10 Easy Ways to Free up Space on Windows 11 PC

You may need to free up space on your Windows 11 in several circumstances. Your system might run low on storage memory, impacting its overall performance or leading to crashes or system errors. You may also want to remove some files or folders you don’t need anymore. 

Freeing up space on the system may seem like child’s play. However, one wrong move can directly impact your system’s performance and put it at risk along with its data. Therefore, paying attention to the steps for unnecessary data removal and keeping your system free from errors and other issues is necessary. Here’s how to free up disk space on a PC. 

Easy Ways to Free up Storage Space on Windows 11

Below are 10 easy methods to clean disk space in a Windows computer. You can try any of the given methods carefully to declutter your system. 

#1 Erase personal files permanently 

Deleting unwanted or personal files using Del or Shift + Del is probably your first course of action when freeing up space on your Windows 11. You may select all the individual photos, videos, documents, etc., and press Shift + Del to delete them permanently. However, there is one thing you need to understand.

When you Del or Shift + Del your personal files, their file pointers are deleted, not the file data. Those files can still be recovered for malicious intent using specialized data recovery tools. This may lead to data breaches, identity theft, and other threats. 

Therefore, don’t just delete your data, but ERASE them. Use an advanced file erasure tool, such as Stellar File Eraser. This advanced software can permanently wipe all your sensitive personal files from your laptop or PC. It additionally erases all the internet activity, application, and system traces. It even erases all the deleted data beyond the scope of recovery. You can even schedule an erasure task for later. To do this, follow the given steps:

• Download, install, and run Stellar File Eraser on your system. 
• Select Erase Files & Folders, click the + icon, or drag & drop items to erase. 

• Click Add Items to add more files to wipe. 

• You can also use Search & Erase to locate and wipe the files. 

• After selecting all files, click Erase Now to erase beyond recovery permanently.

Once the files are erased, your disk space will increase and be ready to use again. 

#2 Delete Temporary Files 

Temporary files are automatically created while computer programs run to store data temporarily. However, over time, they accumulate and consume significant storage space in your system. Clean disk space by deleting temporary files with the following steps:

• Press Windows + R to access the Run dialog box. 
• Type %temp% and hit Enter or click OK.

• Select all the temporary files, right-click on them, and click Delete. 

• Then go to Recycle Bin and delete them all to empty it.

• Alternatively, you can directly select them all and press Shift + Del to delete temporary files permanently in one go. 

• Your temporary files will be deleted.

#3 Delete files with Disk Cleanup 

Disk Cleanup in Windows 11 is a built-in tool available since Windows 98. You can use it to manually select and delete the files you don’t need anymore. To run this tool, follow the given steps:

• Open File Explorer (Windows + E), and go to This PC > C: drive.
• Right-click on C: drive and open its Properties. 

• Next, under the General tab, click Disk Cleanup.

• Now, select the files and click OK to remove them. 

• You can also click Clean up system files, select the files you want to remove, and click OK. 

#4 Move files to the external drive 

Moving files to an external storage media drive lets you quickly clear disk space on a Windows 11 PC. It can be done using the following steps:

• Connect an external media drive to your system.
• Open File Explorer (Windows + E) and select the files or folders you want to move to the external drive.
• Right-click on them, select Cut, and then go to the external drive. There, right-click on the empty space and choose Paste. 
• Alternatively, you can Copy-Paste the files to the destination.
• Your file will be moved to the external drive, giving you more space in your system. 

#5 Use Storage Sense to manage drive space

If the Storage Sense (Windows native feature) is turned on with the default settings, it can automatically free up space on Windows when your system runs low on memory by deleting items you don’t need. For example, Storage Sense will delete items in your Recycle Bin or temp files. However, the items in OneDrive and the Downloads folder will remain untouched unless you set Storage Sense to delete them. To manage drive space with Storage Sense, follow the given steps:

• Press Windows + I to access Settings and then go to System.
• Next, go to the Storage option, which is given on the left pane.
• Next, toggle on the button given under Storage and click Configure Storage Sense. 

