WizTree is a super fast disk space analyzer tool for Windows systems. The utility scans a computer's hard drive and highlights the folders and files consuming the most space. It visually shows the hard drive file content so that the user can navigate huge files and folders. WizTree also offers information that can be used to create more room in your hard drive. However, users are advised to not delete files that are needed for the smooth functioning of their computer.
Why is WizTree So Quick?
WizTree reads the Master File Table (MFT) in your hard drive directly from the disk. It does this while scanning NTFS-formatted hard drives. The Master File Table is a unique file that is hidden and utilized by the NTFS file system to manage all folders and files on the hard drive. This scanning method guarantees an excellent increase in performance and also totally bypasses the operating system of the Windows computer.
The tool is also built to scan individual directories, non-NTFS hard drives, USB drives, and network drives.
Advanced File Search
WizTree comes with plenty of advanced file-searching features. Users can find files through date, size, and name. In order to find a particular file, allow WizTree to scan the folder or drive first. Afterward, click on the 'File View' tab.
Type your search details in the 'File Search Filter'. As a default, the tool will only display the first 1000 matching results. This can be changed by setting the 'Max files to display' setting. Keep in mind that showing 'ALL' files will take some time if there are many files in your system.
Wildcards
Use a question mark to match a single character and use an asterisk () to match one or more characters. For instance, if a user wants to hunt for all files starting with the letter f, type f*.
If you need to file all files with a specific extension, like all mp3 files, enter *.mp3.
If a user wants to search for all files starting with letters a and f, enter a?f*.
Multiple Search Items (AND/OR)
Hunt for various search items with a space. The latter serves as an 'AND' operator. For instance, to hunt for files of type jpg that also have the word sing, enter *.jpg dance
If the search term includes a space, utilize double quotes, *.jpg “sing”
To search for all .wav and jpg files that have the word “sing”, type in *jpg|*.wav sing
Employ the vertical pipe symbol to serve as an 'OR' operator for various search items. For example, to find all jpg and .wav files, type in *.jpg|*.wav
Note: Don’t add space between the search items and the vertical pipe symbol.
Searching by Date and File Size
Utilize '=', '>', '>=', '<', '<=' operators to filter files depending on modified date or size. Remember that there should be no space between values and operators.
For example, to search for files below 200 bytes in size, enter <200
Append a ‘t’, ‘k’, ‘g’, or ‘m’ to the figure to search in Tb, Kb, Gb, and Mb. For instance, to search for files between 200MB and 1TB, type in >=200m <1t
To filter files by allocated sizes, employ “a>”, “a=”, and so on. For example, to search for files with allocated size between 250MB and 500MB, type in a>=250m a<=500m
Likewise, to search for files with zero allocated size and bigger than zero file size, type in a=0 >0
For using the date filter, mention it in this format: yyyy/mm/dd
For instance, filter files modified before 2023/06/03 by typing <2023/06/03
Utilize the constant “yesterday” to reference yesterday’s date. As an option, subtract or add the number of days from this constant. For example, to search for files modified in the last 6 days, type in >=today-6. Similarly, to search for files bigger than 2GB that were modified in the last week, type in >=2gb >=today-7
Position the search item in quote to achieve a file name search. For example, to search for files that include '=0' rather than showing files with zero size, type in '=0'
Searching by File Path Lenght and File Name Length
Employ search items 'pathlen' and 'namelen' with '=', '>', '>=', '<', '<=' operators to hunt for files depending on path length or name.
For instance, to discover files with path length (with name) bigger than 100, type in pathlen>100
Similarly, to discover files with path lengths between 250 and 300, type in pathlen>=250 pathlen<=300
And lastly, discover files with file names of 3 characters by typing namelen=3
NOT (!) Operator
Initiate the search item with an exclamation mark to hunt for files that are not compatible with the item. For instance, to see files that don’t include “dance”, type in !dance
See all files that include “dance” but do not fall in the mp3 type by typing dance!*.mp3
See files that lie between 5 and 200 bytes in size, but not 10 by entering >=5 <=200 !=10
If you need to use quotes, place the exclamation mark before them, !'sing'
Searching for Files or Folders only
If a user wants to see just folders in the result, enter =folder
For files, enter =file
Regular Expression Search (regex)
WizTree allows regular expression search.
Enter a forward slash (/) followed by the regular expression, like /[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}\.csv$
In case the regular expression includes spaces, enclose it in double quotes. See below:
/'[0-9]{4} [0-9]{2} [0-9]{2}\.csv$'
Match File Name Only
This option applies search to the file name only excluding the path.
Match Entire Path
With this option, Wiztree will search for the whole path. In case the search item includes a '' (backslash), the search will be accomplished on the path irrespective of the current match setting.