How To Cleanup C Drive Windows 10

The all-important "C" drive is, for most people, the core of the PC, where the operating system is installed and all the crucial system files are kept. Inevitably, this is also the drive that gets filled up most easily due to countless Windows updates, temporary files of applications, downloaded files that y'all forget most, and the fact that by default, everything saves to the "C" drive. Here we prove you how to clean up your C drive in Windows, recover some infinite, and subsequently get it running again.

1. Delete Temporary Files

Manually removing temporary files in Windows gives the most immediate results to clean up the C drive and regain space.

Beneath, we prove you some tricks that clean out your various temporary files automatically, just those methods (like Storage Sense and Disk Make clean-upwardly) won't do a consummate task of immigration out temporary files, and there's a adept chance that the biggest, most hard-drive-hogging temporary files will remain in your Temp folder for a bit longer. (The automated methods will wait for files to reach a sure historic period – ane week, commonly – before deleting them.)

Annotation: make sure you're not running annihilation when deleting temporary files manually. If you delete temporary files related to an app you're currently running, it may crash, and y'all may lose whatever you were working on at that moment.

To discover your principal temporary files folder, the default directory is "C:\Users\Your PC Username\AppData\Local\Temp." Alternatively, you can striking Win + R, and so enter %temp%or search for "delete temporary files" from the Windows 10/xi search box or Windows xi First menu search.

To encounter how much infinite the Temp folder is taking up, select everything in it using Ctrl + A, and then correct-click whatsoever file and click Properties. If yous're okay with moving forward, make sure everything is selected using Ctrl + A, right-click, then click "Delete."

You can find a summary account of all these temporary files from "Storage" under "System."

To remove these temporary files, go one level deeper and erase what you lot don't need. These files include downloads, Windows Update Cleanup, diagnostic data, viewer database files, thumbnails, Recycle Bin data, and more.

ii. Storage Sense

Windows has a handy characteristic called Storage Sense, which monitors the storage space on your PC, and so jumps in and cleans things upward if you lot're running depression. It does basic things similar clean up your Recycle Bin, remove old files in your Downloads binder, and delete temporary files on your PC.

While Windows 11 has Storage Sense direct under "Storage Management," this feature can be accessed from "Plow on Storage Sense" in System Settings in Windows 10. Over again, it'southward faster to find either of these terms from the search menu. On some systems, you may see this pick as "configure Storage Sense or run it now."

Click "Configure Storage Sense or run it now," and so in the new window, click the slider under Storage Sense and so that it'south "On." You lot tin can then use the drib-down card beneath to choose whether yous want it to run when you're low on infinite, daily, weekly or monthly.

In Storage Sense, you'll also see that you tin automatically delete files that have been in the Recycle Bin for a certain corporeality of time. This applies to your Downloads binder too (which, from my feel, is definitely a identify where unused files tend to outstay their welcome).

There's also an option called "gratis upwards infinite at present" which takes just a few minutes to erase many of these unnecessary files. This allows you to immediate recover several gigabytes of storage space.

iii. Scan for Large Files on Your Hard Bulldoze

Using Windows Explorer, y'all can scan for files based on size throughout your unabridged hard bulldoze. The amount of times I've institute hefty redundant files sitting around for years is unbelievable.

To do this search, open a Windows Explorer window, select your "C" bulldoze, and so click the "Search (C:)" search box at the top right of the window.

Type "size:" to go a bunch of autofill options showing varying sizes of files to filter for. You tin can utilize one of these presets or, if you want to get more specific almost the size of file you're looking for, type "size:>1gb" to look for files over 1GB in size and then on.

Y'all can delete files straight from the results or right-click, then select "Sort by -> Size" to order them past size and quickly meet which ones need deleting.

Just by testing this, I've discovered an old Android 7.1 VM that I really don't demand anymore. But don't delete anything that looks important. (For case, stuff from the "C:Windows binder" or game files that tend to be quite large.)

4. Uninstall Windows Shovelware and Space-Hungry Apps

In the "Apps & Features" window (you'll find it by right-clicking the First push), you can sort the list by "Size" to encounter which applications are the most HDD-hungry. You may be surprised by the results and may wish to remove apps as advisable. Think virtually whether you really demand all those space-hungry apps and delete as appropriate.

Another thing that may surprise you is that you're the proud owner of games similar Bubble Witch 3 Saga and Minecraft, which you never wanted in the showtime place! Simply uninstalling them from the "Apps & Features" list won't suffice, notwithstanding, and y'all volition demand to remove them using the Powershell. To practise this, read our guide on how to uninstall pre-installed Windows apps.

5. Clean Up Deejay Space

Y'all're probably enlightened of Windows'due south built-in Disk Make clean-Up utility merely have non been using it. This is the offset identify to await to free upwardly some space.

To start using information technology, launch Windows Explorer, right-click on the C bulldoze and select "Backdrop" from the list.

Once the Properties window is open, click "Disk Cleanup" to open the utility. Here, in the "files to delete" box, select all the checkboxes like System memory error dump files, Recycle Bin, set up log files, etc.

Once you lot have selected all the checkboxes you want, click on "OK" to free up the disk space occupied by the above files. How much infinite you gratuitous upwards depends on how badly you've neglected your "C" drive. Y'all can also clean up the arrangement files to go dorsum additional lost space.

6. Disable Hibernation in Windows x/11

Hibernation is a handy feature you tin can utilize in Windows to hands turn off your computer while saving the current country so that you lot can resume your work when yous power information technology on. That said, information technology can accept a huge amount of disk space, as it reserves the amount of space on your hard drive equal to how much content is saved in your RAM. (So potentially, the more than RAM you have, the more than disk infinite it uses.)

