How to Free Up Disk Space on Windows 10/11 [Step-by-Step Guide]

If your computer doesn't have enough room for new apps or games, or if you're annoyed by clutter on your hard drive, you're not alone. This article will show you ten ways to free up disk space in Windows 10/11. Let's get started!

What is taking up space on my hard drive?

As you use your computer regularly, you might notice that your hard drive space is dwindling and wonder, "What's taking up all my disk space?" It can be challenging to determine what's consuming your storage just by looking at installed apps and files saved in File Explorer. Fortunately, Windows can help you with that and let you check the total disk space on Windows 11.

Go to Settings > System > Storage, and you'll see a list of all your drives. Select one, and you can see what's taking up space.

Check disk space

Also, you can click on each item to view the disk space taken up by the app/game in more detail. But after knowing about the available space, how to free up disk space on Windows 10/11? You can learn a lot from the next part.

By the way, we've prepared some links for you that you might also find interesting:

10 Ways to Free Up Disk Space in Windows 10/11

With the introduction of SSDs (Solid State Drives), which have less storage space than traditional mechanical hard drives, and with games and applications requiring more and more disk space, it's easy for your drive to fill up. This article will provide ten ways to help you out. Let's take a look:

Method 1: Extend Partition

Method 2: Use Storage Sense to Delete Unnecessary Files

Method 3: Uninstall Apps You No Longer Need

Method 4: Transfer Large Files

Method 5: Empty the Recycling Bin

Method 6: Run Disk Cleanup

Method 7: Disable Sleep Mode

Method 8: Enable Compact OS

Method 9: Enable OneDrive Files on Demand

Method 10: Reduce the Size of the WinSxS Folder

We'll walk you through each of these ten ways to free up disk space.

Method 1: Extend Partition with Partition Master

Therefore, you may need to get familiar with a professional Windows disk management tool – AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. It has a clear interface and is easy to use. AOMEI Partition Assistant can help you extend partition to get more space more efficiently and effectively than releasing space in other ways. Now, download it and follow the steps below to get more space for your hard drive.

Step 1: Locate the target partition

Launch the partition manager and find the target partition, then choose “Resize/Move”.

Select the partition to extend

Step 2: Extend the target partition

Drag the partition panel right or left to add unallocated space into the current partition, and then click “OK” to confirm.

Additional option: Get space from another disk

If there isn't enough unallocated space, right-click a large partition with enough room and select “Allocate Space.”

In the Allocate to column, select the partition you want to extend.

Step 3: Perform the operation - Extend the logical drive

Drag the partition you want to move into the “Unallocated” space, and then click OK.

Click the Run Task button, and then click Apply to save all your changes.

Aside from that, Partition Master has many other features for managing your hard drive, such as:

• Migrate OS to SSD/HDD
• Extend SSD C Drive across Disks
• Format and Reformat Hard Drive
• Migrate, merge, resize partitions, and create new partitions
• Move Space from D Drive to C Drive to expand C drive

There you go! It's a great helper, isn't it? So, download it now to give you a hand.

Method 2: Delete Unnecessary Files with Storage Sense

Storage Sense was first introduced in Windows 10 as a way to clean up temporary files and your Recycle Bin. If you turn on Storage Sense in Settings, Windows can free up disk space by automatically deleting files you don't need.

If Storage Sense is still turned off, you can get it working.

Step 1: Click the “Start” menu, select “Settings” > “System” > “Storage.” Turn on “Storage Sense,” and then click “Change how we free up space automatically.”

Step 2: Check the types of temporary files you want to delete. Click "Clean Now" to free up disk space right away.

Method 3: Uninstall Apps You No Longer Need

If you have programs installed that you no longer need, you can uninstall them to free up hard drive space.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows Start menu and select "Apps & features."

Step 2: Then select the program you no longer need and click "Uninstall."

Step 3: Repeat this process to remove any other apps you don't need.

Method 4: Transfer Large Files

You can also transfer large files from one drive to another to free up space. There's a great professional PC transfer software called Todo PCTrans that can help you efficiently move large files and programs to another hard drive. Let's learn how to use it to assist you.

Step 1: Run Todo PCTrans on your computer. Select “Large File Cleaner” and click the “Start” button to proceed.

Step 2. Select the disk that you want to scan and click “Scan”.

