Free up Disk Space on Windows Server 2016 | 5 Ways

• Applies To: Applies to Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, and earlier, for freeing up C drive space.
• Duration: 5 - 10 minutes.
• Related Topics: Clean Up C Drive in Windows 11, C drive full, etc.

Sometimes, you might receive a warning that your C drive is full when there's not enough space on the drive. To resolve this issue, you have two options:

• 1. Free up disk space on Windows Server C drive.
• 2. Extend system partition on Windows Server computer. (Guide: How to extend system partition in Server 2003)

If you don't have effective tools to free up disk space and resolve the C drive full issue on your server computer, no worries. Here, we will discuss and help you with the second option – how to free up disk space to extend the C drive on Windows Server 2016/2019/2022, etc.

5 Best Ways to Free Up Disk Space on Your Windows Server (UTF-8)

Here are five methods to help you effectively clean up and free up space on your Windows Server computer's C drive.

• #1. Clean up system junk files and large, unnecessary files on the C drive
• #2. Move programs from the C drive to another drive
• #3. Uninstall programs
• #4. Disk Cleanup
• #5. Disable hibernation

#1. Cleaning Up System Junk and Large Unnecessary Files from the C Drive

When cleaning your C drive, you might think of deleting large, unnecessary files. However, doing this manually can be complicated. It's a good idea to turn to a dedicated disk-cleaning solution to efficiently locate and get rid of junk and large, unused files on your system drive.

A tool called Todo PCTrans Technician comes with a system cleanup feature that can help all levels of Windows Server users clean up junk files from the C drive easily and effectively.

System cleanup:

The System Clean-up tool in Todo PCTrans scans your system partition automatically and deletes all unnecessary junk files in one go from the server operating system drive.

Step 1: Launch Todo PCTrans on your computer, click “System Cleanup”, and then hit the “Scan” button.

Step 2: Once the scan is complete, a list of junk files will be displayed. Choose the ones you don't need. Be careful not to delete anything that might affect your computer or software's performance.

Click “Clean up” and confirm the cleanup. You can use this regularly to free up disk space.

Cleaning up large files:

The Large File Cleaner feature allows Windows Server users to view all existing large files and optionally delete unnecessary large files, such as temporary files. Users can also utilize the "Move Large Files" function to relocate large files or folders to other disks, freeing up space on the server computer.

< strong > Step 1. Launch Todo PCTrans on your computer and click Big File Cleaner > Start to proceed. (It supports < strong > moving or deleting large files to free up more disk space. You can also try < strong > moving default folders to another drive.)

Step 2: Select the hard drive you want to scan.

Step 3: Once the scan is complete, it will list all files larger than 20 MB. Select the ones you don't need. Be careful not to delete anything that might affect your computer or software from running properly. After the scan, you can also view the recommended large files for deletion in the "Large File Cleaner."

Step 4. Click “Delete” to confirm the deletion. You can use this tool periodically to free up space by deleting large, unneeded files. If you have more space on another drive, select “Move” instead to relocate the large file.

#2. Move the program to another drive from the C drive

In addition to system junk files, large programs and games that you install can take up a lot of space on your system C drive.

To make the most out of your C drive storage space, you can move installed programs and software from it to other drives on your Windows server computer. The tool Todo PCTrans, with its application migration feature, is what you need for this purpose.

Here's a guide on how to move programs, apps, and even games to a non-system drive without any boot issues:

Step 1: Run the Todo PCTrans tool on your computer

Go to "App Migration" and tap "Start" to proceed.

Select the application migration transfer mode:

Step 2. Choose the programs to move from the C drive to another disk

1. Select the C drive and check the programs you want to move (labeled as "Yes").

2. Click the triangle icon and select another disk on your computer as the target location, then click “Transfer” to start the process.

Select the programs you want to transfer

Step 3: Complete the transfer

Wait patiently for the transfer to complete, then click “OK.”

When done, if necessary, you can restart your PC, which preserves all changes on the computer and lets you run the program from another drive without having to reinstall.

If you successfully free up disk space by using Todo PCtrans to clean system junk files, remove unnecessary large files, and transfer programs from the C drive to other disks, please feel free to share this method to help more friends online:

#3. Uninstall Program

Another effective method you can try is to uninstall and remove some large unnecessary programs from the C drive of your Windows Server system.

Step 1: Click the Windows icon, then select "Settings."

Step 2: Click on Apps & Features.

Step 3: Scroll down and look for apps you don't use often. Right-click on an app and select “Uninstall.”

Uninstall apps that take up too much space

#4. Using Disk Cleanup on Windows Server

In addition to cleaning junk files, large files, and uninstalling programs, you can run the “Disk Cleanup” feature to clear out and delete temporary files and your Recycle Bin, among other things.

Here's how to run Disk Cleanup:

Step 1: Press Windows + E to open File Explorer, right-click on the C drive, and select “Properties.”

Step 2: Click "Disk Cleanup" in the pop-up window.

You can also launch the Disk Cleanup tool using the following method (courtesy of Microsoft): Run Cleanmgr.exe from the Run dialog, or choose Start > Windows Administrative Tools > Disk Cleanup.

Step 3: Have Disk Cleanup scan for removable files.

4. Select the items on your C drive that you want to clean, such as downloaded program files, temporary Internet files, and the Recycle Bin.

Step 3: Click “OK” to confirm the operation and free up C drive space on your Windows Server system.

#5. Disable Sleep Mode

Disabling hibernation on Windows Server will remove the hiberfil.sys file from the system drive, which can save a significant amount of space on the C: drive.

Step 1: Press the Windows + S keys, and then type cmd in the search box.

Step 2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 3: Type powercfg.exe /hibernate off, and then press Enter.

Step 4. When the process is complete, type exit to close the Command Prompt window.

Conclusion

On this page, we've gathered 5 best and most effective ways to free up C drive space on your Windows Server system.

With these tools, you can efficiently get rid of unnecessary files, uninstall unwanted programs, and even large, hidden files on the C drive. Some of these utilities can also be used to clean up non-system drives on Windows server computers. With the right solution, cleaning system drives can become an easy and streamlined process.

For an all-around Windows Server disk cleanup solution, Todo PCTrans is what you need. With its System Cleanup, Large File Cleaner, and App Migration features, it can address the issue of a full C drive on your Windows Server 2016, 2019, or later versions.

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