In this video, we'll show you how to manage disk space on your Windows 11 PC using various built-in tools. From checking what’s using up your space to using Storage Sense, Cleanup Recommendations, and Disk Cleanup, we'll walk you through freeing up space efficiently.
Here are a few ways to create and manage disk space on your Windows 11 PC. First, let’s check to see what is using up all the disk space. Click on the Windows “Start” button and go to “Settings”. In the “System” section, click on “Storage”. Here, you’ll find the main categories that take up a lot of storage. Click on “Show more categories” to view them all. Selecting each category will reveal more details. Also, look at your installed apps and consider deleting any unused ones that take up a lot of space.
You can also use Windows Storage Sense to erase unnecessary files from your system and schedule automatic cleanups. Click on the Windows “Start” button and go to “Settings”. Click on “Storage” in the “System” section. Under “Storage management,” select “Storage Sense”. Ensure “Cleanup of temporary files” is checked off and “Automatic User content cleanup” is toggled on. When this is activated, you can configure cleanup schedules, choose how often to run Storage Sense, select when recycle bin items get deleted, and choose when downloaded files are removed if not opened.
You can also run Storage Sense any time you want by clicking the “Run Storage Sense now” button. Windows 11 gives you cleanup recommendations to free up space. Back in the “Storage” section in “Settings”, click on “Cleanup recommendations” under “Storage management”. The list provided consists of all the unnecessary files and unused apps affecting your system storage that Windows 11 has detected. Go through each of the categories, choose which files to delete, and then click the “Clean up” button. Note, that this process permanently deletes the files.
You can also use the Disk Cleanup utility tool to free up storage space. Click on the Windows “Start” button, type “Disk cleanup” into the search bar, and open the result. A list of file categories will be shown along with the amount of space they’re using. Select the ones you want and click on “Clean up system files”. Windows will then calculate how much space will be freed up. In the next window, go through the list to confirm the files you want to delete. Click "OK" and wait for Disk Cleanup to finish the process.
Be careful when choosing your files with this method, as some files listed are critical to your system’s performance. It’s a good idea to move big files you don’t use daily to an external storage device, or save them to OneDrive. This can free up a large amount of disk space on your computer. If you have any questions about Disk Cleanup on your Windows 11 PC, contact us via one of the options on our support website.
