Are you not able to save more data? Is your device running more slowly, and you cannot install critical security updates as you don’t have enough free space on your hard drive?
This is a very common issue nowadays, and we can help you understand how to free up disk space on your PC or laptop. Here, we will show you how to determine what is occupying your hard drive space, how to free up more storage space, and understand the storage sense feature.
Problems Caused by a full hard drive
The speed and smoothness of your system are somehow determined by how much disk space you have in your drive. The more space you have, your PC’s loading speed will be faster. A system requires a lot of storage space free to work properly; otherwise, your laptop will slow down.
You will have issues long before your hard disk is full, so don’t wait until then to wipe it out. Lack of space has been linked to the following problems:
- Not enough storage space prevents you from installing new applications or updating critical components.
- PC may seem to be running slowly for no apparent reason as it tries to locate more free space to handle regular use.
- File and app launch times may increase if there is insufficient storage space for them to store data temporarily.
Due to these and other reasons, you must have sufficient free disk space on your device. How much free space your system requires is often determined by the number and nature of apps and programs you install.
Quick Tips on How to Free up Disk Space
As a first step, see if any simple solutions can be implemented immediately to create free space. Here are a few quick tips for disk cleanup in Windows.
- Remove any unnecessary files from your computer by emptying the recycle bin, desktop, and downloads folder. Go through all the files and see which are not useful.
- Storage Sense and the disk cleanup Window options for managing your computer’s storage space might help you decide what to do with data you no longer need.
- Check the applications you have installed on your laptop (type “add or delete programs” into the start menu search bar) to check if you can uninstall apps or unnecessary programs.
- Save infrequently accessed data (such as documents and images) to a cloud storage service or external drive and subsequently erase them from your laptop.
- Look for duplicate files and delete them.
In this way, you can optimize storage space in your PC and can get rid of low free disk space. Keep on reading for proven solutions for how to free up disk space in Windows:
Uninstall unnecessary apps and programs
Even if you aren’t currently using an outdated program, it doesn’t mean it has vanished entirely. Eliminate unnecessary programs taking up space and regain control of your device’s storage. This will also delete unnecessary files.
Steps:
- Go to your desktop and select the “Start” option.
- Navigate to “Apps”
- Click “Apps and Features” afterward.
- If you sort by file size, you can quickly identify the space-hogging apps.
- Any applications that aren’t being utilized should be removed by choosing them and then clicking “Uninstall.”
Clean your Desktop
While many of us use the desktop as our default storage location, this isn’t the best option. Due to the constant consumption of operating memory, a sluggish computer directly results from a cluttered desktop.
Remove any unnecessary files and organize the remaining into the appropriate document, video, and photo folders. If you remove them, you’ll make some room on your hard disk; even if you don’t, they won’t be a burden.
Empty the Trash
To many people, deleting unnecessary files from their hard disk is the first and last step of a cleanup. No file has been erased unless you empty the Trash on a Mac or right-click and choose Delete on Windows. In case of an oversight, you can still get it back.
Without a system to frequently empty your Recycle Bin or Trash, the contents would quickly accumulate and cause serious storage issues. The best part is that clearing up all this information only requires a few mouse clicks, answering how to free up space on the hard drive.
Steps:
- Right-click the Trash icon (Mac OS) or the Recycle Bin (Windows).
- You can empty the whole folder and delete unnecessary files.
There you have it! If you want to delete something, first, be sure you’ve checked the Trash. If you right-click on a file and choose “Restore to Previous Position,” the file will be returned to its previous location.
Use Disk Cleanup
Maintaining a clean hard drive is essential to the optimal functioning of your computer. Disk Cleanup Windows is a convenient tool for eliminating unnecessary data.
Steps:
- Click the Start button to launch the Disk Cleanup Dialog box. Enter “Disk Cleanup” into the search bar and pick it from the results.