Step 3: After the scan is complete, all files larger than 20 MB will be listed. Select the files you want to move and the target drive. (You can click the triangle icon to choose the destination, or click "Browse" to select the location.)

Step 4: Click the “Move” button, then select the file in the pop-up window. Click “Move” again.

Method 5: Empty the Recycling Bin

We mentioned emptying the Recycle Bin in Method 2, but Storage Sense only clears files from the Recycle Bin that are 30 days old. To completely empty the Recycle Bin, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click the "Recycle Bin" icon on your desktop.

Step 2. Select all the files in the Trash, right-click on them, and choose “Delete.”

Method 6: Run Disk Cleanup

Windows comes with several useful tools that can help you free up space on your computer's hard drive. Disk Cleanup is one of them. It allows you to delete temporary files, among other things, that can add up to several gigabytes of space over time. Try using it by following the steps below.

Step 1: Click on “This PC.” Right-click the target hard drive and select “Disk Cleanup.”

Step 2: Select the content you want to remove, then click “OK.”

Run “Disk Cleanup”

In addition to this built-in Windows utility, you can check out the following page for more free disk cleanup options.

English to Chinese translation refers to the process of converting English text into Chinese. This can range from simple word or phrase translations to entire articles or books. The aim of such translation is to ensure accurate and fluent conveyance of information between different languages. When translating from English to Chinese, factors such as cultural differences, context, and the multiple meanings of words need to be taken into consideration to provide the most appropriate translation.

Top 5 Best Free Disk Cleaner Software

This article lists 5 free disk cleaner tools to help you with low disk space issues. Read on and make your pick. Learn More >>

Method 7: Disable Hibernate

Hibernate allows your computer to shut down while keeping its state, so you can turn it back on without having to boot up. If you have Hibernate enabled in Windows, it'll take up a few gigabytes of space on your C: drive as well, so follow this guide to disable it.

Just open the CMD and run the following command:

Disable Hibernate

Method 8: Enable Compact OS

The “Compact OS” feature can shrink the space that apps take up in Windows, thereby freeing up disk space. This can be very useful for cleaning up a Windows drive. But before you use it, make sure to back up any important data on the target drive.

Step 1: Search for "Command Prompt," and then choose the "Run as administrator" option.

Step 2. Type the following command, and then press Enter: Compact.exe /CompactOS:always

Wait patiently for about twenty minutes.

Method 9: Turn on OneDrive Files On-Demand

By turning on "OneDrive Files On-Demand," you can free up disk space. With this feature enabled, you can access your OneDrive files from your PC without downloading them all, saving you loads of disk space. Let's get started.

1. Click the OneDrive icon to open it, then log into your account.

Step 2. Right-click the OneDrive icon and select Settings.

Step 3: In the Settings tab, make sure the option to “Save space and download files only when you need them” is checked.

Step 4. In your OneDrive, select all the files and folders, right-click, and choose “Free up space.” This will save all your files in the cloud, freeing up room on your Windows hard drive.

Method 10: Shrink the WinSxS Folder

If your C: drive is always full, you might have a large WinSxS folder. Check its properties and you'll see that it's taking up a lot of disk space. Free up some space with this guide.

Step 1: Click "Control Panel"

Step 2: Click on "System and Security."

Step 3: Under " Administrative Tools," select "Task Scheduler."

In the left pane, click Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Servicing.

Step 5: Right-click on StartComponentCleanup and select Run.

Right-click on "StartComponentCleanup"

You may also like:

Conclusions

In this article, we showed you ten ways to free up disk space. Choose the easy ones if you want. Well, if you have other questions about freeing up disk space, please read on.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Freeing Up Hard Disk Space

This article lists three issues related to freeing up space on your Windows hard drive, read on if you need help with any of these.

**1. Why is my C drive full?**

Most of the time, unnecessary junk files, large files, huge installers, and temporary files take up a large portion of your System C drive after prolonged use of the computer.

< strong > 2. What can I delete from C:

You can delete a lot of files, including Recycle Bin files, upgrade logs, driver packages, Windows Update cleanup files, temporary Internet files, and other temporary files.

3. How do I find out what is taking up space on my disk?

You can check along this path:

Go to “Settings” > “System” > “Storage,” and you'll see a list of all drives. You can select one to see what's taking up space.