Free up drive space in Windows 10

If your PC is running low on free space, you might not be able to install important Windows updates, and your PC’s performance may be affected. Here are some ways to free up space so you can keep your PC up to date and running smoothly. These suggestions are listed in order, so start with the first one, see if that helps, and then continue to the next one if it doesn’t.

To check the total disk space left on your Windows 10 device, select File Explorer from the taskbar, and then select This PC on the left. The available space on your drive will appear under Devices and drives.

Note: If you follow the steps below and continue to have trouble updating Windows because of low disk space, resetting or reinstalling Windows might help. For more info, see Reinstall Windows 10.

If you used Disk Cleanup to free up space on your device and then see a Low Disk Space error, it’s possible that your Temp folder is quickly filling up with application (.appx) files that are used by Microsoft Store. For more info, see Low Disk Space error due to a full Temp folder.

Storage Sense can automatically free up drive space for you by getting rid of items that you don’t need, like temporary files and items in your Recycle Bin. For more info, see Manage drive space with Storage Sense.

If your system doesn’t have Storage sense, you can use the Disk Cleanup tool to delete temporary files and system files from your device.

In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup, then select itfrom the results.

Select the check box next to the type of files you want to delete. (To view a description of each type of file, select the name.) By default, Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, and Thumbnails are selected. Be sure to clear those check boxes if you don’t want to delete those files.

To free up even more space, select Clean up system files, and then select the type of system files you want to delete. Disk Cleanup will take a few moments to calculate the amount of space that can be freed up.

Note: If it’s been fewer than 10 days since you upgraded to Windows 10, your previous version of Windows will be listed as a system file you can delete. If you need to free up drive space, you can delete it, but keep in mind that you’ll be deleting your Windows.old folder, which contains files that give you the option to go back to your previous version of Windows. If you delete your previous version of Windows, this can’t be undone. (You won’t be able to go back to your previous version of Windows.)

After you’ve selected the types of files you want to delete, select OK, and then select Delete files in the confirmation window to start the cleanup.

There’s also an option in Disk Cleanup to Compress your OS drive. Selecting this option compresses the drive on which Windows is installed, helping you gain extra space to install important updates. This action does not delete the contents of this drive, and you shouldn’t experience problems opening and saving files from the compressed drive.

After you install the update, you can manually decompress the OS drive at any time. To do this, select File Explorer from the taskbar, and in the left pane, select This PC. Right-click or tap and hold the OS drive (usually disk C), and then select Properties on the shortcut menu. Clear the Compress this drive to save disk space check box, and then select Apply > OK.

Windows 10 may indicate that it needs more space to get the latest Windows 10 feature update. You can use an external storage device to help you complete the update.

Note: You may need to use a micro-USB adapter if your device doesn’t have a standard USB port.

Personal files such as videos, music, photos, and documents can take up a lot of space on your device. To see which files are using the most space:

Select File Explorer from the taskbar and find the files you want to move.

Under This PC in the menu on the left, select a folder to see what files are saved in it. The Videos, Music, Pictures, and Downloads folders usually contain the largest files that you’ve saved to your device.

To see the size of the files in a folder, select View > Details. Right-click in the open space and then select Sort by > Size to show the largest files at the top of the list.

If there are files you no longer need on your device, you can either delete them or move them to an external storage device like a USB drive or an SD card.

Note: If you delete any files, remember to empty the Recycle Bin to completely remove them from your device and free up space.

To move photos, music, videos, or other files that you want to keep but don’t use very often, consider saving them to an external storage device like a USB drive or an SD card. You’ll still be able to use them when the drive is connected, but they won’t take up space on your PC.

Connect an external storage device like a USB drive or SD card to your PC.

Select File Explorer from the taskbar and go to the folder that contains the files you want to move.

Select the files, select the Home tab, and then select Move to > Choose location.

Select the external storage device you connected in the location list, and then select Move.

Saving new files to another drive will help prevent low space problems on that drive in the future, so you won’t have to move your files to another drive repeatedly. Instead of saving all your new files to the default drive, you can save some of them to a different drive that has more free space.

Under More storage settings, select Change where new content is saved.

For each content type, select a drive from the drop-down menu. If the drive you want to use isn’t listed there, make sure it’s connected to your PC.

