Windows 10: How to free up disk space

• Open the Disk Space window in Windows 10 to free up space. You can also find out more about the following: > The system is a > Stores > Temporary filesSelect the files you do not need and click “Remove files” To make more room on the “C drive”
• You can also open You can also find out more about the following: > The system is a > Stores > Storage SenseSelect the files you want to delete and click on “Run Storage Sense now.”
• You can also use the Disk Cleanup legacy tool to clear up space on your PC.
• Windows 10 can be made more space-efficient by uninstalling applications you no longer use, disabling the hibernation feature, resetting search indexes, or transferring files onto another drive.

In this guide you’ll learn how you can free up space quickly on Windows 10 by using a variety of methods. If the “C” Drive is filled up without any reason or your device is showing signs of running out space, it is important to remove unnecessary files in order to make room for new files and avoid performance issues. A computer with insufficient space can cause the system to slow down and even crash. It’s never a smart idea to use the entire hard drive.The device’s Hard Disk Drive or Solid-State Drive will determine whether it has the SSD.

Windows 10 has several options for reclaiming disk space. You can use the Storage Sense feature, the Temporary File settings or even the Disk Cleanup. Uninstalling applications you don’t need, disabling Hibernation and resetting your search index can help you reclaim space.

Other features, such as NTFS and CompactOS, can be used to compress system and app files to free up more storage.

This guide will explain the best way to declutter your Windows 10 hard disk.

Delete temporary files

It is important to note that the word “you” means “you”. “Temporary files” Windows 10’s settings let you quickly delete files that are not needed to run the operating system. This will free up space on your hard drive. These include files left over after upgrading to a newer version, logs of upgrades, error reports, temporary Windows installations files, etc.

Use these steps to free up disk space in Windows 10 by deleting temporary files:

1. Open You can also find out more about the following: Windows 10
2. Click here The system is a.
3. Click here Stores.
4. Click Here Temporary files setting.

   

5. Windows 10 has several temporary files that can be deleted to make room for new files. These include “Windows Update Cleanup”, “Recycle Bin”, “Windows Upgrade Log Files”, “Temporary Files” and “Temporary Windows Installation files”.
6. Click Here Remove files button.

   

The junk temporary files are removed, allowing you to store more important files in Windows 10.

Run Storage Sense

“Storage Sense” This feature will automatically release space from the “C’ drive when it is running out of space. This feature works by deleting system files, apps, emptying the Recycle Bin and Downloads folders and converting synced files to OneDrive only content.

Use these steps to release space on Windows 10 with Storage Sensing:

1. Open You can also find out more about the following:.
2. Click here The system is a.
3. Click here It is a good idea to store your goods in a safe place..
4. Click the “Storage Section” under the “Storage”. Configure Storage Sense now or run it immediately option.

   

5. Turn on Storage Sense Click the toggle switch to turn it on.
6. Check this “Delete temporary file that my applications aren’t utilizing” option.
7. When to run Storage Sense automatically “Every day,” “Every week,” “Every month,” The following are some examples of how to use When there is low disk space

   

8. Check the “Temporary Files” section. “Delete temporary files my apps don’t use” option.
9. You can choose when to delete files using the “Delete Files in My Recycle Bin if They Have Been There For Over” setting. (The “Never” Option disables a feature.
10. When to delete files “Downloads” Folder using the “Delete files from my Downloads folder after a certain period of time” setting.
11. You can use the “OneDrive setting” to decide when files that are synced on your computer become only online files. This will free up some space.
12. Check this Windows Previous Versions Deleted Option (if applicable).
13. Click Here Get rid of button.

Windows 10 will then free up space on your hard drive, allowing you to store more files. Storage Sense is also enabled and will automatically run when there’s a lack of space on the hard drive.

Run Disk Cleanup

It is important to note that the word “you” means “you”. “Disk Cleanup” This tool, which is similar to “Temporary Files” settings, allows you to remove unwanted files from your computer.

Follow these steps to delete temporary files in Windows 10 Disk Cleanup.

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click here This PC From the navigation pane on the left.
3. Click the drive that contains the Windows 10 installation by clicking the right-click button. Property option.

   

4. Click Here Disk Cleanup button.

   

5. Click Here “Cleaning up system files” button.
6. Select the items that you wish to delete. You can, for example, delete the items. Recycle Bin, Temporary Files, Windows Upgrade log files and “Temporary Windows installation Files” are all examples of “Temporary Windows installation Files.” The following are some examples of how to get started: The system creates Windows Error Reporting.

   

7. Click Here OK button.
8. Click Here Remove Files button.

As soon as you finish the steps, your temporary files will be permanently removed from your computer. This makes room for new files.

Uninstalling apps

Uninstalling programs from your computer will help you free up storage space. You may have accumulated a large number of apps that you don’t use anymore. These can eat up storage space. Uninstalling these apps will allow you to regain space on your computer and enhance the performance.

