How to Free Up Windows laptop Disk Space

Insufficient disk space can slow down your laptop and cause software to malfunction. This problem arises when there isn’t enough storage available on your hard drive. Struggling with a full disk on your Windows laptop? Our easy-to-follow guide offers practical tips to free up disk space quickly and efficiently. Learn how to free up Windows laptop disk space, clear unnecessary files, manage storage, and optimize your system for better performance. Say goodbye to clutter and enjoy a faster, more responsive laptop with these simple steps!

Windows Built-In Application to Free Up Windows laptop Disk Space

Disk Cleanup Tool

Disk Cleanup is a built-in utility tool in the Windows operating system that helps you scan and free up disk space on your laptop or computer.

1. On your laptop keyboard, press the Windows and R keys together to open the Run window.
2. Type cleanmgr, then press ENTER.
3. Choose the disk drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.
4. Under the Description section below, select Clean up system files.
5. On the Disk Cleanup tab, check the boxes for the file types that you want to delete, and then click OK.
6. Finally, click Delete Files to delete all unnecessary files.

Uninstall Unnecessary Applications

The Programs and Features tool is a built-in feature in Windows that can be used to uninstall unwanted applications. Learn How to Uninstall Programs on Windows Laptop

To delete applications that are no longer required, follow the below steps:

1. On the laptop keyboard, press the Windows and R keys together to open the Run window.
2. Type appwiz.cpl, then press ENTER.
3. Select the program that you no longer require, and then click Uninstall.

Delete Large Files and Folders:

• In the Windows search bar, type File Explorer and navigate to folders and files that contain large files (e.g., Downloads, Documents, Desktop).
• Delete those files or folders that you no longer need, especially large ones.

Clear Temporary Files:

• Press Windows Key + R, type “temp,” and press Enter. This will open the Temp folder.
• Ctrl + Ato Select all files and folders, then press Shift + Delete to permanently delete them.
• Repeat the same steps with %temp% and prefetch (type these in the Run dialog and delete their contents).

Use Storage Sense (Windows 10 and later):

• Go to Settings > System > Storage.
• Turn on Storage Sense to have Windows automatically free up space by deleting temporary files and Recycle Bin items that have been there for longer than 30 days.

You might also be interested in reading this related topic: Hard drive failure: Symptoms, Causes and how to Fix

Move Files to External Storage to Free Up Windows Laptop Disk Space:

• If you have large files (e.g., videos, photos) that you don’t need daily access to, consider moving them to an external hard drive or cloud storage.

Cloud Storage to Free Up Windows laptop Disk Space

If you are using Google Drive, One Drive, Dropbox, or any other cloud storage software you prefer to use, create an account to store your files in the cloud.

Store files in Google Drive to Free Up Windows laptop Disk Space

• Open your Google Drive folder.
• Drag the files you want to backup. You may check the uploaded files at drive.google.com.

Store files in OneDrive

• On the system tray, right-click on the One Drive icon, and then select Settings.
• On the account tab, select Choose folders.
• Choose the folders that you want to store in OneDrive. Click OK once done.The folders you did not select will be removed from your hard drive but you can still access it from the OneDrive website.

Store files in Dropbox

• On the Dropbox folder on your computer, drag all the files you want to store in that folder.You may also store your files at the Dropbox website.

Clean Up Browser Data:

• Open your internet web browser (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Opera, etc.) and clear cached images and files, cookies, and browsing history. This can often free up a large amount of space.

Check for Large Applications or Games:

Some applications or games can take up a lot of space. Consider uninstalling those you don’t use frequently or moving them to an external drive. This will help you a lot to Free Up Windows laptop Disk Space.

By following these steps, you should be able to free up significant disk space on your Windows laptop and potentially improve its performance as well.

Watch the full videoon YouTube How to Free Up Your Laptop Space in 6 Steps