The program does not support network drives, so we must use them with local units.

This software is free and very simple to use, so it is recommended for all those users who wish to free up space on their hard disk and keep it off the accumulation of unnecessary files.