How to See What Is Taking Up Space on Computer

What is taking upward space on my difficult drive?

If you lot oasis't got space on your calculator for that new app or game, or the clutter on your hard drive is simply driving you crazy, you're not alone.

With the introduction of SSDs (solid-state drives) offering loads less space than traditional mechanical hard drives, in conjunction with games and applications requiring more and more deejay space, your hard bulldoze can easily go total.

In this article, we'll get through the tiptop viii ways to clean up your Windows hard bulldoze: finding out what is taking up so much infinite on your hard bulldoze, reducing the clutter and creating space for those all important new applications or files. So, without further ado, let's get started…

Using Mac instead? Find out how to clear deejay space on Mac >

Jump straight to:

New Update: Windows Storage Sense (Windows 10 only)

1. Windows Disk Cleanup
2. Uninstall Programs
3. Remove Indistinguishable Files
4. Temporary Files
5. Take out the Trash
6. Store data on External Storage or in the Deject
7. Defragment your Hard Drive
8. Sufficient RAM

New Update: Windows Storage Sense

Since the initial publication of this commodity, Microsoft have been decorated working on the effect of saving space on people's computers. The amalgamation of their hard-work comes in the form of "Storage Sense" - An all-in-1, intuitive characteristic which cleans a computer of unwanted files easier and more than efficiently than always before!

If you are using Windows ten, you can utilise this feature in identify of the "Windows Disk Cleanup" and "Take out the Trash" sections of this commodity. This is considering these steps are now covered by Storage Sense (Disk Cleanup and Recycle Bin are still available as well if you adopt to utilise those, or if you are running some other version of Windows like Windows 7). Let's see how to employ this new feature...

• Use Storage Sense on demand
• Set Storage Sense to run automatically

How to utilize Storage Sense on demand

If you don't need to make clean up your computer files very often, or if you desire control over exactly what files are deleted, I would recommend using Storage Sense on demand, rather than allowing information technology to run automatically. Here'southward how:

1. Click your Windows icon and open up "Settings".
2. Click "System".
3. Select "Storage" from the listing on the left.
4. Under "Storage Sense", click "Costless up space now".
   
5. Your computer will be scanned for temporary files which may want to delete.
6. Once the scan is complete, tick the files you want to delete.
7. Click "Remove Files" to permanently delete the files from your computer.

How to configure Storage Sense to run automatically

If you often need to clean up your reckoner for temporary files and like the sound of automating the procedure, I would recommend using Storage Sense to automatically and periodically clean upwardly your files. Here'southward how:

1. Click your Windows icon and open "Settings".
2. Click "System".
3. Select "Storage" from the list on the left.
4. Under "Storage Sense", click "Change how nosotros free upwardly infinite automatically".
   
5. Choose your preferences (fix when yous would like Storage Sense to run, what to delete, and how long).
6. Once y'all're happy with your selections, toggle Storage Sense on.
7. Click "Clean Now" if you lot desire to start your first scan now.

The tool is cracking, right? It's a massive improvement over the separate, difficult-to-discover features from earlier. However, it still does not deal with indistinguishable files, uninstalling unused programs and more... Bound to: finding and deleting duplicates now >

one. Windows Disk Cleanup

Windows comes with a handful of great tools to aid keep your computer's storage nice and tidy. The problem is, not everybody knows where to observe these functions, or what to expect for.

Disk Cleanup is the first of these tools. Information technology allows you to delete data such every bit temporary files, which can amount to GB's (gigabytes) of data over time.

To admission the Disk Cleanup function:

1. Go to your Computer window (Commencement -> Computer)
2. Correct-Click your hard-drive and select 'Backdrop'
3. Under the 'General' tab, click 'Disk Cleanup'
4. Windows volition scan your bulldoze and let you know how much space you lot can save past running Deejay Cleanup
5. Select the files that you lot wish to delete form the drive, and hit OK

Some other function to mention hither is 'Make clean up system files'. Using this function, y'all can remove older Windows restore points from your drive, leaving only the most recent 1. If you lot wish to apply this function, please ensure that your figurer is running as expected, equally one time the restore points are removed, you will not exist able to fall dorsum to them.

To use 'Make clean up system files':

1. Click Clean upwards system files
2. Go to the 'More Options tab' in the Deejay Cleanup window
3. Click 'Make clean upwardly…' under the 'System Restore and Shadow Copies' heading

2. Uninstall Programs

For many computer users, most of the disk space used is past applications and games. If y'all find that you no longer utilize certain programs, yous can uninstall and remove them from your hard drive.

Again, Windows provides the ability to easily get rid of whatsoever unwanted programs that we may have on our computer. To uninstall/remove programs, follow the steps below:

1. Start -> Control Console -> Uninstall a programme
2. Sort the list of programs past file size by clicking the 'Size header'. At present you tin meet which programs take up the most space on your computer.
3. Click any program that you wish to remove, and click 'Uninstall'

3. Remove Duplicate Files

It is likely that you've accumulated duplicate files over time, which are unnecessary for the running of your computer. Unfortunately, Windows does non provide an like shooting fish in a barrel way to find and remove these duplicate files, so a third political party software is needed.

At that place are a number of applications for the removal of duplicate files, only we'll look at Duplicate Sweeper hither. Duplicate Sweeper has a clear and piece of cake interface, and finds and removes duplicates easily.

