12 best tips to free up hard drive space on Windows 11
Here are the best ways to free up hard drive space for more important files and improve performance on Windows 11.
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OnWindows 11, when your computer is running low on storage, you have several ways to free up space for more important files and improve performance.
For example, you can quickly use Storage Sense to remove temporary files. OneDrive files on-demand to delete files already synced to the cloud. NTFS compression to shrink files to fit more content in the same physical space, and Compact OS to reduce the footprint of Windows 11 and apps. You can also uninstall apps and games you rarely use, move files to a different drive, and more.
Thisguidewill walk you through the most effective methods to free up space on your computer.
Free up space with Cleanup recommendations
On Windows 11, “Cleanup recommendations” is a new feature that automatically tells you the contents you might be able to remove to reclaim space on your laptop or desktop computer, including specific large and unused files, rarely used apps and games, and files already synced to OneDrive.
To free up space with Cleanup recommendations on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the content will be deleted from the system freeing up space for more important files.
Free up space with Storage Sense
Storage Sense is a feature that provides the tools to quickly delete many junk files, such as previous installation files, temporary files from apps, and more, from the device to reclaim storage space.
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To enable, configure, and use Storage Sense on Windows 11, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, if you click the run now button, Storage Sense will clear the files immediately. Otherwise, the system will clean up the files as space is needed.
Free up space deleting temporary files
As part of the storage tools available on Windows 11, you can also delete temporary files manually using the Storage settings.
To delete temporary files manually, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the files will delete permanently, freeing up space on the computer.
Free up space with Disk Cleanup
If you prefer the legacy experience, Windows 11 still includes the Disk Cleanup tool to delete temporary files and recovery points.
Delete temporary files
To clear up space on the hard drive with Disk Cleanup, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, those unnecessary files you selected will be removed from the device.
Delete System Restore and Shadow Copies
You can also delete older files to reclaim additional space using System Restore and the Shadow Copies feature.
To delete old system restore points on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you will reclaim some additional space to store more important files.
Free up space with OneDrive file on-demand
If you need to free up space quickly, you can use the OneDrive files on-demand feature to make files available online manually.
Enable OneDrive files on-demand
To enable files on-demand on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you can move files to the OneDrive folder and make them available only online to free up space.
Convert local files available online-only
To make files online only with OneDrive, use these steps:
If you need to free up additional space, move other files to the OneDrive folder and repeat 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, but you can upgrade to 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.
Microsoft 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.
Free up space removing unused apps and games
On Windows 11, you can reclaim a lot of storage by uninstalling apps you rarely use. Games can also use a lot of space, so keeping the list low or removing them will make space for more important files. Also, reducing space usage will help improve overall gaming performance.
To uninstall apps and games on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, repeat the same instructions to uninstall other apps and games.
If you use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), you may also have one or multiple distros installed on the device. You can always uninstall them to free up space on Windows 11.
Delete unused languages
If every byte counts, secondary languages can use some space, and removing them can free up additional storage.
To uninstall languages on Windows 11, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, you may need to repeat the instructions to delete additional languages.
Delete maps
You can also remove the offline maps to clear up some additional space.
To remove locally stored maps on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the offline maps will be removed to make more space available on the computer.
Uninstall optional features
Windows 11 has many optional features (for example, Windows Media Player, Windows Hello Face, Math Recognizer, Windows Fax and Scan, Step Recorder, WordPad, Windows PowerShell ISE, and others) you can remove to regain a little bit more space.
To remove Windows 11 optional features, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, you may need to repeat the instructions to remove additional features.
Free up space moving files to external storage
If you have tried everything and still don’t have enough space, you should connect an external storage device to transfer the files to free up space on the main drive. If the external storage remains attached to the computer, you can even configure Windows 11 to save files directly onto the secondary storage.
Move files to external storage
To offload files to a different location, connect an external drive with enough space and use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, repeat the instructions to move additional files and folders to a new location to reduce the storage usage in the location running out of space.
