Space Investigator

Space Investigator — Free Download. Visual disk space analysis tool for Windows
Space Investigator is a free derivative of WinDirStat, redesigned to integrate with AB Commander. It scans selected drives and displays a graphical representation where each file appears as a rectangle proportional to its size, allowing rapid identification of storage consumption across Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7 systems.
5.0(1 ratings)

Download Space Investigator (Official links)
File size: 4.5 MB
The latest version of Space Investigator is: 22.4
Operating system: Windows
Languages: English
Price: $0.00 USD

  • Drive analysis with tree view. Upon selecting drives for analysis, Space Investigator scans the file system and presents a hierarchical folder and file list in the left panel, sorted by size. Each entry includes a column with visual indicators of relative size, enabling location of folders with the highest storage consumption within the disk hierarchy.
  • File type list with color legend. The right area of the window displays all detected file extensions from the scan, accompanied by a color code assigned to each type. This legend provides immediate association between colors in the visual map and specific file categories, simplifying identification of dominant formats on the drive.
  • Proportional rectangle map for files. The lower section shows a graphical representation where each file appears as a rectangle whose size corresponds approximately to the space it occupies. Rectangles of the same file type share identical colors, enabling visual location of the largest files without reviewing textual lists.
  • Path display in status bar on mouse hover. When the cursor moves over any rectangle in the lower map, the status bar displays the complete file path. This feature provides immediate context about the file location without requiring additional navigation within the interface.
  • Cross-location selection through map clicks. Clicking a rectangle in the visual map automatically locates the corresponding file in the upper views (folder tree and file list), highlighting its position. This mechanism synchronizes all three interface areas for consistent workflow between graphical representation and hierarchical structure.
  • AB Commander integration from toolbar. Space Investigator includes a toolbar button that opens AB Commander in the folder containing the selected file. If AB Commander is already running, the existing window automatically navigates to that location, enabling advanced file management operations without interrupting the space analysis workflow.
  • Launching Space Investigator from AB Commander. From within AB Commander, the user can activate Space Investigator through a dedicated toolbar icon. When invoked, the tool initiates analysis directly on the folder active in AB Commander, reducing intermediate steps for examining space usage in specific locations.
  • Send files to Recycle Bin or permanent deletion. The Space Investigator toolbar provides buttons to move selected files to the Windows Recycle Bin or to delete them immediately. These actions apply to the item selected in any view (tree, list, or map), streamlining storage recovery without external utilities.
  • Configuration of custom cleanup actions. Through the File → Preferences → Cleanups command, users define additional actions to execute on selected files. For instance, launching an external file shredder that overwrites data before deletion can be configured, integrating third-party tools into the workflow.
  • Support for Windows Server and multiple architectures. The tool functions on Windows Server 2012 and later editions, as well as desktop systems Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11. It is compiled for 32-bit, 64-bit, and ARM64 architectures, ensuring compatibility across modern and legacy environments without additional configuration.
  • Sorting with relative size columns in file list. The main file view includes a column displaying relative size indicators with horizontal bars proportional to each file's storage consumption. This visual sorting facilitates direct weight comparison within the same folder or across the entire analyzed drive.
  • Source code inclusion with distribution. Space Investigator distributes its source code alongside the executable program, permitting review of internal analysis and graphical representation mechanisms. This feature enables technical modifications or adaptations by users with development knowledge.

Space Investigator originated as a modified version of WinDirStat, restructured to achieve integration with AB Commander, a tabbed file manager developed by WinAbility Software. The adaptation retains the core storage analysis methodology based on treemap visualization and file type classification while adding bidirectional communication between the two applications. The first public release dates to the period when AB Commander expanded its ecosystem of utilities, and the code is written in C++ using the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) framework to maintain native compatibility with the Windows windowing system.


Alternatives to Space Investigator:

Directory Report — Free Download. Disk analysis, duplicate search

Directory Report

Directory Report is a file management utility designed to scan internal and external storage devices, locate duplicate files, perform batch renaming operations, identify large files and folders, and generate printed directory listings.
Price: Free   Size: 9.7 MB   Version: 80   OS: Windows
WinCleanCat — Free Download. Windows disk cleanup tool

WinCleanCat

WinCleanCat is a free and open-source utility designed to free up disk space on Windows 10 and 11.
Price: Free   Size: 66.1 MB   Version: 1.0.0   OS: Windows
WhaleClean — Free Download. Professional Optimization Suite

WhaleClean

WhaleClean is an application for Windows 10 and 11 that groups six system cleaning and maintenance tools into a single interface.
Price: Free   Size: 315 MB   Version: 1.0   OS: Windows
DaisyDisk — Free Download. Disk Space Analysis for macOS

DaisyDisk

This software examines system storage and graphically represents space usage.
Price: Free   Size: 8.2 MB   Version: 4.32   OS: MacOS
CleanMyMac — Free Download. Optimization for Mac

CleanMyMac

CleanMyMac is a software application for Mac designed to manage system maintenance, free up disk space, remove unwanted files, and improve overall computer performance.
Price: $105   Size: 125.9 MB   Version: 4.15.14   OS: MacOS
DuoBolt — Free Download. Precise detection and elimination of duplicate files

DuoBolt

DuoBolt is a high-performance desktop application for identifying and removing duplicate files with absolute precision and consistency.
Price: $29.99   Size: 95.8 MB   Version: 1.3.6   OS: Windows, Linux, MacOS
FileFusion — Free Download. Duplicate file management and space freeing in Windows

FileFusion

FileFusion is a utility for Windows systems that locates and merges duplicate files on NTFS drives.
Price: $29.95   Size: 31.3 MB   Version: 2026.8   OS: Windows
TreeMap — Free Download. Disk space analyzer

TreeMap

TreeMap is a disk space analysis application that displays storage usage on local drives, networks, and removable devices through visual representation and detailed file listing.
Price: Free   Size: 136.7 MB   Version: 1.0   OS: Windows
SSD Booster.NET — Free Download. Optimization SSD

SSD Booster.NET

SSD Booster NET is a portable utility developed to improve the performance and maintain the efficiency of solid-state drives.
Price: Free   Size: 2 MB   Version: 1.0   OS: Windows
Czkawka — Free Download. Duplicate File removal

Czkawka

Czkawka is a tool for cleaning unwanted files, duplicates, and unnecessary data.
Price: Free   Size: 49.6 MB   Version: 10.0.0   OS: Windows, Linux