how to clean up solid state drive

The all-important "C" drive is, for about people, the cadre of the PC, where the operating arrangement is installed and all the crucial system files are kept. Inevitably, this is as well the drive that gets filled up most hands due to endless Windows updates, temporary files of applications, downloaded files that y'all forget about, and the fact that by default, everything saves to the "C" drive. Here we show you how to clean up your C drive in Windows, recover some space, and afterwards go information technology running again.

1. Delete Temporary Files

Manually removing temporary files in Windows gives the about firsthand results to clean up the C drive and regain infinite.

Below, we show you some tricks that clean out your various temporary files automatically, but those methods (like Storage Sense and Disk Clean-upwards) won't do a complete job of clearing out temporary files, and there's a good chance that the biggest, most difficult-bulldoze-hogging temporary files volition remain in your Temp folder for a bit longer. (The automatic methods will wait for files to reach a certain age – ane week, ordinarily – before deleting them.)

Note: make certain you're non running anything when deleting temporary files manually. If you delete temporary files related to an app you're currently running, it may crash, and yous may lose whatever you were working on at that moment.

To detect your primary temporary files folder, the default directory is "C:\Users\Your PC Username\AppData\Local\Temp." Alternatively, you lot tin can hit Win + R, so enter %temp%or search for "delete temporary files" from the Windows 10/11 search box or Windows 11 Start card search.

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

You can discover a summary business relationship of all these temporary files from "Storage" under "System."

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

2. Storage Sense

Windows has a handy feature chosen Storage Sense, which monitors the storage infinite on your PC, then jumps in and cleans things upwards if you're running low. It does basic things like clean up your Recycle Bin, remove onetime files in your Downloads folder, and delete temporary files on your PC.

While Windows 11 has Storage Sense directly nether "Storage Direction," this feature tin be accessed from "Turn on Storage Sense" in Organization Settings in Windows ten. Again, it's faster to discover either of these terms from the search card. On some systems, you may run across this option as "configure Storage Sense or run it now."

Click "Configure Storage Sense or run it now," so in the new window, click the slider nether Storage Sense so that it's "On." You can then use the drop-down menu below to choose whether y'all desire it to run when you're low on space, daily, weekly or monthly.

In Storage Sense, yous'll also run across that yous can automatically delete files that have been in the Recycle Bin for a certain amount of time. This applies to your Downloads folder as well (which, from my experience, is definitely a identify where unused files tend to outstay their welcome).

There's as well an pick called "free up space at present" which takes just a few minutes to erase many of these unnecessary files. This allows yous to immediate recover several gigabytes of storage space.

3. Scan for Large Files on Your Hard Bulldoze

Using Windows Explorer, you tin can scan for files based on size throughout your entire hard bulldoze. The amount of times I've found hefty redundant files sitting around for years is unbelievable.

To do this search, open up a Windows Explorer window, select your "C" drive, then click the "Search (C:)" search box at the top correct of the window.

C Drive Cleanup Scan For Large Files Hard Drive

Type "size:" to become a bunch of autofill options showing varying sizes of files to filter for. You tin use one of these presets or, if you lot want to get more than specific near the size of file you lot're looking for, type "size:>1gb" to await for files over 1GB in size and so on.

Y'all tin delete files direct from the results or right-click, then select "Sort by -> Size" to lodge them past size and quickly run into which ones demand deleting.

Just past testing this, I've discovered an old Android 7.1 VM that I really don't need anymore. Just don't delete anything that looks of import. (For example, stuff from the "C:Windows folder" or game files that tend to be quite large.)

4. Uninstall Windows Shovelware and Infinite-Hungry Apps

In the "Apps & Features" window (yous'll find information technology past right-clicking the Commencement button), you tin sort the list by "Size" to see which applications are the near HDD-hungry. You may be surprised past the results and may wish to remove apps as appropriate. Think well-nigh whether you actually need all those infinite-hungry apps and delete as advisable.

Another thing that may surprise you is that you're the proud possessor of games like Bubble Witch 3 Saga and Minecraft, which you never wanted in the outset place! Just uninstalling them from the "Apps & Features" listing won't suffice, however, and you will demand to remove them using the Powershell. To do this, read our guide on how to uninstall pre-installed Windows apps.

five. Clean Upwards Disk Space

You're probably aware of Windows'south congenital-in Disk Clean-Up utility but have not been using it. This is the first identify to look to gratuitous up some space.

To start using it, launch Windows Explorer, right-click on the C drive and select "Properties" from the list.

C Drive Cleanup Right Click Properties Select

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

Once you have selected all the checkboxes you want, click on "OK" to gratuitous upward the disk space occupied by the higher up files. How much infinite y'all gratis up depends on how badly yous've neglected your "C" drive. You can also make clean up the system files to go dorsum additional lost space.

C Drive Cleanup Disk Cleanup System Files

six. Disable Hibernation in Windows ten/eleven

Hibernation is a handy characteristic yous can use in Windows to easily turn off your reckoner while saving the current state then that you can resume your piece of work when yous ability information technology on. That said, information technology tin take a huge amount of deejay space, every bit it reserves the amount of space on your hard drive equal to how much content is saved in your RAM. (And then potentially, the more RAM you take, the more deejay infinite it uses.)

