How to Get More Disk Space on Windows 11: Tips for Freeing Up Storage

By / October 21, 2025

Running out of disk space on your Windows 11 PC can be incredibly frustrating — especially when you’re trying to install updates, download large files, or keep your computer running smoothly. The good news? You don’t necessarily need to buy a new hard drive or SSD right away.

In this detailed guide, you’ll learn how to get more disk space on Windows 11 using built-in tools, smart storage management techniques, and a few hidden tricks that most users overlook.

Let’s dive in. 🚀

Table of Contents

Why Freeing Up Disk Space Matters

Before jumping into the methods, let’s quickly understand why disk space is so important.

1. Faster Performance

When your drive is nearly full, Windows struggles to create temporary files or use virtual memory efficiently, leading to lag and slow boot times.

2. Smoother Updates

Windows 11 updates can require 10–20 GB of free space. Without enough storage, updates may fail or get stuck.

3. Prevent Crashes

Low disk space can cause system instability, freezing, or app crashes.

4. More Room for Files

Freeing up space ensures you have enough room for games, documents, media, and downloads.

So, let’s fix that cluttered drive and reclaim valuable space.

1. Check What’s Using Space on Your Drive

Before deleting anything, you should know where your storage is going.

Steps:

  1. Open Settings (Press Windows + I).

  2. Go to System → Storage.

  3. Wait a few seconds as Windows analyzes your drive.

  4. You’ll see a breakdown by category (Apps, Documents, Pictures, Temporary files, etc.).

Click any category to view details and decide what you can remove or move.

💡 Pro Tip: The Storage Sense section here will be useful later — keep it in mind!

2. Enable Storage Sense (Automatic Cleanup)

Storage Sense is Windows 11’s built-in feature that automatically deletes temporary and unnecessary files.

How to Enable Storage Sense:

  1. Open Settings → System → Storage.

  2. Click Storage Sense.

  3. Toggle it On.

  4. Under Configure cleanup schedules, choose how often to run it (every day, week, or month).

You can also set it to delete:

  • Recycle Bin files after 30 days.

  • Downloads older than 30 days.

  • Temporary files automatically.

✅ Result: Windows will regularly free up disk space without manual effort.

3. Use the Disk Cleanup Tool

The Disk Cleanup utility has been part of Windows for decades — and it’s still powerful.

Steps:

  1. Press Windows + S, type Disk Cleanup, and open it.

  2. Select your drive (usually C:).

  3. Let it scan your files.

  4. Check boxes for items like:

    • Temporary files

    • Recycle Bin

    • Windows Update Cleanup

    • Thumbnails

    • Delivery Optimization Files

  5. Click OK → Delete Files.

💡 Bonus: Click “Clean up system files” for a deeper clean (admin required).

This often frees 5–20 GB or more, depending on your last update cycle.

4. Uninstall Unused Apps and Games

Old apps and large games can take up gigabytes of valuable space.

Steps:

  1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.

  2. Sort by Size to find the biggest ones.

  3. Click the three dots next to an app → Uninstall.

💡 Tip: Check if any games or software can be moved to another drive instead of deleting them (some allow this).

5. Delete Temporary Files Manually

Even after using Disk Cleanup, temporary files may still remain.

Steps:

  1. Press Windows + R, type:

    %temp%

  2. Press Enter.

  3. Select all (Ctrl + A) → Delete.

Repeat the same for:

C:\Windows\Temp

✅ You can safely remove these files — they’re just leftover system caches.

6. Empty the Recycle Bin

You may think deleting files removes them immediately, but they actually sit in the Recycle Bin until emptied.

Steps:

  1. Right-click the Recycle Bin icon.

  2. Click Empty Recycle Bin.

  3. Confirm deletion.

💡 You can also set Storage Sense to automatically empty the bin periodically.

7. Move Files to Another Drive or Partition

If your main drive (C:) is full but you have another partition (like D:), move large files there.

Steps:

  1. Open File Explorer.

  2. Select large folders (Documents, Videos, Pictures).

  3. Right-click → Cut, then Paste into another drive.

You can also change default save locations:

Settings → System → Storage → Advanced storage settings → Where new content is saved.

Change default paths for documents, apps, music, etc.

8. Offload Files to OneDrive or Cloud Storage

Windows 11 integrates tightly with OneDrive, making it easy to free up local space.

Steps:

  1. Open OneDrive settings from the system tray.

  2. Enable Files On-Demand.

  3. Move large folders (Photos, Videos, Documents) to your OneDrive folder.

They’ll stay in the cloud and only download when you open them — freeing space instantly.

💡 Alternative options: Google Drive, Dropbox, or Mega.

9. Delete Old Windows Installation Files

If you’ve upgraded from Windows 10 to 11 or installed major updates, Windows keeps your old system files as a backup.

Steps:

  1. Open Disk Cleanup → Clean up system files.

  2. Check Previous Windows installation(s).

  3. Click OK → Delete Files.

⚠️ Note: Only do this if you’re sure your system is stable and you won’t revert to an older version.

You can recover 10–30 GB instantly.

10. Remove Duplicate Files

Duplicate files often waste gigabytes, especially with photos or videos.

Use free tools like:

  • CCleaner (Duplicate Finder)

  • Duplicate Cleaner Free

  • Wise Duplicate Finder

Scan your drives and safely remove unnecessary duplicates.

11. Delete System Restore Points

System Restore uses disk space to store snapshots of your system.

Steps:

  1. Search Create a restore point → open System Properties.

  2. Under Protection Settings, click your system drive → Configure.

  3. Click Delete to remove old restore points.

  4. Adjust the Max Usage slider to limit future space use.

12. Disable Hibernation (Optional)

Hibernation saves your current session to disk — and its file (hiberfil.sys) can be large.

