Guide

Start here

Choose a folder, scan it, then decide what to change.

1. On Home, choose a folder such as Downloads or Pictures. Choose the folder in the macOS picker to allow access. A scan reads files; it does not change them.

2. Wait for the scan and analysis to finish. Use Files to explore the results, Cleanup to review older downloads, or Make smaller to review images.

3. Select only files you understand. Review the operation and destination before running it. A button labelled Trash now acts immediately on that copy; adding an item to selected changes only queues it.

4. Open History after a change. Check completed, skipped and failed items. Keep recovery originals until you are satisfied with the result.

Folder access and permissions

Why you choose folders, and how to reconnect them.

This edition works within the macOS App Sandbox. It can scan and change ordinary files inside folders you explicitly choose. It does not request Full Disk Access. Choose the narrowest folder that contains what you want to review.

Home lists your chosen folders. In Settings → Access, use Forget to stop remembering a permission. macOS may retain active access until KarmaDisk quits. Choosing a folder again reconnects a missing or expired permission.

Organization may ask you to choose a destination separately. In Cleanup → Originals, use Allow source folder if a recorded original cannot be accessed. Connect external disks before checking their files.

System folders, private app data, app bundles and Photos library packages are excluded even when you select a parent folder. This edition does not uninstall apps or manage startup items.

Explore storage and understand sizes

Use maps and lists without mistaking file sizes for freed space.

Open Files → Storage map. Switch between Circular map and Treemap. Larger regions represent more space. Colors match the list below. Click a region to select it; double-click a folder to look inside. Click a path component above the map to jump to that ancestor. In the circular map, click the center to go back.

Click list column headings to sort. Use Large files, search and filters to narrow the results. Quick Look previews a selected file; Show in Finder reveals its location.

On-disk and logical sizes can differ. Shared APFS storage, compression and snapshots mean file sizes are not a promise of freed space. Moving files on the same disk does not free space. Moving to Trash usually does not free space until Trash is emptied.

The capacity card describes the whole disk; scan results describe only the accessible chosen folder. Space managed by macOS is not an extra cleanup total to add to your selected files.

Review cleanup suggestions

Older does not necessarily mean unwanted.

Choose Downloads, or a folder containing your Downloads, and wait for analysis. Open Cleanup → Cleanup. This edition reviews old downloads and installers; it does not clean other apps’ private caches or system folders.

Expand a category by clicking its review row. Inspect names, paths, sizes and dates, then select the items you want to remove. Use the selected count and size to check the scope. Nothing is selected automatically.

Read the final action before confirming. Files that changed or became unavailable may be skipped. Check History afterwards. To recover a trashed file, use Finder’s Trash; emptying Trash is permanent.

Choose which duplicate copies to keep

Keep one copy, several copies, or all of them.

Open Files → Extra copies and run duplicate detection if needed. Open a group to see each copy’s full location. Matching content does not mean the paths are interchangeable: apps and projects may rely on a specific location.

Mark every copy you want to keep. You can keep more than one. At least one copy must remain. Use Quick Look and Show in Finder before deciding.

Trash now moves that particular copy to Trash immediately. For several changes, use the review workflow and check the selected copies before running it. The app checks files again before acting; changed or missing copies can be skipped.

Some copies already share disk storage. Removing one may release little or no space. The shared-storage filter helps distinguish these groups.

Make images smaller

Reduce file size while keeping verified image pixels.

Scan a folder of images, then open Cleanup → Make smaller and review the candidates. Select images, inspect the preview, and check the compression options. Supported candidates include JPEG, PNG and TIFF. Unsupported images or files with no smaller verified result stay unchanged.

Estimates are approximate; the exact result is known after processing. Quick effort takes less time; more thorough effort tries more options and can take longer. A smaller output is accepted only after the image checks pass.

Pixel preservation and metadata preservation are different. Keep metadata if you need embedded dates, location or other information. Read any metadata warning before changing this option.

KarmaDisk saves recovery originals. Those backups still consume storage. After checking the result, use Cleanup → Originals to verify and optionally remove them. Use History to restore an unchanged compressed file, or save a separate original copy if replacement is no longer possible.

Import into Apple Photos

Import first; verify before removing source files.

Scan the source folder. Open Photos → Organize, select source folders, choose Photos, and review the files. Choose the album options offered, then start the import. Allow Photos access when requested if you want to use this feature.

The destination is the System Photo Library. Simply opening another library in Photos does not change that destination. Imports create copies; a proposed destination is not a claim that a file has already been imported.