Configure another storage as new default location
To configure Windows 11 to save files and install new apps on an external drive automatically, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, files and apps from the Microsoft Store will be saved and installed in the new location.
Move apps and games to external storage
Like previous versions, Windows 11 also includes the option to move apps from the Microsoft Store and games to an external drive without reinstalling anything. You could use this feature to move apps and games to another drive to free up space on the primary storage.
To move existing games and apps to another driver on Windows 11, use these steps:
The external drive must always be connected to the device when using this feature. Otherwise, you won’t be able to launch the apps or play those games in the new storage.
After you complete the steps, repeat the above instructions to move additional apps or games to the new location.
Free up space with NTFS compression
Windows 11 also comes with a built-in lightweight feature part of the NT File System (NTFS) to compress data maintaining their normal access without the need to zip your files. This feature can compress files, folders, or the entire drive.
Using data compression can negatively impact system performance because it has to compress and decompress data on demand. You should use this option only if you do not have another option and are dealing with capable hardware.
Set up folder compression
To enable NTFS compression for a folder, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the compression feature will enable in the folder, reducing the size of existing and future files. Also, you can use the same instructions to compress files individually.
You can revert the changes using the same instructions, but instep 5, make sure to clear the"Compress contents to save disk space"option.
Set up storage compression
To enable NTFS compression on a drive, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the compression process will begin, but if the drive already has content, the process could take some time.
If you don’t need the feature anymore, you can revert the changes with the same instructions, but instep 4, clear the"Compress this drive to save disk space"option.
Free up space disabling Hibernation
On Windows, Hibernation has been around for a long time, and it’s a feature designed to save the data in memory onto the system drive before shutting down to preserve the current session the next time you turn on the computer.
Although it is a useful feature, it requires several gigabytes to save the memory contents into thehiberfil.sysfile. Disabling Hibernation can help free up storage quickly if you run out of space.
To disable Hibernation to free up space on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, Hibernation will turn off, and during the process, the system will remove the hiberfil.sys file freeing up several gigabytes of space.
In the future, you can always re-enable the feature on Windows 11 with the same instructions, but onstep No. 3, make sure to use thepowercfg /hibernate oncommand.
Free up space with Compact OS
Compact OS is a command-line tool that you can use to reduce the installation footprint of Windows 11 and apps. The tool was designed for devices with limited storage, but you can use it to reclaim some space when you need the storage immediately.
Warning:This is a friendly reminder that modifying system files is risky and can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you do not do it correctly. Before proceeding, making a temporaryfull backup of your PCis recommended.
To shrink the size of the Windows 11 installation, use these steps:
After completing the steps, the process will reclaim around 2GB of storage without affecting performance.
You can always revert the changes using the same instructions, but instep 3, use thecompact.exe /compactOS:nevercommand.
Free up space rebuilding Windows Search index
On Windows 11, the database that holds the index for Windows Search can grow large if there’s an issue or the device has a lot of files. If this is the case, resetting the database and changing how the feature operates can help to reduce space usage significantly.
To rebuild the Windows 11 search database, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the system will clear and rebuild the Windows Search feature’s index database.
The only caveat is that during the database rebuild, searches might be incomplete until files are indexed one more time.
Change Windows Search settings
You can prevent the database from growing large by specifying only specific locations.
To modify the indexable locations, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, Windows Search will update the database, excluding the locations you specified and reducing the database’s overall size.
Free up space deleting users and data on shared devices
If you share a computer with other people, you may be able to delete the accounts that are no longer needed to free up additional space.
To delete user accounts and data on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will delete the account and data for the user you selected, freeing up more space for other files. You may need to repeat the instructions to delete any other accounts.
Free up space removing viruses on Windows 11
Viruses and other type of malware can sometimes also cause high storage usage. In the case that the computer is likely to be infected and running low on storage, you can run the Microsoft Defender Antivirus to remove the virus, improve performance, and reclaim space.
To perform a full virus on Windows 11, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the antivirus will detect and remove the virus, freeing up space on Windows 11. (For more assistance, here’s everything you need to know toget started with Microsoft Defender Antivirus.)
More resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
