Get the total size of multiple files or folders in Finder

As a user coming from the PC / Windows platform, I found this to be yet another another one of those obscure keyboard / mouse combinations on the Mac.

Sometimes, I want to copy files from one location to another and would like to know beforehand the total size of the files I’ve selected for copying.

In Windows, it’s just a matter of keeping your eye of the Explorer status bar as you select the files / folders.

Things are slightly more complicated on the Mac.

Your first instinct would be to select multiple files, right-click on them, and click on Get Info.

Don’t do this! Finder will show an Info window for each individual selected file. If you happen to have selected hundreds or thousands of files, you’ll … well, I haven’t tried it myself but my guess is your Mac would slow down to a crawl.

Instead, the correct way is to Show Inspector, which can be accessed in one of the following ways:

1. Hold down the option (alt) button, and then right-click on the selected files (or folders), then click on Show Inspector.
2. Press option (alt) + command + i
3. Press control + command + i
4. Hold down the option (alt) button, click on File in the menu, then select Show Inspector.

I prefer the second approach.

To dismiss the Show Inspector / Multiple Item Info window, simply click on the close window icon, or press the option (alt) + command + i again (if you had used option (alt) + command + i in the first place).

If you had used control + command + i to call up the Inpsector window, you can use command + w to close the window. Don’t ask me why Mac’s are so complicated in this regard.

This trick works for folders too, or a combination of files and folders.