To disable hibernation in Windows 10, do a search for "Power and Sleep Settings" and go to "Additional Power Settings." It can also be accessed from "Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound." With Windows 11, you can directly navigate to the option from "System -> Power & Bombardment."

Click on the "choose what the ability buttons do" link in the pane on the left. This activeness will take y'all to the system settings window.

Click "Change settings that are currently unavailable." This action volition enable all the disabled options.

C Drive Cleanup Change Settings Currently Unavailable

Gyre down and uncheck the "Hide" checkbox to disable hibernation. If information technology'south already unchecked, yous don't need to practice anything else.

7. Delete Browser Enshroud and Cookies

Temporary Internet files like the browser cache and cookies take upward a little scrap of your C drive space, then clearing those temporary files will grant you additional free infinite.

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

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

In Microsoft Edge, become to "Settings -> Clear browsing information -> Choose what to articulate," and brand sure to select the "Cached data" and "Cookies" options.

8. Remove Old Windows Update Files, Previous Installations

Windows has a trend to concord onto onetime (and more often than not redundant) system files. For the most part, yous tin can delete these files, particularly if you installed your current version of Windows over a previous version. To exercise this:

i. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the C bulldoze and select "Backdrop."

2. Click "Disk CleanUp," and then in the new window, click "Clean upwardly organisation files" to open the avant-garde disk cleanup window.

iii. Select the "Windows upgrade log files" checkbox and, if you lot accept annihilation in that location, the "Previous Windows installation(s)" checkbox.

Unbeknownst to me, my laptop still had plenty of infinite related to Windows Update Cleanup and Windows upgrade log files, using up about iii.5GB of hard drive space.

Cleaning upwardly the unnecessary files consumes a few minutes but is worth the extra space gained on C bulldoze.

There are other checkboxes here, but for the most part, they don't use upwards a ton of space and tin be left lone. When you lot're set up, click "OK" to clean up your hard drive.

ix. Reduce the Size of the WinSxS Folder

The WinSxS binder is located in the C drive of your PC at the Windows folder location – for example, "C:\Windows\WinSxS." It stores the necessary files to recover your system. You tin easily reduce the size of this binder, but this comes with the beneath alert.

Alert: do not delete any files directly from the WinSxS folder or the folder itself. This would greatly damage your organisation and brand it impossible to restart or recover.

i. It's very important to tread cautiously and handle these files directly from Job Scheduler.

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

three. Wait a few minutes for the functioning to finish.

10. Brand OneDrive and File Explorer Files Online Only

OneDrive and FileExplorer files can be made online-just. This would greatly relieve the amount of space yous apply on C bulldoze. If you take reliable, fast Cyberspace, y'all should benefit from this amazing infinite-saving tip.

For OneDrive, select the OneDrive app from a Start menu search in Windows 11 and searchbox of Windows 10. Sign in using your Microsoft business relationship used in the local PC. Go to the OneDrive folder by clicking "Next."

Right-click on whatever OneDrive subfolder, and if they take upwards a lot of space, make them "online just" instead of putting them on the device to always be available.

The same methods above can be repeated for any files or folders in the File Explorer window. By making them online just, you can access them whenever you want. Of class, if you have some of import data you always need access to, y'all will desire to make it available on your device.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are the methods to clean upwardly the C drive similar for Windows x and Windows xi?

Aye, the methods to make clean up the C bulldoze 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 upwards the C bulldoze are applicable for both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

ii. Should I use disk cleanup software for the C drive?

You should e'er opt for born Windows methods to clean up the deejay space, including your C drive. Nosotros have 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 aforementioned things as the native tools: they can place temporary files, pending update files, files in the Recycle bin, and so forth.

Withal, if they accidentally delete any important files, such as WinSxS binder files, that can cause you lot a lot of trouble. It can prevent you from rolling back updates or troubleshooting Windows problems on your own. By and large, I would not recommend using whatsoever third-political party software to clean up your Windows drive. Information technology does more than harm than good. Avoid tools such as CCleaner and Wondershare RecoverIt.

three. Why is my C Drive automatically filling up?

With regular use, the C drive will keep filling upward. Each file and binder y'all create (on any drive) has an bear on on the available infinite in the C drive. Did y'all end a System Restore? It will definitely classify a sure amount of space in the C drive.

If y'all haven't updated your figurer in a long while, it can become vulnerable to bloatware, and it tin exist difficult to delete files. Of grade, we frequently forget to delete temporary files, unnecessary programs, and space intensive applications. These all play a office in making the C drive fill upwardly automatically.

We take seen some of the best ways to make clean up the Windows C drive. It'due south adept to get through this routine every now and then, but it's advisable to make sure it doesn't fill up in the first place. Read on to learn some native ways to clean the Windows registry. If you want to proceed streamlining your Windows setup, see how to install Chromium on Windows. We also take a guide on how you tin can view network adapter details in Windows.

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Sayak Boral

Sayak Boral is a engineering author with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise Information technology, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a broad range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Cyberspace, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.