How to free up disk space on a PC? This is a question that many computer users will ask themselves at one point in time.
With a large number of programs, games and media installed, the user will inevitably find themselves with low disk space on their PC. A PC running low on disk space will result in slow performance and the inability to install new programs or OS upgrades.
In this article, we will look at some of the best ways to free up disk space on your computer.
How To Free Up Disk Space On PC
The good news is that there are a number of ways to free up space on your PC. Some of these methods are easy to implement, while others may require a little more effort. Here are some of the most effective ways to free up disk space on your PC.
Remove unwanted software
The first thing that you should do if you want to free up disk space on your PC is to remove any desktop apps and Windows Store apps that you don’t use.
Simply launch the Control Panel, select Uninstall a program, and go through the list of programs that you have installed on your PC. You can then remove any programs that you don’t use.
To remove Windows Store apps, open Settings, select Apps, and Uninstall the apps that you no longer use.
Get rid of gigantic files
The next thing that you should do is to get rid of any big files that you don’t need. Certainly, you will want to remove the files that you don’t use.
The best way to do this is to use the advanced search feature in Windows. Open Windows Explorer and type "size: gigantic" into the search box. It will present you with files of size greater than 4GB. You can then select the ones that you don’t need and delete them.
Keep all your precious photos and documents in the cloud
Cloud services like OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox are great ways to keep your important documents and photos safe and secure. Not only does it free up space on your PC, but also provides you with the ability to access your data from anywhere, anytime.
In Windows, you can free up space by simply using the "Free up space" function in the OneDrive app. To do that, just click on the Onedrive icon in the system tray, select Open folder, and right-click on an empty space in the folder to choose Free up space.
Clean up the recycle bin
Another thing that you should do if you want to free up disk space on your PC is to clean up the Recycle Bin. As you may know, the files or documents in Recycle Bin occupy space.
In order to fully reclaim the space, you should empty the Recycle Bin. To do this, just right-click on the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop and select Empty Recycle Bin.
- Read More: How Often Should You Clean Your PC?
Utilize the Disk Cleanup tool
Windows has a built-in tool called Disk Cleanup that can help you to free up disk space on your PC. It will delete unnecessary operating system files and other temporary files.
To use this tool, you need to open the Windows Explorer, right-click on the Windows drive (C Drive) and select Properties. Then click on Disk Cleanup and select Clean up system files. From the list, check Windows Update Cleanup and hit OK.
Add more storage
The last and longer-term solution for expanding your PC's storage capacity is to add more storage. For example, you can use an external hard drive, an SD card, or a USB flash drive.
External hard drives are the most popular way to expand your PC's storage capacity. If you don’t want to invest in an external hard drive, you can buy a USB flash drive or an SD card.
- Check Price: Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive at Amazon
What Is Taking Up All My Storage?
In Windows, you can check what is taking up all your disk space by navigating to Settings > Apps. You will be presented with the list of apps installed on your PC and the amount of space they are using. you can then sort the apps by their size to see which ones are taking up the most space.
Compared to Mac, this isn’t as straightforward. Moreover, it doesn't offer a detailed breakdown of storage categories like Apps, Movies, Photos, Audio, and System with the amount of space they’re using.