Size vs Size on disk?
Size vs Size on disk?
When you right-click and choose properties, the two sizes—Size and Size on Disk—reflect different storage locations. The Disk size shows the actual space used on the device, while the Size property may represent a default or estimated value based on the file's format. This difference can occur due to compression, file type, or how the system calculates storage usage.
Use Notepad to create a file and verify its size. The cluster size is 4096 bytes, meaning each 2-byte file occupies the same space as a 4092-byte file, while a 4120-byte file uses 8096 bytes on disk.
This phenomenon seems fascinating! Your response helped clarify it for me.
The difference size listings serve another purpose. By right-clicking a folder in Explorer and choosing Properties>Advanced, you’ll find an option called "Compress contents to save disk space." Selecting it compresses the folder’s contents—including subfolders and their data—reducing their size more than a simple zip would, though with less impact on access speed. This method typically cuts file sizes by several gigabytes while keeping retrieval times nearly unchanged. Keep in mind this feature is primarily for storing documents rather than game files or system files.