Note: OneDrive Files On-Demand requires Windows 10 version 1709 or later and OneDrive client version 17.3.7064.1005 or later. To see which version of Windows you’re running, select Start > Settings > System > About . To see which version of the OneDrive client you have installed, see Which version of OneDrive am I using?
Open About settings

You can save space by turning on OneDrive Files On-Demand, which stores a smaller placeholder file on your hard drive instead of the full-size file that’s stored in your OneDrive account in the cloud. You’ll be able to get to your OneDrive files from your PC without having to use up hard-drive space downloading full-size versions of them all. See Learn about OneDrive Files On-Demand for more info.

Sometimes a virus or other malware can consume significant hard-drive space by corrupting your system files. If you suspect your PC is infected with malware, use an antivirus program like Windows Defender to run a virus scan and cleanup. If this doesn’t fix the problem, you might need to reset your PC.

If you’ve followed the instructions here but still need help freeing up space on your device, you can contact Microsoft support to chat with a support agent. This is also recommended if your attempts to free up drive space trigger particular error codes that you need help resolving.

The following questions concern low disk space and Windows Update specifically. Learn more about Windows Update.

When there isn’t enough free space available to install an update, a pop-up notification will prompt you that additional space is required to install the update.

When you select Fix issues, you’ll be informed about how much additional space is needed. You’ll also be notified that you can use an external storage device so that you don’t need to free up quite as much space on your system drive. Learn how to free up space to install Windows updates.

The total free disk space your device requires to complete an update varies. Typically, feature updates require 6 GB–11 GB or more of free space, while quality updates require 2 GB–3 GB or more. Learn about the difference between a feature update and a quality update.

You need disk space to download the update, download new versions of any optional features and languages that are currently installed, and to apply the update. Additional space is temporarily required to support removal of the update (typically for 10 days). This space can be reclaimed after the update is completed. To do this, Select Start > Settings > System > Storage > Free up space now.
Open Storage settings

The update is compressed to reduce download size.

Note: For devices with reserved storage, an update will first use the reserved storage space before using other disk space. For more info, see How reserved storage works in Windows 10.

The space required to complete a feature update depends on two factors: which update path is followed and the size of optional content and other updates that apply to your PC when the feature update is installed.

Note: For devices with reserved storage, an update will first use the reserved storage space before using other disk space. For more info, see How reserved storage works in Windows 10.

Windows follows three different feature update paths, depending on the amount of disk space currently available.

1. For PCs with plenty of free disk space

Windows automatically tries to complete more of the update process in the background while you use your PC. This significantly reduces the time your PC will be offline (or unusable) during the update, although it might temporarily use more disk space to complete the update. Learn more about our efforts to reduce offline time during updates (English only at this time).

2. For PCs with limited free space but still enough to complete the update automatically

Windows will automatically optimize for reducing the amount of free disk space required to install the update. This will result in a longer offline install time.

3. For PCs that don’t have enough space to automatically install the update

Windows will prompt you to free up disk space or use external storage to temporarily extend the storage on your PC. If you use an external storage device, Windows won’t need as much free space on the system drive as it temporarily uses your external storage.

Across each of these update paths, the total amount of free disk space required will vary, depending on the optional content installed and other updates that apply to your PC. For example:

Optional features. Many optional features available for Windows are pre-installed or acquired on demand by the system, or manually by you. You can see which ones are installed on your PC by going to Settings > Apps > Apps & features > Manage optional features.
Open Optional features settings
These features range in size from less than 1 MB to almost 2 GB for the Windows Mixed Reality portal. You can reduce the amount of space required to install a feature update on your PC by uninstalling optional features you aren’t using.

Languages installed. Windows is localized into many languages. Although many people only use one language at a time, some people switch between two or more languages. You can see which languages are installed on your PC by selecting Start > Settings > Time & Language > Language .
Open Language settings
During each update, all language resources and any associated typing, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and handwriting recognition resources must be updated. The content for each language can range from about 175 MB to more than 300 MB. You can reduce the amount of space required to install a feature update on your PC by uninstalling languages you aren’t using.

Driver updates. OEMs and other hardware partners sometimes publish new graphics, networking, audio, and other drivers in conjunction with the new OS update. The size of these drivers can vary significantly, depending on your PC and on which drivers have been updated.

OS quality updates. During a feature update, Windows tries to download and automatically install the latest quality update so that your PC is fully up to date when you start using it. Shortly after the feature update is released, the quality update for that feature update could be as small as a few hundred MB, but as more quality and security changes are implemented, the quality update can increase in size to 1 GB or more.If your PC is short on disk space, you can download and install the quality update after the feature update is complete.

