How to Free Up Disk Space in Windows

Need to free up some disk space on your Windows PC? Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 provide a dedicated settings menu to make the process easier. From this menu, you can see how much space is being used on your device and by what type of content.

The Storage settings in Windows will also let you quickly clear space and enable Storage Sense to automatically remove temporary files and recycle bin items. The process works similarly in both versions of Windows, though some screen and settings differ slightly.

View Storage Settings

In Windows 10 or 11, go to Settings > System > Storage to view the total space you have available, what space has been used across different content and categories, and how much free space remains on your drive. Click the Show more categories link to see the storage used by additional types of content.

Configure Storage Sense

Storage Sense is a feature built into Windows that can help free up space automatically by removing files you no longer need, and is intended by Microsoft to be the easiest way to free up disk space.

Storage Sense in Windows 10

Windows 10 users will find the Storage Sense option at the top of the Storage settings screen. Turn on the switch for Storage Sense and then click the Configure Storage sense or run it now link right below it. Click the drop-down box under Run Storage Sense and choose among Every day, Every week, Every month, or During low free disk space.

If in doubt, we recommend setting Storage Sense to run only when there is a limited amount of free space available on the disk. You should also check the box next to Delete temporary files that my app aren’t using.

Click the drop-down box under Delete files in my recycle bin if they haven’t been opened for more than. If you don’t want recycle bin files to be removed, select Never. Otherwise, you can select one of the other choices, such as 1 day, 14, days, 30 days, or 60 days.

Do the same from the Delete files in my downloads folder if they haven’t been opened for more than drop-down menu. Click the Clean now button to then have Windows free up disk space right now.

Storage Sense in Windows 11

In Windows 11, the Storage Sense feature has been moved to the Storage Management section of the Storage settings page. You will find it below the graphs showing your current storage space. Turn on the switch next to Storage Sense, then click the entry to configure it.

Check the box next to Keep Windows running smoothly by automatically cleaning up temporary system and app files. Turn on the switch under Automatic User content cleanup to set the cleanup schedules. Click the drop-down menu under Run Storage Sense and select Every day, Every week, Every month, or During low free disk space.

Click the drop-down under Delete files in my recycle bin if they haven’t been opened for more than and select Never, 1 day, 14, days, 30 days, or 60 days. Do the same for Delete files in my downloads folder if they haven’t been opened for more than.

Depending on your version of Windows 11 and the cloud storage services you use, you may see options for iCloud Photos and OneDrive. If you do, open the drop-down box for each service to choose if and when content from them will be removed from your PC.

Choose Never to leave all files local whether or not you open them or choose one of the durations to set a specific number of days for the files to be removed. Note that any such cloud-based files removed from your PC will still reside online and be available for download when you need them.

If you wish to clean the drive immediately, click the Run Storage Sense now button. Allow at least a few minutes for the drive to be cleaned. After the process is finished, you will be told how much disk space was freed.

Review OneDrive Files 

If you prefer not to automate the process, Windows still gives you enough information to make decisions on your own. Since Windows separates your data into different categories at the Storage settings screen, you can easily see which types of files are chewing up your drive's storage and manually free up space.

For example, if you use OneDrive to store and sync files on your computer, click the OneDrive graph and then click View OneDrive. This will display all your OneDrive files and give you a chance to review everything and delete what you don't need.

Uninstall Apps 

You can manually uninstall programs you no longer want on your computer. In Windows 10, go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features and sort the list by name, size, or install date. Click the entry for an app you wish to delete.

In Windows 11, go to Settings > Apps > Install apps and sort the list by name, date installed, or size. Click the three-dot icon and then select the Uninstall command to remove it.

Manage Photos 

If you store photos and other images in the Pictures folder on your PC, click the Pictures graph on the Storage settings page. Select View Pictures to go to the default Pictures location where you can look for images to delete.

Remove Temporary Files

Another category you should check is Temporary files. Windows has a habit of hoarding temporary installation files, temporary internet files, and other items that you typically don't need. To view these, click Temporary Files at the Storage settings screen.

Windows suggests different types of files you can remove, including recycle bin files, Windows Update Cleanup files, upgrade log files, device driver packages, temporary internet files, and temporary files. Windows automatically adds a checkmark to any content types it believes you can safely remove without hindering your system. 

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Some content types are unchecked by default. The Recycle Bin option may be unchecked so you can restore deleted files you still need, while your Downloads folder is also unchecked based on the assumption you might still use files stored there.

Review the checked and unchecked categories to make any changes, and then click Remove files to wipe all the checked content.

Check External Storage

Windows lets you check the available space on any USB-connected storage device. Once connected in Windows 10, click View storage on other drives. Windows shows you both your main drive and the external drive. Select the external drive to view data usage by category and remove any files you don't need.

In Windows 11, you need to click the Advanced storage settings entry, then select Storage used on other drives. Click your external drive to review it and remove any files.

Change File Destination 

If your PC houses more than one disk drive, you can change where new content is saved. In Windows 10, click the Change where new content is saved link. In Windows 11, click Advanced storage settings and then select Change where new content is saved.

From here, you can change the location where files are saved for apps, documents, music, photos and videos, movies and TV shows, and offline maps. Just click the appropriate drop-down menu for an item, change the entry to a different drive, and click Apply.

You can choose another fixed drive or an external drive. A second fixed drive is the smoothest option since it's always available on your computer. If you choose a removable drive, you must remember to connect it when you want to access any files you store on it.

Cleanup Recommendations (Windows 11 Only)

Windows 11 also offers advice to help you free up disk space. Click Cleanup recommendations under the Storage Management section of the Storage settings page. You can click each of the categories to see recommendations for cleaning up temporary files, large or unused files, files synced to the cloud, and unused apps.

Check any of the items on the list that you want removed, click the Clean up button for that category to remove those files.