# Ghost space: when deleted files still take space

> Deleted 50 GB and nothing changed? An app may still hold those files open. MoreRoom shows how much, which app, and gets it back by quitting it.

- URL: https://moreroom.app/support/ghost-space
- Topic: Freeing up space
- Updated: 2026-10-17
- Publisher: MoreRoom (Yando Pte. Ltd.) — https://moreroom.app

## In short

- A deleted file only frees its space once every app that has it open closes it. MoreRoom calls the space held this way ghost space.
- When it reaches 500 MB, a card appears on the home screen and in Free Up Space: how much is held, and by which app.
- Click Quit and the app’s name to get the space back (the app may ask you to save your work). Simulators have a Shut Down Simulators button.

## How to get ghost space back

1. **Find the card.** Open the home screen or Free Up Space. The card says how much space deleted files hold and lists up to five apps.
2. **Quit the app.** Click Quit next to the app. Save your work if the app asks.
3. **See the space come back.** MoreRoom tells you how much came back, for example “Preview quit · 3.2 GB back”.

## Why it happens

On macOS, deleting a file removes its name right away, but its space is only released when the last app using it closes it. A video editor, a virtual machine, a database or a simulator can keep big temporary files open for days — and the Trash, Finder and System Settings won’t show them. That’s the usual reason for “I deleted 50 GB and nothing changed”.

## What MoreRoom shows

MoreRoom checks for deleted files that are still open every time you open the home screen or **Free Up Space** (it takes a fraction of a second). When they hold **500 MB or more**, a card appears: “*size* held by deleted files”, with up to five apps, how many deleted files each one holds, and how much.

## Get the space back

Depending on who holds the files, the card offers:

| You see | It means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| **Quit *App*** | A normal app holds the files | Click it. The app may ask you to save documents. If it stays open, MoreRoom says so: save your work and quit it yourself. |
| **Shut Down Simulators** | Booted iOS simulators hold their temporary files | Click it: MoreRoom runs `xcrun simctl shutdown all`. |
| **Freed by macOS** | A system process holds them | macOS releases them on its own, or after a restart. |
| **Released when it stops** | A command-line process holds them | The space comes back when it finishes. |

After quitting, MoreRoom measures the free space again and tells you how much came back.

Restarting your Mac also releases all ghost space.

## Related articles

- [I removed files, but my free space didn’t come back](https://moreroom.app/support/space-not-back.md)
- [Why MoreRoom’s numbers differ from Finder and System Settings](https://moreroom.app/support/numbers-differ.md)
- [Free Up Space and goal mode](https://moreroom.app/support/free-up-space-goal-mode.md)
- [Free Without Deleting: shared duplicates and compressed cold files](https://moreroom.app/support/free-without-deleting.md)

## Still need help?

Write to us: a real person reads every message and answers within 2 business days. https://moreroom.app/contact