6 Ways to Resolve the Issue of C Drive Filling Up for No Reason

Today, I'll guide you through the steps to resolve the issue of the C drive filling up automatically without any apparent reason. Here's an overview of the solutions:

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Actual Situation - C Drive Continuously Filling Up

"I have a 235 GB hard drive with barely any programs installed and hardly any image or video files occupying space. The computer is connected to a network at my workplace, but no one else is experiencing this issue. Even if I manage to free up a few gigabytes, the C: drive fills up again within just a couple of days. Can anyone offer advice on how to resolve the issue of the C drive filling up automatically for no apparent reason?"

Numerous computer users grapple with the issue of a full C drive, as they express their concerns online. Despite not saving any files on the drive and even deleting some, they notice their C drive continually filling up. What could be causing the C drive to fill up automatically?

Reasons - Why C Drive Gets Filled Up Automatically

Many factors can contribute to insufficient space on the C drive. Here, I will enumerate some of the most common reasons.

1. Virus attacks 2. File system corruption 3. Enabled Windows restore points 4. Too many temporary and cached files 5. Insufficient free space on the C drive...

Before You Begin - Backup Your System and Files

Now that you're aware of the reasons behind it, you can address the issue of the "C drive filling up automatically" accordingly. These proven solutions should effectively resolve your problem. However, before proceeding, it's recommended to create a system backup. Since the process involves deleting and cleaning files on the system partition, it's wise to have a system backup in place.

A system backup refers to the process of creating a backup of the operating system, files, and system-related data. This backup allows you to restore your entire operating system at any given point in time. There are various backup and recovery software tools available that offer a one-click system backup feature for Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, as well as earlier versions such as Windows Vista and XP.

Solution 1: Run Disk Cleanup to Solve the C Drive Filling Up Issue

Once you've created a system backup, you can proceed with the following steps without concern for your data. When the C drive continues to fill up, you should run antivirus software and then proceed to clean up temporary files and other junk files.

1. Open "Start," search for Disk Cleanup, and choose the top result to open it. 2. Select the files you wish to delete from the C drive or any other drives. 3. Click the "OK" button.

If you're not too tech-savvy, you can use a free tool like CCleaner to easily clean up system files with just a few steps.

Step 1. Download and install the Partition Master Suite on your PC. Click to download the PC Cleaner from the panel.

Step 2. Install CleanGenius on your PC. Start by going to "Cleanup" and clicking "Scan."

Step 3. CleanGenius will immediately start scanning all useless files, selecting system junk files and invalid entries. Click "Clean" to tidy up your entire PC.

Step 4. Once finished, you'll see exactly how many MBs or GBs of data have been cleaned. Tap "Done" to complete the process.

Solution 2: Disable Hibernation if C Drive Keeps Filling Up

Hibernate files often occupy a significant amount of space on your hard drive. Hiberfil.sys is a hidden system file situated in the root folder of the drive where Windows is installed. To disable hibernation mode, follow these steps:

1. Run Command Prompt as an administrator. 2. Input powercfg.exe /hibernate off and press "Enter." 3. Type exit, then press "Enter" to close the Command Prompt window.

Solution 3: Delete System Restore Points in Windows 10

Windows Restore Points are essentially miniature "backups" of the operating system, typically created when installing a driver or applying Windows Updates. They are useful for disaster recovery but can consume a significant amount of disk space over time, leading to the C drive becoming full. As previously mentioned, System Restore Points are one of the factors causing the C drive to fill up automatically. Therefore, disabling the Windows System Protection can help resolve this issue.

1. Right-click on "This PC" and select "Properties" from the displayed options. 2. On the left-hand side, click on "System Protection." 3. In the small pop-up window, choose "C drive" and then click "Configure." 4. Within this window, select "Turn off system protection" and hit "OK." If you wish to free up disk space, you can click "Delete" followed by "Continue" to remove all system restore points.

Solution 4: Move Large Files/Applications to Another Drive

If you've installed large games such as Steam or Blizzard on your C drive, you might encounter issues with the C drive being full. Fortunately, you can easily move large files and applications to another drive. The Todo PCTrans tool enables you to transfer applications, files, and accounts between computers with just one click.

How to Move Large Files From One Drive to Another?

Effortlessly transfer files, applications, and games to another drive with just a few clicks.

Fix 5: Extend/Increase C Drive Space

If your C drive is initially allocated with a small space, you can use a third-party partition manager tool - tools Partition Master to extend the C drive without data loss.

Option 1: Extend the System C drive with unallocated space

1. Right-click on the System C: drive and select "Resize/Move."
2. Drag the system partition end into the unallocated space to add it to the C: drive, then click "OK."
3. Click "Execute Task" and "Apply" to execute the operations and extend the C drive.

Option 2. Extend System C drive without unallocated space This option refers to expanding the System C drive even if there is no unallocated space available. In this scenario, you would need to resize or move other partitions to create room for the C drive expansion. This can typically be done using disk management tools provided by the operating system or third-party software.

1. Right-click on a large partition with sufficient free space on the system disk and select "Allocate Space." 2. In the "Allocate Space From (*) To" section, select the system drive, and then drag the end of the System C drive into the unallocated space. Click "OK" to confirm. 3. Click "Execute Task." This will display the pending operations. Click "Apply" to save the changes and extend the C drive.

0:00-0:26 Extend the System Drive with Unallocated Space; 0:27-0:58 Extend the System Drive without Unallocated Space.

Fix 6: Upgrade to a larger SSD/HDD

If the disk itself has limited space, you can migrate Windows 10 to a larger SSD or HDD. You can follow the guide to migrate Windows 10 to SSD or watch the video below. (If the disk itself doesn't have enough space, you can move Windows 10 to a bigger solid state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD). Just refer to the guide on how to transfer Windows 10 to SSD, or check out the video below.)

Conclusion

That's all there is to it! The best fix is Fix 5, as it lets you increase the size of your drive without losing data. If you found any of these solutions helpful, do share them on Facebook. I'd also love to hear from you – have you managed to fix the problem of C drive showing full? Drop me a line to let me know.