Use these steps to uninstall a Windows 10 app:

1. Open You can also find out more about the following:.
2. Click here Apps.
3. Click here Apps & features.
4. Under the “Apps & features” section, select the app (or game).

   Quick tip Use the search bar if you’ve got a lot. “Sort by,” The following are some examples of how to get started: “Filter by” Options to find the app faster

5. Click Here Uninstall button.

   

6. Click Here Uninstall Button again

   Quick Note: Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.

The app will be deleted from your computer after you have completed the steps. Check out this guide for many more ways to remove applications.

Disable hibernation

Hibernation allows the computer’s current state to be saved to the hard disk and then shut down completely. The computer can resume where it was when it is powered back up. This feature does require a lot of storage space for the hibernation files. Windows 10 can save space by disabling hibernation.

Use these steps to disable Hibernation for Windows 10:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command PromptClick the top search result by right-clicking it and selecting the Run as Administrator option.
3. Press the space key to release hibernation and type in the following command. Enter:

   Hibernate powercfg off

   

The feature can be disabled after you follow the steps. You could free up many gigabytes in your computer’s hard drive.

Search index database

The search index is an information database about your files and folders. It can take up significant space, even though it is useful for showing results quickly in Windows Search. You can reset the index to clear out any unnecessary data, and create a new, smaller database. This can improve the performance of your system and allow you to free up storage space that could be used for other apps and files.

Follow these steps to reset the search index in Windows 10.

1. Open You can also find out more about the following:.
2. Click here Search for a better alternative.
3. Click here Searching Windows.
4. Click Here Search Indexer Advanced Settings option.

   

5. Click Here Learn more about Advanced button.

   

6. Click on the Troubleshooting link under the section. Rebuild Click on the button to delete all data.

   

7. Click Here OK button.
8. Click Here Close button.

After you have completed the steps, Windows 10 will delete the index database and replace it with a smaller, newer version. This will free up additional space.

OneDrive allows you to free up space on your disk

OneDrive has a “Files On Demand” feature which allows users to delete files already uploaded on their local storage and still have access to those files via File Explorer. You will still need to have an internet connection in order to access these files.

Follow these steps to enable files-on-demand on OneDrive in order to free up space on your computer:

1. Click the Right-click button OneDrive Taskbar Icon
2. Click Here You can also find out more about the following: option.

   

3. Click here Backup and synchronization.
4. Click Here Advanced Settings item.
5. Click Here Free up disk space Click the “Files on Demand” button.

   

6. Click Here Continue reading button.

OneDrive will delete any files that you’ve already uploaded. However, you can still access them via File Explorer, if you have an internet connection.

Enable NTFS compression

The NT File System, also known as NTFS, includes a feature to compress the contents of a folder, partition or file. This option can be used to reduce the amount of data stored on the hard drive. If the file already uses compression, this method is unlikely to reduce its size further.

This feature may have an impact on system performance since it compresses and uncompresses files as needed.

Use these steps to enable NTFS compressed on a folder, or partition in Windows 10 so that you can optimize your space usage.

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Open the folder or drive.
3. Click on the item, then select it by clicking the right-click button. Property option.
4. Click Here Advanced button.

   

5. Check this Compressing contents to save space on disk Choose “Compress or encrypt attributes” from the section.

   

6. Click Here OK button.
7. Click Here Use button.
8. Select the Changes to the folder, subfolders, and files will be applied. option.
9. Click Here OK button.
10. Click Here OK Click the button once more.

After you have completed the steps, your system will enable the compression of the partition or the folder in order to save space on the hard drive.

Enable CompactOS

Windows 10 includes CopactOS, a feature which compresses installation of apps and the operating systems on devices that have limited space. This feature can be used to free up additional storage.

Follow these steps to enable CompactOS on Windows 10 to reclaim space:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command PromptRight-click on the top result and select the Run as Administrator option.
3. To enable Compress OS, type the following command and press Enter:

   compact.exe /compactOS:always

   

   Quick tip You can run it compact.exe /compactOS:never Undo command.

After you have completed the steps, Windows 10 will automatically compress system files and applications to provide additional storage.

Transfer files from one drive to another

You can also use an external USB flash drive or internal drive to transfer the files in order to free up space within your system drive.

Use these steps to move files onto another drive in Windows 10:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Open the folder containing the files you want to transfer.

   Quick Note: You will usually want to move files that are large, like images, virtual machines, video, etc.

3. Click on the file and select it. Cut The command bar has a button that you can click.

   

4. Open the new location.
5. Click Here Paste The command bar has a button that you can click.

You will now have more space on your system drive to store other files. It may be necessary to repeat these steps in order to transfer additional files or folders. Robocopy can be used to perform the same tasks faster than File Explorer.

You may wish to reset the computer or perform a clean installation of Windows 10 if, after trying these methods, your computer still has a low disk space. You can also free up storage by moving large files such as videos, pictures, and virtual machine to an external hard disk.

Update February 8, 2024: This guide has been updated for accuracy and to include more ways to optimize storage space.