Hello, welcome to Mos Tech Tips. In this post, we’ll show you how to clean up disk space for your Windows computer. If your computer disk space becomes full, your system can perform slowly or you may constantly get annoying “low disk space” alerts. You don’t want to run into any issues caused by full disk space, right?
To keep your computer running smoothly, it’s advisable to regularly clean up disk space on Windows. But, how to do that? Read on then you’ll learn the specific methods to clean up disk space in Windows.
7 Methods to Clean Up Disk Space in Windows
Method 1: Use Disk Cleanup Tool
Method 2: Remove Unnecessary Programs
Method 3: Delete Temporary Files
Method 4: Delete System Restore Points
Method 5: Delete Large Old Files
Method 6: Clear Browser Cache and Downloads
Method 7: Use Third-Party Disk Cleanup Software
Method 1: Use Disk Cleanup Tool
Whenever you want to clean up the disk space, the first tool you should use is the Windows built-in tool, the Disk Cleanup tool, which helps you identify and delete various types of unnecessary files that are eating up your precious disk space.
Here’s how to run the Disk Cleanup tool:
1) Press the Windows logo key on your keyboard.
2) Type Disk Cleanup and then click on the result to run the tool.
3) Choose the drive you want to clean and hit OK. Usually, the C: drive is the drive that stores most files. So, you can start from the C: drive.
4) Wait until the tool finishes calculating how much space you can free up.
5) Select the files that you’d like to delete, like Temporary files and Thumbnails files.
6) Click OK and the tool will start cleaning up the disk space by deleting the unnecessary files.
Method 2: Remove Unnecessary Programs
There might be some programs you haven’t used for a long time or you don’t need any more. It’s time to remove these programs to free up some disk space. To do so:
1) Open Control Panel.
2) View by Category and Click on Uninstall a program.
3) Locate the program that you no longer use or need, and click Uninstall.
4) Repeat the step 3) until you uninstall all unnecessary programs.
Method 3: Delete Temporary Files
Windows stores temporary files in the C: drive. The size of temporary files become larger and larger during the time you use the computer. You can delete these files safely to regain some valuable space.
How to delete temporary files:
1) Press Windows logo key + R to invoke the Run box.
2) Type %temp% and press Enter. This will open the temporary files folder.
3) When the temporary file folder opens, press Ctrl+A to select all files and folders.
4) Press the Shift+Delete keys on your keyboard. This will delete the files permanently. Don’t worry doing this as deleting the temporary files won’t do any harm to your computer.
Method 4: Delete System Restore Points
System restore points allow you to restore your system to the previous status. They can be created automatically when you make changes to your computer, like installing Windows Updates and third-party software. They are helpful but also take up disk space.
So, to free up disk space, one of the methods is to delete system restore points. To do so:
1) Open Control Panel.
2) View by Large icons and Click on System.
3) Select System Protection.
3) In the System Properties window, under the “System Restore” section, click on Configure.
4) Click the Delete button to remove all the system restore points.
5) Select Continue to confirm the action.
Method 5: Delete Large Old Files
There might be some large old files that are eating up lots of disk space but you don’t notice that. Find out these files and delete them.
1) Identify large files. To do so, open File Explorer, select This PC and type size:>100MB in the search bar. Then Windows will show you files larger than 100MB.
2) Sort the files by date. This can help you locate those older files that you don’t need any more.
3) Delete the old files that you don’t need any more.
Method 6: Clear Browser Cache and Downloads
If you haven’t cleared up your web browser for a long time, it’s time to do it now, as it may store tons of cache and downloads.
To clear browser cache and downloads, you can follow the below steps.
For Google Chrome:
1) Launch Google Chrome.
2) Click on the three dots in the top-right corner, and click on Settings.
3) Click on Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data.
4) Select the types of data you want to remove and hit Clear Data.
For Mozilla Firefox:
1) Launch Mozilla Firefox.
2) Click on the three lines in the top-right corner.
3) Go to Options > Privacy & Security.
4) Scroll down to the “Cookies and Site Data” section and click Clear Data.
Method 7: Use Third-Party Disk Cleanup Software
If none of the above methods works, you can consider using the third-party disk cleanup software. There are many effective disk cleanup tools on the market. You just need to do some searches and find out the one that you like.
Remember to find the reputable cleanup tools. If you have no idea how to identify one, CCleaner can be your choice.
FAQs
Q1: Why is my system taking up so much disk space?
A: Over time, your computer accumulates various temporary files, updates, and data from applications. This can quickly eat up disk space, leading to slower performance. Regularly cleaning your system using the methods mentioned above can help free up space and keep things running smoothly.
Q2: Why is my C: drive so full?
A: The C: drive, where your operating system is usually installed, tends to fill up due to the accumulation of system files, temporary files, and program installations. By cleaning up unnecessary files, uninstalling unnecessary programs, and managing system restore points, you can free up space on your C: drive.
Q3: How do I manually clean disk space?
A: You can manually clean up disk space using methods like using the Disk Cleanup too, uninstalling unnecessary programs, deleting temporary files, managing system restore points, deleting large or old files, and clearing web browser cache and downloads.
Conclusion
Cleaning up disk space can give your system a performance boost. So, regularly clean up disk space for your Windows computer by following the steps mentioned above. If the manual ways don’t work, consider using the automated way, third-party disk cleanup software.
Thank you for reading and hopefully you find this post helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. Your feedback is also appreciated.