Finally, Windows Update will temporarily disable hiberfile.sys, pagefile.sys, and other system files in order to use the space these files typically consume to apply the feature update. Any files that are disabled to apply the update will be automatically re-enabled when the update is complete. Because these files vary in size depending on how you use your PC and the amount of RAM your PC has, even in cases where two different PCs have the exact same OS image, the amount of free disk space required to complete an update may vary.

The combination of update path and features means there’s a wide range of free disk space required to complete an update. Here are a few examples for PCs updating to Windows version 1803:

Optimized for reduced offline time

Optimized for minimal disk space

Optimized for minimal disk space with external storage

Minimal optional features, languages, and updates

12 best ways to free up hard drive space on Windows 10

Source: Windows Central

Windows 10 includes several options to free up space when the hard drive on your device fills up. Although drives with multiple terabytes are common on laptops and desktop computers, it does not take a long time to stuff them up with documents, pictures, videos, apps, and games. And then, without warning, you will start noticing slow performance, problems saving files and many other issues.

If your device is running low on space, Windows 10 offers several tools (such as Storage Sense, OneDrive File On-demand, Compact OS, NTFS compression, and many others) to delete junk and temporary files, apps, and games to optimize the device storage. Using these tools will help you reclaim additional space, but it will improve the overall performance and problems during updates.

In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the best tips to free up storage space on your device to make room to store more files and install feature updates without issues.

1. Free up space emptying Recycle Bin on Windows 10

On Windows 10, when deleting files, the system does not erase them from the hard drive. Instead, they are placed inside the Recycle Bin in case you need them back. However, depending on how the feature is configured, over time, the Recycle Bin can take a lot of space, which means that emptying the bin is one of the first actions you should take to regain valuable storage space.

To empty the Recycle Bin to free up space on Windows 10, use these steps:

Open Start.

Search for Recycle Bin and click the top result to open the app.

Quick tip: If the app does not appear in the result, you can open File Explorer (Windows key + E), and then type Recycle Bin and press Enter in the address bar.

Click the Empty Recycle Bin button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Yes button.

Once you complete the steps, the system will free up around ten percent of the drive capacity (assuming the Recycle Bin is at capacity).

2. Free up space deleting junk files using Storage Sense on Windows 10

On Windows 10, Storage Sense is a feature that allows you to quickly delete junk files (including previous installation files after an upgrade and temporary files) to free up space on the primary and secondary drives to make room to store other files and improve drive efficiency.

Enable Storage Sense

Although you can use Storage Sense manually, you can also enable the feature to run maintenance automatically to prevent running out of space quickly.

To set up Storage Sense to run automatically, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click on Storage.

Under the «Storage» section, click the Configure Storage Sense or run it now option.

Source: Windows Central

Use the «Run Storage Sense» drop-down menu and select the best option for your situation:

• Every day.
• Every week.
• Every month.
• During low free disk space (recommended).

Source: Windows Central

Once you complete the steps, Storage Sense will run automatically at the schedule you specified.

The option to enable the feature is also available on the Storage page, but using this option only activates the default settings. Using the Storage Sense settings page allows you to configure how the feature should remove unnecessary content.

Delete unnecessary files using Storage Sense

To free up space using Storage Sense, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click on Storage.

Under the «Storage» section, click the Configure Storage Sense or run it now option.

Source: Windows Central

Use the Downloads drop-down menu to specify how to clean up files you downloaded from the internet.

Quick tip: If you need to delete the most files, use the 1 day option. The Downloads folder may contain valuable files you may have downloaded from the internet, which means that it is recommended to backup those files manually before running Storage Sense.

Under the «Locally available cloud content» section, use the drop-down menu to specify how long OneDrive content synced to the device becomes online-only.

Source: Windows Central

Quick note: This option is part of OneDrive Files On-Demand that allows you to access your documents, pictures, videos, and other files using File Explorer, without the need to sync them to reduce the space usage on your device. When your computer is low on space, you can use it to make files only available in the cloud. You will still see your files, but their content will only download when you need them.

Under the «Free up space now» section, check the Delete previous versions of Windows option (if applicable).

Source: Windows Central

Quick note: If this option is available, you may be able to free up close to 20GB of space.

Click the Clean now button.

Storage Sense will run and delete unnecessary files from the computer to reclaim more space after you complete the steps.

Delete temporary files with Storage Sense

Storage Sense also allows you to delete temporary system and apps files to reclaim several gigabytes of space.

To delete temporary files with the Settings app, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click on Storage.

Under the «Local Disk (C:)» section, click the Temporary files item. (If the item is not available, click the Show more categories option.)

