How to free up Disk C
Getting a message that your PC is running out of room can be a stressful event—or, even a genuine emergency if you're in the middle of an important project. The good news is you can probably free up a lot of space on your PC running Windows by following the tips here. But if you keep getting messages about low drive space, you might want to consider other options, including adding additional removable storage. Show To get the most out of these tips, do them in order from top to bottom.
Tips:
Notes:
Cleaning out your PC on a regular basis frees up drive space and helps it run better. One of the easiest ways to clean up files you no longer need is by using Disk Cleanup.
Uninstall desktop apps you don't need any more in Programs and Features. To uninstall or change a program
Note: If the program you want to uninstall isn't listed, it might not have been written for this version of Windows. To uninstall the program, check the information that came with the program. You can also uninstall Store apps you don't want anymore.
Note: This will only uninstall Store apps from your user account. If you have photos, music, videos, or other files that you want to keep but don't necessarily want on your PC, consider saving them to removable media, such as an external drive, USB drive, DVD, or cloud storage. You'll still be able to view those files as long as your PC is connected to the removable media or cloud storage, but they won't take up space on your PC.
Warning: Deleting files from the WinSxS folder or deleting the entire WinSxS folder might severely damage your system and make it impossible to restart or update your PC. The WinSxS folder is located in the Windows folder on your PC (for example, C:\Windows\WinSxS). It stores the Windows Component Store files, which are used to support functions needed to customize and update Windows. You can use the Task Scheduler to reduce the size of this folder.
Files that are available offline take up more space on your PC. OneDrive also needs 200 MB of free space on your PC to sync your files. To free up space, you can make some files or folders online-only. Notes:
The removable drive will need to be formatted with the NTFS file system. To check space availability Before you move your OneDrive files, you should make sure the removable drive has enough space to store your files. Follow these steps:
To move your OneDrive files First, you'll need to create a folder on the removable drive for your OneDrive files. After you create the folder, follow these steps to move your files: Warning: Moving your OneDrive files will cancel any pending uploads.
A longer-term strategy for expanding your PC's storage capacity is to add removable storage, including SD cards, USB flash drives, DVDs or CDs, or using cloud storage or network drives. Removable storage options:
Tip: If you're using Surface, you can add up to 64 GB of storage with a microSD card. On Surface RT, the microSD card reader is located under the kickstand on the right side. On Surface Pro, the card reader is located on the right edge, above the power connection.
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