Indistinguishable Sweeper uses an advanced search algorithm to scan your figurer for files with the same content - even if the files have different names. Indistinguishable Sweeper will identify duplicate documents, photos and music on your calculator, and remove them for you lot, freeing up lots of space for the files you really want.

You lot tin can let Duplicate Sweeper automatically select duplicate files for removal, using your preferences, or select private files yourself. The app will send your duplicate files to Recycle Bin or Trash, so if you change your heed yous can restore the deleted files to their original location.

Try Indistinguishable Sweeper free ▼

Receive an email with a link and then you can download the free trial on your computer:

Annotation: We respect your privacy. We won't share your Email address with anyone else, or send you spam.

For more than data well-nigh Duplicate Sweeper, or to download the free trial:

Indistinguishable Sweeper homepage

4. Temporary Files

"Wait, we merely removed temporary files using Windows Deejay Cleanup", I hear y'all say. Yes, we deleted temporary files containing webpages, stored on your hard drive for quick viewing. Unfortunately, the Disk Cleanup method did not include files saved by external apps such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. There may nonetheless be gigabytes worth of cookies, internet history and caches stored on your computer.

Yous tin delete this information direct from your browser, or by using a third-party application.

For instance, using Google Chrome, you can open up the settings menu (the 3 dots side by side to the address bar) -> More tools -> Clear Browsing data… From here you can select which data you lot wish to remove, then click 'Clear browsing data'.

5. Take out the Trash

Some of these files which we take removed using the to a higher place steps may end upwardly existence moved to the Recycle Bin. This is a nice safety measure, because if you make a error and accept removed a file which yous now desire back, you tin can easily restore the file from the Recycle Bin.

However, the files in the Recycle Bin are still taking up space on your computer. If yous're sure that y'all would like to remove the files in your Recycle Bin, you can select files and right-click to delete them, or simply click 'Empty the Recycle Bin' to permanently delete all of the files.

vi. Store information on External Storage or in the Cloud

All previous methods in this listing draw how to delete or remove files from your calculator which you may not need. However, what of the files which y'all wish to continue, such as precious photos, video and music? These media types can accumulate to some serious storage infinite, simply if you lot no longer accept space for them on your PC hard drive, yous still have options!

A common method for keeping data rubber is to transfer information technology to external storage. There are ii platforms for storing your data elsewhere from your master computer: physical storage and cloud storage.

Physical storage comes in many unlike shapes and sizes, but can almost commonly be seen as USB Drives or external hard drives. Transferring data from your PC hard bulldoze to an external hard drive allows you to delete the original files on your PC, while even so keeping them safe in storage. Needless to say, this tin clear a huge chunk of storage space on your PC.

Deject Storage allows you to shop your files on remote servers, and access them via the internet. At that place are many different cloud service providers: Apple iCloud and Microsoft OneDrive are but two examples. Most providers offer a sure amount of storage space costless, and so give the option to pay monthly for more storage infinite if y'all should need it.

Consider also that cloud storage is non allowed to duplicate files. Since many deject services charge for more than infinite, it is crucial to remove indistinguishable files to salvage valuable infinite and salve yourself money. Bank check out our guide on how to manage Google Bulldoze files and remove duplicates.

7. Defragment your Hard Bulldoze

When calculation a new file to your figurer, a particular portion of your hard drive is allocated to store the file. However, after constantly saving and deleting files, a deejay will become 'fragmented'. This means that there are gaps in your hard bulldoze where subsequent files would non fit, so they are left vacant.

Every bit well every bit affecting your usable free space on your hard drive, fragmentation also has a negative bear upon on your reckoner'southward ability to shop your information in sequence, hence slowing downward it's speed.

Luckily, Windows has united states covered, providing a 'Disk Defragmentation' tool. Using this tool, we tin analyze which of our drives would benefit from defragmentation, before we commit to defragging. This is very useful, every bit if you have a large drive total of data, it may take a substantial amount of time to defrag.

To brand apply of this tool, hit your Windows icon, or Start bill of fare, then showtime typing "Defragment". From the search listing, click Disk Defragmenter. Once you see the tool's window, you lot can elect each drive and analyze them to determine what percentage of them is fragmented. College percentages mean college fragmentation.

To defragment your disk, simply striking "Defragment Disk".

Note:

• It is not brash to defragment your hard drive besides often, every bit the constant writing and erasing of data can reduce the lifespan of your hard drive.
• It may also exist worth pointing out that there has been some debate as to whether defragmentation of SSDs (solid-state drives) is beneficial or detrimental to the drive. If you lot are unsure, you tin can read up on the discussion at PC World.

viii. Sufficient RAM

RAM (Random Access Memory) is the hardware in your computer which determines how you store data. RAM stores data or instructions which you use frequently, providing fast read or write processes to improve the full general speed of your estimator experience.

Sounds great, right? Right. However, if you lot don't accept sufficient RAM, your estimator volition outset to store the overflow of information which should exist stored in RAM, in your hard drive instead. Then, when your computer wants to read or write this data, it is a much slower process between hard drive-computer than RAM-estimator.

For these reasons, make sure that you take enough RAM for the processes that y'all generally do on your computer. It may exist worth pointing out that the average user, who'south agenda may be text editing and web browsing, will not require as much RAM every bit a user who often runs multiple programs at once including photo or video editing and rendering software.

Yous tin detect out how much RAM you currently have installed in your reckoner by going to Calculator > Properties.

Publisher: Wide Bending Software

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