Source: Windows Central

Check all the items you want to remove to optimize the space. For example:

• Downloads.
• Windows Update Cleanup.
• Recycle Bin.
• Delivery Optimization Files.
• Thumbnails.
• Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
• Temporary Internet Files.
• Temporary files.
• Windows error reports and feedback diagnostics.
• DirectX Shader Cache.
• Previous Windows installation(s).
• Temporary Windows installation files.

Quick tip: The available items may vary in your installation. If you want to select the Downloads item, before clearing these files, make sure to understand that this option will erase everything in the «Downloads» folder.

Click the Remove files button.

Source: Windows Central

After you complete the steps, the files you selected will be deleted permanently, freeing up space for more important files.

View storage usage on Windows 10

While you are probably aware that your device is running low on space, Storage Sense can also help you understand which contents are using the most space to know the files you want to clean up.

To view the storage usage on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click on Storage.

Under the «Local Disk C:» section, click the Show more categories option.

Source: Windows Central

See how the storage is being utilized.

Source: Windows Central

Select each category to see even more details and actions you can take to free up space on Windows 10.

Once you complete the steps, you will better understand the storage usage and the areas of focus to free up space.

For instance, by clicking the System & reserved category, you will see how much space the installation is using, and how much space virtual memory, hibernation files, system restore, and the amount of space the system is reserving for updates.

3. Free up space deleting temp files using Disk Cleanup on Windows 10

If Storage Sense is not for you, it is still possible to free up space using the legacy Disk Cleanup tool.

Remove temporary files with Disk Cleanup

To delete temporary files using Disk Cleanup, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Disk Cleanup and select the top result to open the feature.
3. Use the «Drives» drop-down menu and select the (C:) drive (if applicable).
4. Click the OK button.

Click the Cleanup system files button.

Source: Windows Central

Check all the contents you want to clear. For example:

• Windows Update Cleanup.
• Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
• Downloaded Program Files.
• Temporary Internet Files.
• Windows error reports and feedback diagnostics.
• DirectX Shader Cache.
• Delivery Optimization Files.
• Device driver packages.
• Language Resource Files.
• Previous Windows installation(s).
• Recycle Bin.
• Temporary files.
• Thumbnails.

Click the OK button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Delete Files button.

Once you complete the steps, those unnecessary files will be removed from the computer to freeing up hard drive space.

Delete System Restore and Shadow Copies using Disk Cleanup

If you use System Restore and the Shadow Copies feature, you can also delete older files to reclaim additional space.

To delete old system restore points on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Disk Cleanup and select the top result to open the feature.
3. Use the «Drives» drop-down menu and select the (C:) drive (if applicable).
4. Click the OK button.

Click the Cleanup system files button.

Source: Windows Central

Under the «System Restore and Shadow Copies» section, click the Clean up button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Delete button.

After you complete the steps, you will reclaim some additional space to store more important files.

4. Free up space using OneDrive files on-demand on Windows 10

If you need to free up space immediately (and every megabyte counts), you can use the OneDrive files on-demand feature to make files available online only manually.

Enable OneDrive Files On-Demand

On Windows 10, the Files On-Demand feature should be already enabled in OneDrive, but if it is not, use these steps:

1. Click the OneDrive icon in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar.
2. Click the Help & Settings option.

Click the Settings option.

Source: Windows Central

Under the «File On-Demand» section, check the Save space and download files as you use them option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, you can move files to the OneDrive folder and make them available only online to free up space (see steps below).

Convert local files available only-online

To make files available online-only, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Select the OneDrive folder from the left pane.

Select the files and folders taking up space.

Quick tip: You can select all files using the Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut; selecting the first file, holding down the Shift key and selecting the last files, or holding down the Ctrl key and selecting each file individually.

Right-click the selection and choose the Free up space option.

Source: Windows Central

In addition to making synced files available only with an internet connection, you can free up even more space by moving other files to the OneDrive folder and use the above steps to make them available on-demand.

After you complete the steps, you will be able to access all of your content using File Explorer, but you will only be able to open them with an internet connection.

The free version of OneDrive only allows you to store up to 5GB of data. However, you can always get a Microsoft 365 subscription to lift the limit to 1TB. In addition to the 1TB of storage, the subscription also gives you access to all the Office apps and services like Microsoft Teams and Family Safety.

Get subscribed

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) gives you full access to all the apps and perks, such as 1TB OneDrive storage and Skype minutes. You can also install Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other apps on up to five devices, and depending on the subscription, you can share the account with up to six people.