How to Clear Up Space on Windows 10/11 (5 Methods That Work)

Five reliable ways to free up disk space on Windows 10 or 11: uninstall the largest unused apps from Settings → Apps → Installed apps sorted by size, scan with WizTree to find space-hogging files, run the built-in Disk Cleanup with “Clean up system files” to remove old Windows Update files, enable Storage Sense for ongoing automatic cleanup, and move your Documents/Downloads/Pictures folders to a secondary drive via the Properties → Location tab. For deep C drive cleanup (page file, hibernation, WinSxS), see my clean C drive guide.

Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) | Last updated: April 30, 2026

Key Takeaways

• Uninstalling 2-3 large apps you no longer use is the single biggest space win on most PCs — sort Apps & Features by size, descending.
• WizTree scans an entire NTFS drive in seconds and shows you the biggest files visually — far faster than browsing folder-by-folder.
• Disk Cleanup’s “Clean up system files” mode removes Windows Update leftovers, which can free 5-30 GB after a feature update.
• Storage Sense automates routine cleanup — empty Recycle Bin, delete old Downloads, clear temp files — on a weekly or monthly schedule.
• For preinstalled Windows apps that refuse to uninstall (Maps, Mail, Xbox bloat), use HiBit Uninstaller’s Windows Store Apps Manager or my own Winhance utility.

Quick Steps

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps, sort by size, uninstall what you no longer use.
2. Run WizTree to find big files (old ISOs, downloaded videos, leftover Steam library) and delete what you do not need.
3. Open Disk Cleanup → Clean up system files → tick everything → OK.
4. Turn on Storage Sense at Settings → System → Storage → Storage Sense.
5. If you have a secondary drive, move Documents/Downloads/Pictures to it via right-click → Properties → Location → Move.

In This Guide

• Method 1: Uninstall unused apps — biggest single win.
• Method 2: Find big files with WizTree — fast disk space analyser.
• Method 3: Disk Cleanup — built-in cleaner for system files.
• Method 4: Storage Sense — ongoing automatic cleanup.
• Method 5: Move user folders to a second drive — for small SSD setups.

Method 1: Uninstall Unused Apps

1. Right-click Start → Installed apps (Windows 11) or Apps and Features (Windows 10).
2. Set the sort order to Size (largest first).
3. Click the three dots next to anything you no longer use → Uninstall.

Uninstall Preinstalled Windows Apps

Some preinstalled Microsoft Store apps (Maps, Camera, Xbox apps, Cortana) refuse to uninstall through the normal interface. Two free tools handle them:

• HiBit Uninstaller → Tools → Windows Store Apps Manager → tick the apps → Uninstall.
• Winhance — one-click bloatware removal with a curated safe-removal list and an undo option.

Method 2: Find Big Files With WizTree

WizTree reads the NTFS master file table directly, scanning a 1 TB drive in 1-3 seconds. The tree-and-treemap UI makes the largest space hogs obvious at a glance.

1. Download the portable version, run WizTree.exe.
2. Pick the C: drive, click Scan.
3. Sort the file tree by size descending, expand folders to find the biggest files.
4. Right-click anything you no longer need → Delete.

Warning: Never delete files inside C:\Windows or C:\Program Files directly through WizTree. Use Method 1 (uninstall) or Method 3 (Disk Cleanup) for those areas.

Method 3: Use Disk Cleanup for System Files

1. Press the Windows key, type Disk Cleanup, press Enter.
2. Pick the C: drive.
3. Click Clean up system files (this is the key step — without it, the big system items are hidden).
4. Tick everything, especially Windows Update Cleanup (often 5-30 GB after a feature update), Previous Windows installation(s) (~20 GB if recent), and Temporary files.
5. Click OK → Delete Files.

Disk Cleanup’s biggest single recovery is usually after a 24H2 → 25H2-style feature update — the old Windows version sits in C:\Windows.old for 10 days, taking 15-25 GB. Disk Cleanup removes it cleanly.

Method 4: Enable Storage Sense for Automatic Cleanup

Storage Sense is the modern replacement for the manual Disk Cleanup workflow. It runs in the background and clears temp files, old Recycle Bin items, and old Downloads on a schedule.

1. Open Settings → System → Storage → Storage Sense.
2. Toggle Automatic User content cleanup on.
3. Set Run Storage Sense to Every week.
4. Set Recycle Bin retention to 30 days, Downloads retention to Never (the Downloads cleanup deletes recent files even if you still want them — leave it on Never unless you genuinely treat Downloads as throwaway).

Method 5: Move User Folders to a Second Drive

If you have a small primary SSD (256-500 GB) and a larger secondary drive (HDD or another SSD), moving Documents, Downloads, Pictures, and Videos to the larger drive frees a lot of space on C: without breaking anything. Windows knows about the move via the registry, so apps still find the folders.

1. On the second drive, create a folder per relocation (e.g., D:\Documents, D:\Downloads).
2. Right-click C:\Users\<you>\Downloads → Properties → Location tab.
3. Click Move, pick D:\Downloads, click Select Folder.
4. When prompted to move existing files, click Yes. Repeat for Documents, Pictures, and Videos.

If you also want to upgrade to a bigger SSD entirely instead of juggling drives, see my SSD buyer’s guide and clone Windows to another drive guides.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much free space should Windows have?

Keep at least 15-20% of the C drive free. Below that, Windows starts struggling — feature updates fail, the page file shrinks, and SSD performance degrades because there is no spare flash for wear-levelling. On a 256 GB drive, that means keeping at least 40-50 GB free at all times.

Is it safe to delete files in Disk Cleanup?

Yes — every category in Disk Cleanup is safe to delete. The “Previous Windows installation(s)” entry deletes C:\Windows.old which is your rollback path to the previous Windows version, so only delete that one if the new build has been stable for a week or two.

Should I disable hibernation to save space?

If you do not use hibernation (laptop power-down to disk), disabling it saves 6-32 GB depending on RAM size. Open admin Command Prompt and run powercfg /h off. See my disable hibernation guide.

Will Storage Sense delete files I still need?

Only if you set the Downloads retention to a finite value. Set Downloads retention to Never and Storage Sense leaves your Downloads folder alone. Recycle Bin retention is safer — those are already files you sent to the bin.

What if I run out of space and Windows will not boot?

Boot to Safe Mode (Shift+Restart → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart → 4 Safe Mode), then run Disk Cleanup or delete obvious large files from C:\Users\<you>\Downloads. If Safe Mode is unavailable, boot from a Windows USB and use the recovery Command Prompt to delete files manually.