Steps:

  1. Open Command Prompt (Admin).

  2. Type:

    powercfg -h off

  3. Press Enter.

✅ The file (often 4–8 GB) will be deleted automatically.

⚠️ Note: This disables Hibernate mode, but Sleep still works.

13. Clear Browser Cache and Downloads

Browsers like Edge, Chrome, and Firefox store cached data and downloads that quickly pile up.

Microsoft Edge:

  1. Open Settings → Privacy, search, and services.

  2. Under Clear browsing data, choose what to delete (Cached images, cookies, history).

Google Chrome:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete.

  2. Choose Cached images and files → click Clear data.

14. Compress Large Files and Folders

If you don’t want to delete large files, compress them to save space.

Steps:

  1. Right-click a file or folder → Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder.

  2. Store the compressed file or move it to the cloud.

💡 You can also use WinRAR or 7-Zip for advanced compression.

15. Turn On NTFS File Compression (Advanced Users)

Windows allows NTFS file compression on drives or folders to save space.

Steps:

  1. Right-click a folder or drive → Properties.

  2. Click Advanced.

  3. Check Compress contents to save disk space → OK.

⚠️ Note: It may slightly reduce performance on older systems.

16. Move Apps to Another Drive

You can move installed Microsoft Store apps to another drive without reinstalling.

Steps:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps.

  2. Click an app → Move.

  3. Select a new drive (like D: or E:).

This is great for large games or apps installed from the Microsoft Store.

17. Analyze Your Disk with a Third-Party Tool

To identify what’s eating your storage, use a visual disk analyzer.

Recommended tools:

  • WinDirStat (free)

  • TreeSize Free

  • SpaceSniffer

They show a color-coded map of your files so you can target large ones for cleanup.

18. Clear Windows Update Cache

Old update files often linger even after installation.

Steps:

  1. Press Windows + R, type:

    services.msc

  2. Find Windows Update → right-click → Stop.

  3. Open:

    C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

  4. Delete all files inside.

  5. Go back to services.msc, restart Windows Update.

✅ This can recover several GB safely.

19. Manage Virtual Memory

Windows uses a pagefile on your drive for memory management, which can take several GB.

You can manually adjust it:

Steps:

  1. Press Windows + S, search Advanced system settings.

  2. Click Settings under Performance.

  3. Go to Advanced → Virtual memory.

  4. Either reduce or move it to another drive.

⚠️ Change this only if you have plenty of RAM (16GB+).

20. Backup and Move Old Media Files

Photos, videos, and downloads usually occupy the most space.

Steps:

  • Move old media to an external hard drive or USB stick.

  • Upload to cloud services (OneDrive, Google Photos, iCloud).

  • Use tools like Photos app cleanup to delete duplicates.

21. Remove Optional Windows Features

Windows includes optional features that you might never use.

Steps:

  1. Open Settings → Apps → Optional features.

  2. Review and uninstall unused ones (e.g., Internet Explorer Mode, Fax Services).

  3. Click View features under “Add an optional feature” to manage them.

22. Clean Up Large Email Attachments

If you use the Mail app or Outlook, attachments can pile up in storage.

Steps:

  1. Open Mail app.

  2. Search for messages with attachments.

  3. Save important files to the cloud, then delete the originals.

23. Reset the PC (Last Resort)

If your storage is completely cluttered and manual cleanup doesn’t help, consider a system reset.

Steps:

  1. Go to Settings → System → Recovery.

  2. Click Reset this PC.

  3. Choose Keep my files (removes apps but keeps personal data).

⚠️ Backup first! This is a last resort, but it ensures a clean, optimized system.

Bonus: Prevent Storage Problems in the Future

Here’s how to keep your Windows 11 drive clean long-term:

  • ✅ Enable Storage Sense automation.

  • 🧹 Run Disk Cleanup monthly.

  • ☁️ Use cloud storage for big files.

  • 🧠 Avoid keeping multiple copies of videos/photos.

  • 📦 Install heavy apps on a secondary drive.

With these habits, you’ll rarely face low-storage warnings again.

FAQs About Getting More Disk Space on Windows 11

1. How do I get more space without deleting anything?

Use cloud storage, compress files, or move apps to another drive.

2. Can I delete system files safely?

Yes — using Disk Cleanup or Storage Sense ensures only safe files are removed.

3. Is it safe to delete Windows.old?

Yes, if your Windows 11 installation is stable and you don’t plan to revert.

4. What’s taking up space I can’t see?

Hidden system files, pagefiles, and update caches often take up invisible space — use WinDirStat to find them.

5. How much free space should I keep?

Always leave at least 10–15% of your total drive capacity free for smooth performance.

Summary: The Best Ways to Get More Disk Space on Windows 11

Method Description Space Saved
Disk Cleanup Delete temp and system files 5–20 GB
Storage Sense Automate cleanups Continuous
Remove old Windows files Delete Windows.old 10–30 GB
Move files to cloud Upload to OneDrive/Drive Variable
Disable hibernation Remove hiberfil.sys 4–8 GB
Uninstall unused apps Remove large programs 5–50 GB+

Conclusion

Freeing up disk space in Windows 11 doesn’t have to be complicated — and you don’t need special software to do it. By using built-in tools like Storage Sense, Disk Cleanup, and shell commands, you can easily reclaim tens of gigabytes of storage in just a few minutes.

Now that you know how to get more disk space on Windows 11, your PC will run faster, updates will install smoothly, and you’ll have more room for the things that matter.

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