Free Up Disk Space on Windows PC: Easy Tips & Tricks

Instructions

Learn how to free up storage space on your computer’s hard drive in Microsoft Windows. If your computer doesn’t have enough free space, you might notice the following symptoms: insufficient disk space error, disk full error, inability to install important Windows updates, warnings indicating that the disk has less than 10% free space or that there is insufficient disk space on the partition, etc.

Run a disk cleanup

Microsoft Windows includes a built-in tool for deleting temporary files and other unimportant data. To delete temporary files using Disk Cleanup in Windows, follow these steps:

1. Click on Start .
2. Search for Disk Cleanup , then click on it to open the application.
3. If the computer has multiple disks or partitions, use the Disks drop-down menu and select the drive (C:).
4. Click OK .
5. Click on System File Cleanup .
6. If the computer has multiple disks or partitions, use the Disks drop-down menu and select the drive (C:).
7. Click OK .
8. Check all the content you want to delete to free up space, including the following:
   • Antivirus Windows Defender
   • Windows upgrade log files
   • Temporary Internet Files
   • Windows error report files created by the system
   • Cache DirectX Shader
   • Delivery optimization files
   • Device driver packages
   • Language resource files
   • Previous Windows installations
   • Basket
   • Temporary files
   • Windows temporary installation files
   • Miniatures
   Note: The list of items may vary depending on your installation.
9. Click OK .
10. Click on Delete files .

Removing system restore points and snapshots using Disk Cleanup

The Disk Cleanup utility can remove old system restore files to free up additional storage space. To delete all system restore points except recent ones, follow these steps:

1. Click on Start .
2. Search for Disk Cleanup , then click on it to open the application.
3. If the computer has multiple disks or partitions, use the Disks drop-down menu and select the drive (C:).
4. Click OK .
5. Click on System File Cleanup .
6. If the computer has multiple disks or partitions, use the Disks drop-down menu and select the drive (C:).
7. Click OK .
8. Click on the More Options tab .
9. In the System Restore and Shadow Copies section , click Clean .
10. Click on Delete .

Free up disk space using Storage Sense (Windows 10)

In Windows 10, Storage Sense helps delete temporary files from your computer’s hard drive and from secondary or external drives. To free up disk space using Storage Sense, follow these steps:

1. Click Start , then open the Settings app .
2. Click on  System .
3. Click on Storage .
4. Activate the Storage Assistant switch.
5. In the Storage section , click Configure Storage Sense or run it now .
6. In the Temporary files section , check the option Delete temporary files that apps aren’t using .
7. Click on Clean now .

To delete temporary files using Storage Assistant, follow these steps:

1. Click Start , then open the Settings app .
2. Click on  System .
3. Click on Storage .
4. Under the Local Disk (C:) section, click on Temporary Files .
5. Check all the content you want to delete to free up space, including the following:
   • Antivirus Windows Defender
   • Windows upgrade log files
   • Temporary Internet Files
   • Windows error report files created by the system
   • Cache DirectX Shader
   • Delivery optimization files
   • Device driver packages
   • Language resource files
   • Previous Windows installations
   • Basket
   • Temporary files
   • Windows temporary installation files
   • Miniatures
   Note: The list of items may vary depending on your installation.
6. Click on Delete files .

Manage your system restore points

1. Make sure you have administrator rights.
2. Access the “Start” menu.
3. Enter “Create restore point”.
4. Locate the “Configure” button.
5. Under “Disk Space usage”, use the “Max Usage” slider to adjust the percentage of disk space reserved for system restore points. The lower the percentage, the fewer restore points are saved.

Uninstalling non-essential applications and games

Uninstalling non-essential applications is another way to free up storage space on your computer. To uninstall applications or games, follow these steps:

1. Click Start , then open the Settings app .
2. Click on Applications .
3. Click on Apps and features .
4. Click on the Sort by filter , then select the Size view to quickly identify the applications and games that are using the most space.
5. Select the non-essential application or game.
6. Click on Uninstall .
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
8. Repeat these steps to remove other non-essential applications and games.
9. After uninstalling all non-essential applications and games, restart the computer.

Move personal data to an external hard drive

Personal files such as images, videos, music, documents, etc., can take up a lot of space on your hard drive. Transfer these large files to an external drive to free up storage space on your hard drive.

1. Connect an external drive, such as a USB drive, to the computer.
2. Click Start , then open File Explorer .
3. Access the folder that contains the files you want to move.
4. Select the files, select the Home tab , then click Move to and Choose location .
5. Select the connected external drive, then select Move .

Saving new personal files to another hard drive

Save new files to a different drive to avoid running out of disk space. Instead of saving all new files to the default drive (C:\), you can save some large files to a different drive with more space.

1. Connect an external drive, such as a USB drive, to the computer.
2. Click Start , then open the Settings app .
3. Click on System , then on Storage .
4. Sous More storage settings, sélectionnez Change where new content is saved.
5. For each file type, select a disk from the drop-down menu.

Note: The external drive must be connected to the computer before attempting to save files.

Disabling hibernation in Windows

The Windows hibernation feature saves data to memory on the hard drive, allowing you to shut down your computer while preserving your current session. This lets you resume exactly where you left off. The hibernation feature requires a significant amount of hard drive space to store the information contained in the hiberfil.sys file. If your computer is running low on available space, disable the hibernation feature to free up additional storage space for more critical files.

1. Click on Start .
2. Search for Command Prompt , right-click the Command Prompt icon, and then select Run as administrator .
3. Enter the following command to disable hibernation and press Enter:powercfg /hibernate off
4. Restart the computer.

Scan your computer using antivirus software

A virus or other malware can consume a lot of disk space by corrupting system files. Scan your computer with an antivirus application like Windows Defender, McAfee, or Norton to remove infected files.