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To choose which folders SquirrelDisk scans, select a drive or folder as the scan root. Pick a drive for a broad overview, or start with a specific folder—such as your home folder—to limit the scan to that location.
Choose the scan scope that matches your goal
| Choice | What it scans | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| A drive | The selected drive, for a broad view of its contents. | Finding where space is being used across a drive. |
| A specific folder | The selected folder and its contents, rather than starting from the whole drive. | Investigating a known directory or keeping the scan focused. |
SquirrelDisk’s official getting-started guide describes the starting point simply: “Open SquirrelDisk and pick a drive or folder.” The location you pick is the scan root.
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Start a scan from SquirrelDisk
- Open SquirrelDisk.
- Choose the drive or folder you want to inspect.
- Let the sunburst chart draw as the scan runs. Click a slice to zoom into that folder; click the center to move back up the folder hierarchy.
Zooming into a slice explores results within the scope you already selected. It does not change the original scan root.
Start with a folder from your file manager
If the optional “Folder menu” integration is enabled, you can launch a scan from a folder’s context menu by choosing “Scan with SquirrelDisk.” The official README lists these entry points:
#1 Best Overall
- Easily store and access 2TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
- macOS: Finder Quick Actions.
- Windows: Explorer; on Windows 11, the option is under “Show more options.”
- Linux: integrations for Dolphin and Nemo, Nautilus Scripts, or a file manager’s “Open with” option.
Labels and availability may vary with your operating system and file manager. See the SquirrelDisk README for the listed integrations.
Launch a folder scan from the terminal
The README documents two command-line forms. Replace <folder> with the path you want to scan:
Rank #2
- Easily store and access 5TB of content on the go with the Seagate portable drive, a USB external hard Drive
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
squirreldisk <folder>opens the app on that folder.squirreldisk scan <folder>prints a text tree or JSON without opening a window.
Can you exclude selected child folders from a broad scan?
The official materials cited here document choosing a drive or folder as the scan root, but do not confirm persistent rules for excluding selected child folders from a broader scan. To narrow the scope using a documented approach, start the scan at a more specific folder instead of the drive.
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Chart views and scan totals
SquirrelDisk can display results as a sunburst or treemap, and its product page says the view can be changed in Settings. These are ways to inspect the selected scope, not different ways of choosing the scan root.
Rank #3
- Easily store and access 1TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop. Reformatting may be required for Mac
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
SquirrelDisk says it reports the space files really take on disk. Its product page and README state that cloud-only files in services such as iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive count as zero, while linked folders count once. Those rules can make totals differ from another disk-usage tool.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What protected-folder messages mean
SquirrelDisk describes system folders, the home folder, whole drives, and other essential locations as protected from collection. It says app and settings folders require extra confirmation. These safeguards relate to cleanup actions; the cited material does not say they determine which locations are scanned or guarantee that every folder is readable by your account.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- [Upgraded Version] - This external hard drive features a mirrored logo stripe combined with a striped anti-slip design, and the rounded corners of the casing make it easier to grip. The stripes also have a heat dissipation function, ensuring stable and fast data transfer.
- 【Ultra-thin and quiet】 - The motherboard adopts JMicron 578 noise-free solution, giving you a quiet working environment. Lightweight and portable size designed to fit in your pocket for easy portability.
- 【Ultra-Fast Data Transfers】 - Pairing this external hard drive with JMicron 578 solution USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 interfaces enables blazing-fast data transfer. It boasts theoretical read speeds of up to 125MB/s and write speeds of up to 103MB/s.
- 【Plug and Play】 - With no software to install, just plug it in and the drive is ready to use.The hard disk chip is wrapped with an aluminum anti-interference layer to increase heat dissipation and protect data.
- 【What You Get】 - 1 x Portable Hard Drive, 1 x USB 3.0 Cable, 1 x User Manual, Gift-type shell packaging ,Three-year manufacturer's warranty and free technical support services.
Rank #4
- Easily store and access 4TB of content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
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