2. After being prompted, choose the drive from which you’d like to remove unwanted data and click OK.
3. Choose Clean up system files in the Disk Cleanup dialogue box’s Description section.
4. Choose the drive you need to clean up and click OK when requested.
5. Choose the file types you need to delete by checking the boxes next to them in the Disk Cleanup tab of the Disk Cleanup dialogue box and then clicking OK. Mark the box labeled “Previous Windows installation(s)” to delete files from an older Windows setup.
6. When prompted, choose Delete files from the menu.
7. After cleaning up, open File Explorer and select the drive you cleaned before clicking Refresh. Read on if you’re still low on disk space (the drive icon is still red).
Run Storage Sense in Windows 10
Windows’ built-in Storage Sense tool may eliminate unused files and clear up space automatically. Owners of Windows 10 can access Storage Sense by clicking the “Storage” tab in the Settings app’s main menu.
Select the frequency with which Storage Sense will run from the drop-down menu. Options include Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and When Free Space Is Low. When in doubt, select While disk space is low. Mark the box labeled “Delete temporary files that my app isn’t using” and continue.
If a file hasn’t been opened for more than that, select it from the drop-down menu next to Delete files in my recycle bin. Choose Never if you never want your files in the recycle bin deleted. Choose one day, 14 days, 30 days, and 60 days if you need more time.
Suppose a file in your downloads folder hasn’t been accessed in more than the selected days; it will be automatically deleted. It is a very smart way to automatically eliminate unwanted files and empty recycle bin.
This is how you configure storage sense in Windows and get enough space for your programs to run smoothly. Finally, select the Clean now button to clear up disk space immediately.
Change Recycle Bin settings
When using Windows 10, 10% of free space is set aside for permanently deleted files. The oldest files will be removed first when the storage limit is reached. The amount of disk space dedicated to the Recycle Bin can be modified anytime.
Steps:
Follow these methods to minimize the amount of space required for the Recycle Bin:
- Press the Windows key +D.
- To change the settings for the trash can, right-click on it and choose “Properties.”
- When configuring the Recycle Bin, choose the partition where it will be stored if there are numerous. For instance, Windows 10 can be found on the Local Disk (C:) drive.
- To do this, go to the “Settings for selected place” section and choose the “Custom size” option.
- Specify the maximum amount of space, in megabytes, that Recycle Bin can take up on the specified partition by typing the number into the “Maximum size (MB)” area.
- (Optional) Ensure you don’t send any files to the Trash by selecting the appropriate box. By selecting the Remove files instantly when removed option, you can delete files directly from the drive without sending them to the Recycle Bin, thereby reducing the amount of space used.
- To proceed, select Apply.
- Simply tap the OK button.
Once you’ve finished the instructions, the Recycle Bin will record how many files it should keep from a specific directory.
Reduce the Amount of Space Used for the System Restore
If you find that System Restore’s backup points are using up too much space, you can adjust the amount of disk space System Restore is allowed to use. The downside is that there won’t be as many backups of your files and fewer restore points should something go wrong.
If saving space on your hard drive is more essential to you than using these functions, you can disable or reduce the size of System Restore.
Disable Hibernate Option
If you want to save time when starting up your laptop, hibernate it instead of turning it off altogether. Hibernate saves a copy of your data and drivers before shutting down, which can be rather large.
Disabling hibernation is a good idea if you value speedy startup times less than saving space on your hard disk, as the hiberfil.sys file can use gigabytes of space. You may find the Command Prompt by clicking the Start button and searching for it. When you see Command Prompt at the bottom of the results, right-click it and choose Run as administrator.
Enter powercfg /hibernate off into the Command Prompt and press Enter to disable hibernation. (If you decide to get back hibernating, you can re-enable it with the command: powercfg /hibernate.)
The Final Thoughts
We have provided an answer to the query of how to free up disk space in this post. Cleaning up hard drive space is time-consuming and should be included in your normal PC maintenance routine. The more frequently you can complete them, the less time each will take, and the better your device’s performance will be.
It is essential to know how much space you need on your PC. Additional activities, such as regularly removing blurry or duplicate photographs, can be useful. Remember to completely erase the data and software you no longer need from your hard drive.
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