How to Scan Your Hard Disk and Free Up Space on Windows

Running out of disk space on your Windows PC can be a major headache. It can prevent you from installing important updates, slow down your computer, and generally make your digital life more difficult. If you’re seeing low disk space warnings, or just want to proactively manage your storage, this guide will walk you through several effective methods to scan your hard disk and free up valuable space. These suggestions are ordered from the simplest to more advanced, so start at the top and work your way down until you’ve recovered the space you need.

First, let’s quickly check how much disk space you actually have left.

To check the total disk space remaining on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 device:

1. Select File Explorer from your taskbar.
2. Click on This PC in the left-hand menu.
3. Under Devices and drives, you’ll see your drives listed. The available free space is shown below each drive.

Now that you know how to monitor your disk space, let’s explore methods to free it up, effectively scanning your hard disk for unnecessary files and data.

Utilizing Storage Sense to Automatically Free Up Space

Windows has a built-in tool called Storage Sense that can automatically manage your disk space for you. It works in the background to get rid of temporary files, items in your Recycle Bin, and other unnecessary data. Setting up Storage Sense is an easy way to maintain your hard disk without constant manual checks.

For more detailed information on setting up and managing this feature, you can refer to Microsoft’s guide on managing drive space with Storage Sense.

Using Cleanup Recommendations (Disk Cleanup) to Identify and Remove Files

If you prefer a more hands-on approach, or if you’re not using Storage Sense, Windows’ Cleanup recommendations feature (also known as Disk Cleanup in older versions) helps you scan your system and identify files you can safely remove. This tool is excellent for finding temporary files, system files, and other space-hogging data.

Here’s how to use Cleanup recommendations:

1. Click on Start and go to Settings.

2. Select System, then click on Storage.

3. Choose Cleanup recommendations.

4. Review each category:

   • Temporary files: These are files your system and applications create temporarily. They are often safe to delete.
   • Large or unused files: This section helps you find large files you might no longer need or use.
   • Files synced to the cloud: If you use OneDrive, this can help manage locally stored cloud files.
   • Unused apps: Suggests applications you haven’t used in a while that could be uninstalled.

5. For each category, select the items you want to remove. Windows will show you the potential space you can recover.

6. Click the Clean up button for each section to delete the selected files.

Important Note: Be cautious when deleting “Previous Windows installation(s)” listed under system files. This option removes the Windows.old folder, which is necessary if you want to revert to a previous version of Windows. Deleting it is irreversible and you won’t be able to go back.

Utilizing External Storage to Expand Your Available Space

Sometimes, the issue isn’t just temporary files, but a lack of overall storage space for your growing files. A practical solution is to use external storage devices like USB drives or SD cards to offload some of your data. This is particularly useful when Windows indicates it needs more space for feature updates.

To learn more about using external storage for Windows updates, see Microsoft’s guide on getting more space with external storage.

Managing Personal Files: Videos, Music, Photos, and Documents

Personal files often consume a significant portion of your hard disk space. To identify and manage these files:

1. Open File Explorer.

2. Navigate to This PC and explore folders like Videos, Music, Pictures, and Downloads. These are common locations for large personal files.

3. To sort files by size, click on the View tab in File Explorer, and select Details for the layout. Then, right-click in the open space within the file list, go to Sort by, and choose Size. This will display the largest files at the top.

4. Review the list of largest files. Delete files you no longer need or move important but infrequently used files to an external storage device.

5. Remember to empty the Recycle Bin after deleting files to permanently remove them and reclaim the space.

Moving Files to External Storage

Moving large files to an external drive is a straightforward way to free up space on your primary hard disk.

1. Connect your external storage device to your PC.
2. Open File Explorer and locate the files you want to move.
3. Select the files, right-click, and choose Cut.
4. Navigate to your external drive in File Explorer and Paste the files there.

Saving New Files to a Different Drive

To prevent future low disk space issues, configure Windows to save new files to a drive with more free space by default.

1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Where new content is saved.
2. For each content type (Apps, Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos), select a drive from the dropdown menu that has ample free space. Ensure the drive is connected to your PC if it’s an external drive.

Enabling OneDrive Files On-Demand

If you use OneDrive, enabling Files On-Demand can significantly save disk space. This feature stores placeholders of your OneDrive files on your hard drive instead of the full-size files. You can access your files as needed, and they will download from the cloud only when you open them.

For detailed instructions, see Microsoft’s guide on saving disk space with OneDrive Files On-Demand.

Scanning for Malware

In some cases, malware or viruses can consume excessive hard drive space by corrupting system files or creating numerous unwanted files. If you suspect a malware infection, use Windows Security or your preferred antivirus program to perform a full system scan and cleanup. Regular malware scans are a good practice for maintaining system health and optimizing disk space.

By following these steps, you can effectively scan your hard disk, identify what’s using up space, and implement various strategies to free up storage and keep your Windows system running smoothly and efficiently. Remember to regularly monitor your disk space and employ these methods as needed to avoid performance issues and ensure you can install important updates.