If your Windows hard drive is nearly full, likely, it will also have the following symptoms:
- PC running slow.
- You are unable to save large files & other data.
- You are getting constant ‘Hard Drive Full’ or ‘Low Disk Space’ errors.
- You are failing in upgrading software or installing more programs.
In this article, we’ll walk you through multiple ways to clear disk space and get rid of ‘Running out of storage’ error on Windows 10, 8, 7. But before you need to find out what is taking up space on your hard drive?
How To See What Is Taking Up Space On My Hard Drive?
You can follow the step by step instructions to see what’s eating your storage space:
STEP 1- Go to PC Settings using the Start menu.
STEP 2- Click on System & navigate to Storage option from the left-panel.
STEP 3- Once the Storage window opens; you can see a classified table showing hard drive usage.
STEP 4- Click on each category to further see what is taking up space on your hard drive.
Now that you know which programs, files & features are clogging up your storage space, you can manually get rid of them one by one to clear disk space. Listing the best tips to restore your storage when Windows 10 hard drive space is disappearing!
Best Ways To Free Up Disk Space On Windows 10, 8 & 7
| Workarounds (2020) | How To Clear Disk Space? |
|---|---|
| METHOD 1- Run Duplicate Files Fixer (Recommended) | Perhaps one of the most effective solutions to fix ‘running out of disk space on Windows 10’ error is by deleting Duplicate Photos, Videos, Documents & other Multimedia Files. Learn how to find & delete duplicates without any hassles? |
| METHOD 2- Empty Recycle Bin | Regularly cleaning your temporary storage space is a clever idea to get rid of unwanted files permanently. See the step by step process to Clean Trash on Windows 10. |
| METHOD 3- Uninstall Unused Programs | If you are running plenty of programs that you don’t even use much, uninstall them right away. A significant amount of storage space will be recovered in a go. Wondering how you can remove bulk applications? Read the steps! |
| METHOD 4- Dump Your Downloads | Get rid of the Downloaded folder that contains useless residues & files to reclaim unnecessary occupied storage space. Here’s the procedure. |
| METHOD 5- Eliminate Temp Files | When you install programs & software, lots of temporary files are also downloaded. You may not realize, but these temp files eat a major portion of your disk space. So, it’s better to delete these associated files. |
| METHOD 6- Store Data On Cloud | If you have some large & important files that are occupying a huge amount of storage space on your computer, transfer them to another hard drive or Cloud Storage. Get to know the best options right here! |
| METHOD 7- Defragment Your Hard Drive | Read how defragmenting your hard drive can help you get more storage space for storing important files on your Windows 10 PC. |
METHOD 1- Run Duplicate Files Fixer (Recommended)
- Install Duplicate Files Fixer on your Windows 10, 8, 7 PC.
- It’s a dedicated duplicate finder & cleaner that will help you scan your entire system to locate and delete unnecessary duplicate photos, videos, music files, documents & more.
- Click on Scan for Duplicates button.
- Once the duplicate cleaner lists all the dupes, click on Auto-Mark button to select all the duplicates files in one go.
- Hit the ‘Delete Marked’ button to reclaim largest occupied disk space.
METHOD 2- Empty Recycle Bin
STEP 1- Find Recycle Bin folder on your desktop.
STEP 2- Simply right-click on the trash icon & choose Empty Recycle Bin.
STEP 3- A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm the process.
STEP 4- Click Yes button & free disk space on your Windows 10 PC without any hassles.
METHOD 3- Uninstall Unused Programs
STEP 1- Though you can uninstall Windows programs manually using Control Panel. But that can be a lengthy process & you’ll not be able to delete all the associated files as well. So, you should take the help of a dedicated Bulk Windows Uninstallation Software.
STEP 2- We recommend using Advanced System Optimizer for this purpose. Download, install & launch the Windows uninstaller.
STEP 3- Go to Regular Maintenance module & select Uninstall Manager.
STEP 4- Check all the installed programs & select the ones you wish to delete from your PC.
METHOD 4- Dump Your Downloads
STEP 1- Go to the Start menu & type Downloads.
STEP 2- Select the very first result & when the Download window opens, select all the files.
STEP 3- Right-click on the marked files and choose option Delete to move these files to Recycle Bin. You can further delete these Downloaded files permanently.
NOTE: Go through the list carefully to ensure you do not delete something important.
METHOD 5- Eliminate Temp Files
STEP 1- Go to the Start menu & search for Disk Cleanup.
STEP 2- From the disk cleanup window, choose the drive you wish to clean.
STEP 3- Hit OK! On the next window, under Files to delete, simply mark the file types you wish to remove.
STEP 4- Click the OK button to complete the process. All your temp files will be deleted securely!
METHOD 6- Store Data On Cloud
Check out the complete list of Best Online Cloud Backup & Storage Services for Windows 10, 8 & 7.
METHOD 7- Defragment Your Hard Drive
Check out this series of articles to learn how defragmentation of your hard drive can help you get rid of ‘Running out of disk space’ instantly:
- What Is Disk Defragmentation And How Does It Work?
- How to Defragment Hard Drive on Windows 10/8/7/XP – Defrag Hard Drive?
- 10 Best Disk Defragmenter Software For Windows 10, 8, 7 PC
FIXED: Windows 10 hard drive space disappearing
Hopefully, the set of workarounds mentioned above help you clear disk space & recover a significant amount of storage without hassle. Since the majority of hard drive space is occupied with Duplicate Files, we suggest you deduplicate your entire PC instantly & get rid of the ‘Windows 10 hard drive space disappearing issue’!
FAQ-
Q1. What does it mean to free up disk space?
To free up disk space you need to delete unnecessary files such as temporary, cache, and junk from the system. The action can be performed manually or using a third-party application.
Q2. Why is so much disc space being used?
There are multiple reasons for disc space to be filled such as – copies of files, large files, unused applications, and backups. If you want to get rid of unwanted data and free up disk space you can easily use Advanced System Optimizer and run Smart Cleanup.
Q3. How do I free up disk space without deleting important files?
You can manually go through your data to identify the important files and remove the unnecessary files.
Q4. Is it safe to clean up disk space?
Yes, if you follow the correct steps then it is completely safe to clean up disk space on your computer. If you are hesitant on trying out the steps manually, but disk space disappearing is an issue, you must try another method. We suggest you take help from a third-party tool such as Advanced System Optimizer to automatically look for such files on your computer.