Need to free up some disk space on your Windows PC? Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 provide a dedicated settings menu to make the process easier. From this menu, you can see how much space has been used on your device and by what type of content. Show Windows' Storage settings also allow you to quickly clear space and enable Storage Sense to automatically remove temporary files and recycle bin items. The process works similarly in Windows 10 and 11, though some of the screens and settings differ slightly. Open Storage SettingsI've been working for PCMag since early 2016 writing tutorials, how-to pieces, and other articles on consumer technology. Beyond PCMag, I've written news stories and tutorials for a variety of other websites and publications, including CNET, ZDNet, TechRepublic, Macworld, Popular Science, Time, Fortune, US News & World Report, and AARP Magazine. I spent seven years writing breaking news for CNET as one of the site’s East Coast reporters. I've also written two books for Wiley & Sons—Windows 8: Five Minutes at a Time and Teach Yourself Visually LinkedIn. On Windows 10, you have several options to free up space on your device. Although nowadays, laptops and desktops include drives with multiple terabytes of storage, we always find a way to fill them up with documents, pictures, videos, apps, and games, causing slowdown, problems saving files, and many other issues. If your computer is running low on space, Windows 10 comes with tools. For example, Storage Sense, OneDrive Files On-Demand, Compact OS, NTFS compression, and other features to delete unnecessary files, apps, and games, which can help reclaim space, improve performance, and resolve problems during updates. This guide will walk you through the best ways to free up storage space on Windows 10 to store more files and install feature updates without issues. 1. Free up space clearing Recycle Bin on Windows 10Why you can trust Windows Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. Windows 10 doesn't erase files from the drive when you delete them. Instead, they are relocated to the Recycle Bin and marked for deletion. However, since the Recycle Bin can grow large over time, emptying its contents is the first thing you can do to free up space on your computer. To empty the Recycle Bin to regain storage space on Windows 10, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the system will free up around 10% of the drive capacity (assuming the bin is full). Change Recycle Bin settingsWindows 10 reserves 10% of the available space for deleted files. Once the threshold is reached, the system will automatically delete files from the oldest to the newest. You can always adjust how much space the system should use for the Recycle Bin. To reduce the space usage for the Recycle Bin, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the Recycle Bin will be able to keep more or fewer files from a particular location, depending on your configuration. How do I clear out storage on my computer?Select Start > Settings > System > Storage > Cleanup recommendations. Open Storage settings.. Select the temporary files, unused files, files synced to the cloud, or unused apps you want to remove, then select the Clean up button for each section.. Why is my storage so full PC?For many computer users, most of the disk space used is by applications and games. If you find that you no longer use certain programs, you can uninstall and remove them from your hard drive. Again, Windows provides the ability to easily get rid of any unwanted programs that we may have on our computer.
How do I clear up alot of storage?Close apps that don't respond. Android manages the memory that apps use. You don't usually need to close apps. ... . Uninstall apps you don't use. If you uninstall an app and need it later, you can download it again. ... . Clear the app's cache & data. You can usually clear an app's cache and data through your phone's Settings app.. How do I free up space on my computer without deleting anything?How to Free Up Hard Disk Space Without Deleting Anything.... Decrease or delete hiberfil. sys file size. ... . Move Pagefile. sys file to another drive. ... . Compress all the data. ... . Decrease Recycle Bin size. ... . Move User Libraries. ... . Move TEMP and TMP folders. ... . Delete duplicate files. ... . Delete unnecessary files.. |