How to free up disk space in Windows 10

Windows 10 has built-in tools to manage and free up disk space on your computer. Below are the steps to free up disk space in Windows 10 using these tools.

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Free up disk space on the computer

There comes a time in every computer’s life when it becomes necessary to free up disk space to improve its performance and prevent it from running out of disk space.

As mentioned above, Windows 10 offers built-in tools like Storage Sense and Disk Cleanup wizard that can help you free up hard drive space on your computer.

You can free up more storage space by removing unnecessary apps and bloatware that come preinstalled on most Windows computers by the manufacturer.

1. Empty the recycle bin

When you delete files and photos on your computer, the deleted items just go to the Recycle Bin, where they continue to take up space on your computer.

Therefore, the easiest way to instantly free up disk space on a computer is to manually empty the Recycle Bin.

Right click on the storage place and click empty trash option in the context menu. Click Yes in the confirmation pop-up to remove all accumulated items in the recycle bin.

2. Run Storage Sense

The Storage Sense feature in Windows 10 is designed to automatically remove unwanted files from your computer when it is running out of disk space.

You can also manually run the Storage Sense utility at any time to free up disk space on your computer.

1. Open settings > click system.

2. Choose storage in the left pane. In the right pane, click Configure or run Storage Sense now Possibility.

3. On the next screen, select the data types you want to remove and click on it Clean now Button.

This will free up disk space on your computer by removing temporary and other unwanted files that you have chosen to remove.

3. Use Disk Cleanup app

Disk Cleanup Wizard is a classic Windows storage management tool that is still available in Windows 10.

1. Type Disk Cleanup in the search bar > right click on Disk cleanup app and click Execute as administrator.

2. If prompted, enter yours Administrator password and wait for Windows to calculate the space that can be saved on your computer.

3. On the next screen, click OK to remove all suggested files.

4. Uninstall unused programs and apps

Follow the steps below to uninstall programs and apps that you no longer use.

1. Go to settings > applications > select Apps & Features in the left pane. In the right pane, click the app or program you want to uninstall and click on the Uninstall Button.

3. Click on the confirmation popup Uninstall confirm.

5. Uninstall the built-in Windows app

If you’re really struggling with running out of disk space, you might consider uninstalling built-in Windows programs like Maps, Groove Music, and others that you don’t use.

To uninstall built-in Windows apps and programs, see this article: How to uninstall Microsoft apps in Windows 10

6. Remove bloatware

In addition to the operating system and Microsoft programs, manufacturers tend to preload Windows computers with their own software programs, utilities, and trial versions of software programs.

All these programs can be categorized as bloatware because they are rarely used and yet they continue to exist on the computers and take up valuable disk space.

You can remove all bloatware on your computer by following the steps outlined in this guide: How to remove bloatware from a Windows 10 PC.

7. Delete system restore points

While creating regular system restore points is a good precaution against the possibility of data loss, these system restore points can still accumulate on your computer.

The easiest way to remove all system restore points on your computer except the most recent one is to use Disk Cleanup app.

1. Type Disk Cleanup in the search bar > right click on Disk cleanup app and click Execute as administrator.

2. On the next screen, select the More options Tab and click Clean up button in the System Restore & Shadow Copies section.