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How to Free up Disk Space on Windows 10/11 PCs
Cleaning up your device boosts its performance
4 min. read
Updated onMarch 20, 2024
updated onMarch 20, 2024
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A little extra storage space is always useful, but we often struggle to keep it on the optimal level, because it somehow always gets full.
In this article, we’ll show you a few tips on how to save and free up somediskspace on your Windows 10 computer.
How do I free up disk space on the PC?
1. Perform a Disk Cleanup
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Press theWindows Keyand typethis pcin the search box, then click on the result.
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Right-click on the drive you want to cleanup and selectPropertiesfrom the list of available options.
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Click onDiskCleanup under thePropertieswindow.
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Wait for it to calculate how much space you’ll be able to free.
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Select the types of files you want to delete and click OK (you can delete temporary files, log files, files in your recycle bin, etc.).
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Click onClean Up System Filesand wait until the cleaner calculates everything. It will give you even more free space by cleaning some unnecessary system files.
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Press onOKafter you made your selection to confirm the deletion.
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Go toMore Optionsand delete system restore data under System Restore, Shadow Copies (This command deletes all previous system restore points, except the most recent one).
The first thing you should do when you want to free up disk space on your PC is to perform a Disk Cleanup. It will help you not only make more space, but also remove any old and unnecessary files from your computer.
Please note that this inbuilt utility may not always completely delete all temporary files from third-party apps such as web browsers.
2. Uninstall unnecessary apps
We probably have some programs on our computers that we’re not using. These programs could take up a severe amount of disk space, and uninstalling them will definitely provide you with an extra storage expense.
To get rid of unused programs, go to Programs and Features in Control Panel and see what programs or apps you don’t use often, or at all.Uninstallunnecessary software and check your free space again.
There’s a column in Programs and Features that shows you how much space each program is using, so you can easily calculate how much space you’ll get once youuninstallthese programs.
If you don’t see this column, click the options button in the top right corner and select Details view.
3. Run disk analysis and defragment
To figure out what exactly is using space on your harddrive, you cananalyze your hard diskwith some of the harddiskanalysis programs.
Harddiskanalyzers scan your harddriveand display all information about it, among other things, what is using space of your harddisk.
After you scan your system with adiskanalyzer, it will show you exactly which folders or files are using the most space. Delete unnecessary files or folders and your freediskspace will increase (but be careful, don’t delete any important system or personal files).
After performing this task, it is recommended to defragment your harddrive, and you can check our list of best defrag tools for Windows, in case you didn’t choose defragmenting software yet.
4. Find duplicate files
Deleting duplicate files can also free up some space on your harddisk. Luckily, a few programs canfind and delete all the duplicate files, and free up some storage space for you.
You can useEasy Duplicate Finderto scan your hard drive for duplicate files and photos and delete them.
5. Disable hibernation and System Restore
These tricks will definitely free up some disk space on your Windows PC, but they will disable some important Windows features. So we don’t recommend performing these operations.
You should use it only if you desperately need more space, but use it on your own because it might be risky:
6. Use Storage Sense
To learn how this feature works, check our guide on how touse Storage Sense on Windows 10.
Storage Sense automatically deletes temporary files. It monitors your old and unused files and removes them regularly. For example, it’ll delete files in the Recycle Bin for more than 30 days.
That’s particularly all you need to know about saving and freeing up your harddiskspace on Windows PCs, but if you have some other tips on how to increase the harddiskspace, please share them with us in the comments.
More about the topics:Fix Hard Drive issues,Optimization guides & tools,Windows 10 Guides,Windows 11
Ivan Jenic
Windows Hardware Expert
Passionate about all elements related to Windows and combined with his innate curiosity, Ivan has delved deep into understanding this operating system, with a specialization in drivers and driver troubleshooting.
When he’s not tackling diverse driver-related problems, Ivan enjoys watching good movies and spending time hiking with his family and friends.
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Ivan Jenic
Windows Hardware Expert
Ivan has delved deep into understanding the Windows OS, with a specialization in drivers and driver troubleshooting.