Source originals remain in their folders. KarmaDisk records imports for later verification. Open Cleanup → Originals and run Check originals before selecting any sources for removal. A completed import alone is not enough to enable verified removal.

Existing originals inside your Photos library remain untouched. Importing can initially increase storage use. iCloud Photos may upload new items and may need to download resources during verification. Photos manages its own local storage; KarmaDisk cannot promise an immediate space saving there.

Organize files into folders

Review source and destination before moving.

For photos, open Photos → Organize. Select source folders and choose A folder. Choose the destination in the macOS picker and select a date layout. Review folder moves shows each source and proposed destination.

For other organization suggestions, open Files → Organize files. Review the proposal and grant access to the destination if asked. A newly chosen destination does not add other source files to your selection.

Name conflicts are skipped rather than overwritten. Review the final count, then run the selected moves. Check the result for skipped or failed items. Dates can use file creation or modification time; inspect the proposed folders if dates matter.

Moving on the same disk organizes files without freeing space. There is no general Undo button for organization. History records the results; use Finder to move a file back if needed. Files in synced folders can also move on other devices.

Remove verified originals

Recover space after compression or a Photos import.

Open Cleanup → Originals. This combines saved compression originals and recorded source files imported into Photos. Click Check originals. Only files whose required verification succeeds can be selected for verified removal.

For a Photos source, KarmaDisk checks that Photos still provides the complete matching imported resource. For a compression backup, it checks the current result against its saved original. Changed files, missing permissions, unavailable resources or uncertain records are not treated as verified.

Review the paths and metadata warnings, select the verified originals you no longer need, then choose Move selected originals to Trash and confirm. The retained compressed files and Photos copies stay. Files are checked again before removal.

Removing a compression backup ends KarmaDisk’s Restore original option for that backup. It remains recoverable from Trash until emptied. An unverified backup may have a separate explicit removal action: this is not a verification result and can discard your only earlier original or metadata. Save a separate copy first if needed.

If a source folder is synced, deleting its original may delete it on other devices too. File size is not guaranteed freed space. Do not empty Trash until you have checked your retained copies.

History and recovery

Read the result, and recover the right file.

History records attempted operations and their outcomes. Completed, skipped and failed are different results. Open item details to see why a file was left alone. An interrupted operation may have completed some files; inspect the record before trying again.

For folder-image compression, use Restore original only when offered. It replaces the unchanged compressed result with the saved original. If the result was edited, moved or removed, save a separate original copy instead of overwriting other work.

For files moved to Trash, open Finder’s Trash and restore them there. For organization moves, use the recorded destination and move the file back in Finder. A Photos import does not remove its source by itself.

History is not a full backup. Keep a separate backup of important files. If a recovery record is unavailable, do not assume a missing source was successfully imported or removed.

When something does not work

Permissions, scanning, skipped items and Photos checks.

No results? Check the chosen folder and wait for analysis to finish. An empty cleanup list does not mean a scan failed: your files may not match the limited cleanup categories. Use Files or Make smaller instead.

Access unavailable? Reconnect the external disk, then choose the source or destination folder again. In Originals, use Allow source folder and repeat Check originals. Forgotten permissions are not restored by scanning another folder.

Photos access denied? Review KarmaDisk’s Photos permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos. Confirm the intended System Photo Library in Photos. An iCloud resource may need to become available before verification can finish. A successful-looking thumbnail is not proof that the complete original is available.

No space saved? Check for retained backups, files still in Trash, shared storage and unchanged compression results. Do not delete unrelated files to force an estimate to match.

For a skipped or failed action, inspect its History details and correct the stated cause before retrying. If asking for support, include the app version, operation and error text. Omit private filenames and images unless you choose to share them.

Privacy, language and keyboard shortcuts

Local help, local records and familiar Mac controls.

This guide is available offline. KarmaDisk has no analytics, advertising or tracking, and does not send your files or scan results to the developer. Scan indexes, saved permissions and recovery records live in the app’s local container. Apple Photos and any sync service you use manage their own synchronization.

Settings lets you choose the appearance and language. English, Norwegian Bokmål and Simplified Chinese include this guide. Restart KarmaDisk after changing the language.

⌘O chooses a folder. ⇧⌘R scans again. ⌘. cancels scanning. ⌘Y opens Quick Look for the selected file. ⌘R reveals it in Finder. ⌥⌘I shows or hides details where available. ⌘? opens Help. These are Command shortcuts, not Control shortcuts for switching desktops.

The Help menu opens this user guide. Search matches topic titles and full article text; clear the search to see every topic. The App Store edition’s folder-based scope differs from the direct-distribution edition.