How to Free Up Disk Space on Windows

/ How To Fix, Windows / By
Windows disk space cleanup illustration

Low disk space can stop app installs, block Windows updates, slow the PC, and make everyday work annoying. The good news is Windows has built-in cleanup tools that target safe-to-delete files first.

This applies to Windows 10 and Windows 11 on HDDs and SSDs.

Does This Affect You?

Start with Storage Sense and temporary files, then remove large apps and move personal files. Avoid deleting random system folders manually.

Run Storage Cleanup

  1. Open Settings > System > Storage.
  2. Review the storage breakdown.
  3. Open Temporary files.
  4. Select safe categories such as Temporary files, Recycle Bin, and Windows Update Cleanup.
  5. Click Remove files.
  6. Turn on Storage Sense and set it to run automatically, such as weekly.

Uninstall Apps You No Longer Use

  1. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps or Apps & features.
  2. Sort by Size.
  3. Review the largest apps first.
  4. Uninstall programs, games, and tools you no longer need.
  5. Look up unfamiliar programs before removing them.

Move Large Files Elsewhere

  1. Open Documents, Pictures, Videos, Desktop, and Downloads.
  2. Sort by size to find the largest files.
  3. Move files you want to keep to an external drive or cloud folder.
  4. After confirming the copy is safe, delete the original from the system drive and empty the Recycle Bin.

More Space-Saving Options

Use a Visual Disk Tool

Windows Storage breakdown helps, and tools such as WinDirStat can show exactly which folders consume the most space.

Clean Downloads

Downloads often contains old installers, PDFs, archives, and attachments. Sort by size or date and remove what you no longer need.

Reduce OneDrive Local Storage

Turn on OneDrive Files On-Demand so cloud files remain visible but only download when opened.

Shrink or Disable Hibernation

Run powercfg /hibernate /size 40 as administrator to reduce hibernation file size, or powercfg /hibernate off if you do not use Hibernate.

Sources

  • Microsoft Support: Free up drive space in Windows
  • Microsoft Support: Manage storage with Storage Sense
  • Microsoft Support: Uninstall or remove apps in Windows
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through links. I will only recommend products that I have personally used! Learn more on my Private Policy page.
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