How To Free Up Disk Space On Windows PC: Incredible Hacks

 

We all face this problem. After a certain amount of usage, the hard drives on Windows PC gets all full, thus, leaving us no room for that important document or application that we want to install. The capacity of our hard drives has increased rapidly over time. But so have our ability to fill that up. Thus, after a certain time, the hard drive of Windows PC clutters up with all unimportant applications or temporary files. If the situation matches yours, no need to rush for a new drive. Here, in this article, we have mentioned ways by which you can free up the disk space of Windows PC by removing the clutter accumulated over time. So, go through this article and find out how to do so.

 

Free Up Disk Space On Windows PC

 

Freeing up disk space can mean a lot if you want to install that new application and have no space for doing that. But don’t worry. With the methods mentioned below, you can easily free up the disk and make the much-required space.

 
Here we go:

 

Method 1: Use Windows Disk Cleanup

 

Windows comes with this disk cleanup tool that is inbuilt and can free up a lot of junk on your PC, that includes temporary files, downloaded program files, and a lot more. Follow the steps mentioned below to run disk cleanup and free up disk space on Windows PC.

 

1. Click on the Start button and select Computer.
2. Right-click on the hard drive that you want to clean, preferably the drive on which the OS is installed, and select Properties.
3. Click on Disk Cleanup, which is under the General tab.

Windows will scan and display the amount of disk space you can revive by running it.
Select the files that you wish to delete, by checking the boxes beside them, and click OK.

 

CLEAN UP SYSTEM FILES

 

You can also use the option named Clean up system files. Using these function you can delete the old restore points, retaining only the recent ones. However, before running this tool, make sure the computer is running error-free, as once the restore points get deleted you won’t be able to use them. Follow these steps to clean up the system files:

 

1. In the Disk Cleanup window, click on Clean up system files.
2. Next, head to the More Options tab in the window that opens.
3. Under System Restore and Shadow Copies, click on Clean up.

Method 2: Uninstall Space-Hungry Programs

 

For many Windows users, a major part of their hard disk space is used by programs and applications that they probably no longer use. At the same time, these programs may take up a huge amount of disk space. To resolve the situation, you can try to uninstall the space-hungry programs, and thus free up a lot of disk space in the process.

 
Here’s how:

 

1. Go to Control Panel, view by large icons, and select Uninstall a program.
2. Next, sort the programs according to their size by clicking on the Size header.
3. Now, select the program you want to uninstall, and click on Uninstall.

Windows will now uninstall the selected program from the computer. If any pop-ups appear asking for permission, give the same by clicking on OK or Yes.

 

Method 3: Clean Temporary Files

 

Temporary files are those files that the system uses to store information temporarily. Though disk cleanup will clean these files up, it will do so only if you select those temporary files for deletion. In addition, you can also clean up the temporary files manually by following the steps mentioned below:

 

1. Press the Windows key + R together from the keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type %temp% in that box and click OK or hit Enter. This will open the temporary files folder.
3. Select everything in that folder and hit the Delete button from the keyboard.

You can also first move these temporary files into the Recycle Bin. This is to make sure that you have access to any important file that might get deleted by mistake. If an important file gets deleted mistakenly, you can always restore it from the Recycle Bin. Otherwise, you can delete the file permanently.

 

Method 4: Remove Trash

 
The methods mentioned above will make some files deleted permanently, while the others will end up in the Recycle Bin. The files or folders in the Recycle Bin still takes up space, which you can free by emptying the Recycle Bin and thus removing the files permanently from the system. Follow these steps to remove trash permanently from the system.

 

1. Right-click on the Recycle Bin icon and select the Empty Recycle Bin option.
2. Alternately you can open Recycle Bin by double-clicking on it and select ‘Empty the Recycle Bin’ from the top panel.

 

Method 5: Defragment The Hard Disk

 

While saving a new file on the computer, a specific part of the hard drive gets allotted to store that file. However, after repeated saving and deleting files and folders, the hard drive gets fragmented, meaning it will have gaps in between files which are left vacant. You can overcome this state by defragmenting the drive, a feature built in the Windows OS. Follow the steps mentioned below to defragment the hard disk:

 

1. Type ‘disk defragmenter’ in the search box of the Windows PC, and select Disk Defragmenter from the list.
2. Select the disk you want to defragment, and click Analyze Disk. The results will show what percentage of the disk is fragmented.
3. Next, click on ‘Defragment Disk’ to run the defragmenter.

 

Once the process completes, you’ll have more space available for storage.

 

These are the methods you can use to free up disk space on Windows PC. Hope, after going through the methods as discussed, and implementing them accordingly, you can free up the disk and make space on the hard drive. Be sure to leave us your valuable feedback in the comment section below.