To disable hibernation in Windows ten, do a search for "Power and Slumber Settings" and go to "Additional Power Settings." Information technology tin also be accessed from "Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound." With Windows xi, you can straight navigate to the selection from "Organisation -> Power & Battery."

Click on the "choose what the power buttons practice" link in the pane on the left. This action will take you lot to the system settings window.

Click "Alter settings that are currently unavailable." This action will enable all the disabled options.

Scroll downwardly and uncheck the "Hibernate" checkbox to disable hibernation. If it's already unchecked, you lot don't need to practise anything else.

7. Delete Browser Cache and Cookies

Temporary Internet files like the browser cache and cookies take up a little fleck of your C drive space, so immigration those temporary files will grant you additional free infinite.

In Chrome, become to "Settings -> Advanced -> Privacy and security," then "Clear browsing data."

In Firefox, go to "Options -> Privacy & Security," then nether "History," select "Clear your contempo history."

In Microsoft Edge, go to "Settings -> Clear browsing data -> Cull what to articulate," and make sure to select the "Cached data" and "Cookies" options.

8. Remove Old Windows Update Files, Previous Installations

Windows has a tendency to hold onto old (and mostly redundant) system files. For the well-nigh part, you can delete these files, particularly if you installed your electric current version of Windows over a previous version. To practice this:

1. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the C drive and select "Backdrop."

2. Click "Deejay CleanUp," then in the new window, click "Make clean up system files" to open the advanced disk cleanup window.

3. Select the "Windows upgrade log files" checkbox and, if y'all have anything there, the "Previous Windows installation(s)" checkbox.

Unbeknownst to me, my laptop all the same had plenty of space related to Windows Update Cleanup and Windows upgrade log files, using upwardly nearly three.5GB of difficult drive space.

Cleaning upward the unnecessary files consumes a few minutes just is worth the actress space gained on C drive.

There are other checkboxes here, but for the most office, they don't use upwards a ton of space and can be left alone. When you're ready, click "OK" to clean up your hard bulldoze.

9. Reduce the Size of the WinSxS Folder

The WinSxS folder is located in the C drive of your PC at the Windows folder location – for case, "C:\Windows\WinSxS." It stores the necessary files to recover your organization. Y'all can hands reduce the size of this folder, but this comes with the below warning.

Warning: do non delete whatever files direct from the WinSxS folder or the folder itself. This would greatly harm your organization and brand it impossible to restart or recover.

1. Information technology's very important to tread charily and handle these files directly from Task Scheduler.

2. Once it opens, search for "Task Scheduler Library -> Microsoft -> Windows -> Servicing -> StartComponentCleanup" and correct-click to select "run."

3. Look a few minutes for the functioning to finish.

10. Brand OneDrive and File Explorer Files Online Only

OneDrive and FileExplorer files tin can exist made online-only. This would greatly save the amount of space you use on C drive. If you lot take reliable, fast Internet, y'all should do good from this astonishing space-saving tip.

For OneDrive, select the OneDrive app from a Beginning menu search in Windows eleven and searchbox of Windows x. Sign in using your Microsoft business relationship used in the local PC. Go to the OneDrive folder by clicking "Next."

Right-click on whatsoever OneDrive subfolder, and if they take upwardly a lot of infinite, make them "online only" instead of putting them on the device to ever be available.

The same methods above can exist repeated for any files or folders in the File Explorer window. Past making them online only, you can access them whenever y'all want. Of course, if yous have some important data yous always need admission to, you will want to make it available on your device.

Frequently Asked Questions

one. Are the methods to clean up the C drive similar for Windows 10 and Windows 11?

Yes, the methods to clean up the C drive are very similar for Windows 10 and Windows eleven. There may be minor variations in the placement of some menu options, but the methods to clean up the C drive are applicative for both Windows 10 and Windows eleven.

ii. Should I use deejay cleanup software for the C bulldoze?

You should ever opt for built-in Windows methods to clean up the disk space, including your C drive. We take extensively covered many of these native techniques in this tutorial.

Periodic Microsoft Windows updates are the surest means to verify the integrity of your system. Third-political party software does many of the same things equally the native tools: they can identify temporary files, pending update files, files in the Recycle bin, and and then forth.

However, if they accidentally delete any important files, such as WinSxS folder files, that can cause you lot a lot of trouble. It can preclude y'all from rolling back updates or troubleshooting Windows issues on your own. By and big, I would non recommend using whatsoever third-party software to make clean up your Windows drive. It does more harm than skillful. Avoid tools such as CCleaner and Wondershare RecoverIt.

3. Why is my C Drive automatically filling upwardly?

With regular use, the C drive volition keep filling upwardly. Each file and binder you create (on any drive) has an impact on the available infinite in the C drive. Did you lot finish a Arrangement Restore? Information technology volition definitely allocate a certain amount of space in the C drive.

If you lot haven't updated your computer in a long while, it can become vulnerable to bloatware, and it can exist hard to delete files. Of course, we often forget to delete temporary files, unnecessary programs, and infinite intensive applications. These all play a role in making the C drive fill upward automatically.

We accept seen some of the best ways to clean up the Windows C drive. It's good to go through this routine every now and and so, but information technology's advisable to brand certain it doesn't make full in the first identify. Read on to larn some native ways to clean the Windows registry. If yous want to keep streamlining your Windows setup, see how to install Chromium on Windows. We besides have a guide on how y'all can view network adapter details in Windows.

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