• Select the checkbox given under Cleanup of temporary files. 
• Turn on the Automatic User content cleanup.

• Configure the cleanup schedules.
• Finally, click Run Storage Sense now to clear the storage space instantly. 

• Storage Sense will clear the space by deleting the selected files and folders. 

#6 Disable Hibernation

You can turn off hibernation to free up space on Windows 11. When the Hibernation feature is enabled/turned on, your system creates a large file on the hard drive called hiberfil.sys. The amount of this file is equal to the RAM in your system. The file stores the contents of your RAM when the system goes into hibernation mode. You can delete this file and clear the disk space by turning off hibernation with the following steps:

• Go to Windows Search (Windows + S), type cmd, and then select Run as administrator when you see Command Prompt in the result. 

• In the elevated Command Prompt window, type powercfg.exe /hibernate off, and hit Enter. 

• Let the command run, and finally, close the window. 

#7 Use Cleanup Recommendations 

Like Storage Sense, you can use Cleanup Recommendations to free up disk space on your PC by deleting the temporary system files. To do so, follow the given steps:

• Open Settings (Windows + I), and follow System > Storage > Cleanup recommendations.
• Please review each category, such as large or unused files, Files synced to the cloud, Temporary files, and Unused apps. 
• Select the items you want to remove and select the Clean Up button for each section. 

#8 Uninstall non-essential programs/applications

Remove the non-essential or unwanted applications or programs from your system to free up disk space. Follow the given steps:

• Access Control Panel through Windows Search.
• Next, go to Programs > Uninstall a Program.
• Select the applications or programs you no longer use or wish to keep on your system.
• Click Uninstall, given at the top of the program list.
• Confirm your action and proceed with the app/program removal to clear disk space on the PC.

#9 Use OneDrive’s Files On-Demand Feature

Turning on the OneDrive Files On-Demand feature can also help you free up disk space on your PC. This feature stores a smaller placeholder file on your hard drive instead of a full-size one stored in your OneDrive account in the cloud.

It helps you access all the files in the Cloud without downloading them. This way, you can see your files as online-only files in File Explorer and access them. But it won’t consume your system storage space. To turn on OneDrive Files On-Demand and free up disk space, follow the given steps:

• Locate the OneDrive cloud icon in your notification area and select the OneDrive’s Help and Settings icon. 
• Open OneDrive settings (select the OneDrive cloud icon in your notification area, click Help & Settings > Settings.

• Go to the Sync & Backup tab. There, expand Advanced settings. 
• Next, under Files On-Demand, select the checkbox and click OK.
• Further, open File Explorer (Windows + E), go to OneDrive in the left pane, and select the required files and folders.
• Right-click on them and click Free up space. 

• Once done, you can access the chosen files through File Explorer, but they will remain on the Cloud, saving your disk space.

#10 Use NTFS Compression

Windows 11 also features New Technology File System (NTFS) Compression. This feature compresses data while giving regular access to it. It can even compress an entire drive. However, this feature can significantly impact the PC’s performance, so you should only try it if you have no other option. 

Here is how to enable NTFS compression for a folder on your Windows system to free up disk space:

• Press Windows + E to open File Explorer. Locate the folders you want to compress, right-click on them, and choose Properties. 
• Follow the Advanced tab > Advanced Attributes > Compress contents to save disk space.

• Click OK > Apply > Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files, and click OK.
• Depending on its size and the number of files, folders, and other elements, the feature may take time to compress data. 

And that’s how you can free up disk space on your PC! All the methods are helpful and easy to perform. However, if you intend to only remove some of your personal or confidential data from your system, ‘Deletion’ will not do the work. You must ERASE your confidential or sensitive information using an advanced file erasure tool, such as Stellar File Eraser. 

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About The Author

Ashutosh Kumar

Ashutosh is a Senior Content Writer at Stellar with over 8 years of experience in data recovery, IoT, and AI technologies domain. He is a tech enthusiast who enjoys researching and sharing DIY solutions to resolve complex technical issues. Apart from professional writing Ashutosh is a published poet and spends his weekends building small gadgets.