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How to free up drive space on your PC

May 16, 2022155 views0

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You might have come across a pop message on your screen prompting you to clear your drive space. You may wonder how to do this when you might be confused in between your files as to which stays in and which moves out.

You can now resolve this issue by following simple steps given below. However, if you keep getting messages about low drive space, you might want to consider other options, including adding additional removable storage.

To get the most out of these tips, do them in order from top to bottom.

Check the current space on your PC
Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings. (If you’re using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

Select PC and devices, and then select Disk space.
Under Free up space on this PC, note the amount of free space and total size.

Tips:
You can view the size of your Windows Store apps and choose whether to uninstall them by tapping or clicking See my app sizes.
You can also free up space by tapping or clicking Empty my Recycle Bin if you have files there.

Use Disk Cleanup

Cleaning out your PC on a regular basis frees up drive space and helps it run better. One of the easiest ways to clean up files you no longer need is by using Disk Cleanup.

Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, select Disk Cleanup.
If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then select OK.
In the Disk Cleanup dialog box in the Description section, select Clean up system files.
If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then select OK.
In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, on the Disk Cleanup tab, select the check boxes for the file types that you want to delete, and then select OK. To remove data from a previous installation of Windows, select the Previous Windows installation(s) check box.
In the message that appears, select Delete files.
Go back to Computer in File Explorer, select the drive you cleaned up, and then select Refresh. If you need to free more space (the drive is still marked red), go to the next tip.

Uninstall desktop apps you no longer need

Uninstall desktop apps you don’t need any more in Programs and Features.
To uninstall or change a program
Open Programs and Features by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Programs, and then clicking Programs and Features.
Select a program, and then click Uninstall. Some programs include the option to change or repair the program in addition to uninstalling it, but many simply offer the option to uninstall. To change a program, click Change or Repair. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Uninstall Windows Store apps you no longer need

You can also uninstall Store apps you don’t want anymore.
Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings. (If you’re using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)
Select Search and apps, and then select App sizes to see how much space each app is taking on the local drive.
Once you locate an app you want to uninstall, select the app, and then select Uninstall.
Archieve or delete files you’re no longer using
If you have photos, music, videos, or other files that you want to keep but don’t necessarily want on your PC, consider saving them to removable media, such as an external drive, USB drive, DVD, or cloud storage. You’ll still be able to view those files as long as your PC is connected to the removable media or cloud storage, but they won’t take up space on your PC.
Open This PC by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you’re using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering This PC in the search box, and then tapping or clicking This PC.
In the Search This PC box in the upper-right, enter size:huge.
Select the View menu, select Sort by, and then select Size. The largest files display at the top.
Once you locate a file you want to delete, press and hold or right-click the file and then select Delete.

Reduce the size of the WinSxS folder

The WinSxS folder is located in the Windows folder on your PC (for example, C:\Windows\WinSxS). It stores the Windows Component Store files, which are used to support functions needed to customize and update Windows. You can use the Task Scheduler to reduce the size of this folder.

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search. (If you’re using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Search.)
Enter Control Panel in the search box, and then select Control Panel.
Select System and Security, and then select Schedule tasks under Administrative Tools.
Select the arrow next to Task Scheduler Library, select Microsoft, select Windows, and then select Servicing.
Select StartComponentCleanup, and then select Run under Selected item.
Make OneDrive files online-only

Files that are available offline take up more space on your PC. OneDrive also needs 200 MB of free space on your PC to sync your files. To free up space, you can make some files or folders online-only.
To make files online-only using the OneDrive app
On the Start screen, select OneDrive to open the OneDrive app.
Browse to the file or folder you want to make online-only.
Swipe down or right-click the file or folder to select it.
Select Make online-only. To make your entire OneDrive online-only, swipe in from the right edge of the screen (or, if you’re using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, and move the mouse pointer up), select Settings, select Options, and then select Make all files online-only.

To make files online-only using File Explorer

Open File Explorer by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you’re using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering File Explorer in the search box, and then tapping or clicking File Explorer.

Browse to the file or folder you want to make online-only.

Press and hold or right-click the file or folder, and then choose Make available online-only. To make your entire OneDrive online-only, press and hold or right-click OneDrive, and then choose Make available online-only.

Make OneDrive files online-only

Files that are available offline take up more space on your PC. OneDrive also needs 200 MB of free space on your PC to sync your files. To free up space, you can make some files or folders online-only.

Notes:

If you have Access all files offline turned on, you need to first turn off this setting before you can make files online-only.
If you have pending uploads to OneDrive, you need to wait until they are completed before making files online-only.

To make files online-only using the OneDrive app
On the Start screen, select OneDrive to open the OneDrive app.

Browse to the file or folder you want to make online-only.

Swipe down or right-click the file or folder to select it.

Select Make online-only. To make your entire OneDrive online-only, swipe in from the right edge of the screen (or, if you’re using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, and move the mouse pointer up), select Settings, select Options, and then select Make all files online-only.

To make files online-only using File Explorer
Open File Explorer by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you’re using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering File Explorer in the search box, and then tapping or clicking File Explorer.

Browse to the file or folder you want to make online-only.
Press and hold or right-click the file or folder, and then choose Make available online-only. To make your entire OneDrive online-only, press and hold or right-click OneDrive, and then choose Make available online-only.

Move your OneDrive files to a removable drive
The removable drive will need to be formatted with the NTFS file system.
To check space availability

Before you move your OneDrive files, you should make sure the removable drive has enough space to store your files. Follow these steps:
Open File Explorer by swiping in from the right edge of the screen, tapping Search (or if you’re using a mouse, pointing to the upper-right corner of the screen, moving the mouse pointer down, and then clicking Search), entering File Explorer in the search box, and then tapping or clicking File Explorer.
Press and hold or right-click OneDrive.
Select Properties, and then look at the amount next to Size on disk.
In File Explorer, select This PC, and then see how much space is free on the removable drive.

To move your OneDrive files
First, you’ll need to create a folder on the removable drive for your OneDrive files. After you create the folder, follow these steps to move your files:

Warning: Moving your OneDrive files will cancel any pending uploads.