- Review and clean unnecessary files such as temporary, cache and downloads ancient.
- Use built-in features such as the sensor storage and free up disk space.
- Remove or disable applications, files and features Windows that are not used.
- Compress system files and folders to save space without deleting personal content.
Your computer with Windows 11 is it warning you that storage is about to run out? Don't worry, it's more common than it seems, especially if you have a solid state drive (SSD) of limited capacity. Although it may seem like there is no solution without deleting your photos, important documents or essential programs, the truth is that Yes, you can free up quite a bit of space without touching anything you care about..
In this article we are going to reveal to you all the possible ways to recover gigabytes on your Windows 11 PC. Nothing Tricks vague or impractical recommendations: here you will find Effective methods, explained step by step and with a 100% safe approach. Plus, many of these are features that Windows already includes, so you won't even have to install anything additional.
Detects and deletes large or unnecessary files
One of the first steps to freeing up space is to identify files that are taking up a lot of storage space without you really needing them. Photos, videos, old installers or duplicate documents are big suspects.
For this you can use the Windows File Explorer. Open any folder and type size: gigantic in the search field. Windows will display all files that are larger than 4 GB. From there you can review which ones you need to keep and which ones you can delete or move to an external drive..
Another good practice is to enter into Configuración> Sistema> Almacenamiento and from there analyze what type of files are taking up the most space. You can also go to Apps > Installed applications and sort by size to see which ones consume the most. If you want to learn more about how to clean and optimize your storage, you can check out our guide on How to clean the AppData folder.
Uninstall programs and features you don't use
You probably have applications installed that you haven't opened for months.Many of them take up entire gigabytes, especially video games, creative applications or poorly optimized third-party programs.
To delete them, go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and sort from largest to smallest. Using the three-dot button to the right of each program, you can choose the option uninstall.
You can also remove Windows features that you probably don't use, such as optional system features. Go to Settings > Apps > Optional Features and uninstall any you don't need. For example, outdated printing tools, developer components, etc.
Use system cleanup
One of the most powerful and secure tools that Windows includes is the Disk Cleanup. You just have to write cleanmgr in the start menu and run it as administrator.
After choosing your primary drive (usually C:), you'll see a list of files that you can safely delete: Temporary files, the cache of Windows Update, Recycle Bin, Thumbnails, Crash Dumps, Old Windows Installation Files.
Check all the options you see relevant and click on "To accept". For a more complete result, run the tool again but this time clicking on “Clean system files”.
Clear the Windows 11 update cache
Another of the sections that can accumulate the most space without you realizing it is the Windows update cache. Although the system deletes some of these files after installing important patches or updates, There are still gigabytes occupied without meaning.
To clean it completely, reopen the Disk Cleanup and be sure to check “Windows Update Cleanup”. This task may take a few minutes depending on the size of the accumulated cache, but you will recover a significant amount of space.
Activate the automatic storage sensor
What if Windows could manage it for you? Well, good news: there is an option called Storage sensor that automatically deletes temporary files, cleans the trash, controls downloads and much more.
To activate it, go to Configuración> Sistema> Almacenamiento and then access Storage sensor. Turn on the switch and set how often you want it to clean: daily, weekly, monthly, or automatically.
You can also customize what types of files to delete and in which folders, such as the trash or downloads folder. Also, if you need more information about the space freeing process on other platforms, check out our article on free up space on Mac.
Compress system files to save space
A lesser known but very effective function is CompactOS, a tool that allows you to compress part of the operating system so it takes up less space. It's ideal for computers with small SSDs.
To use it, open the symbol of the system (CMD) as administrator and type the following command:
compact / compact: always
Windows will automatically begin compressing system files. This is a safe process and doesn't affect your computer's performance in most cases. You can check if it's already activated by running:
compact / compactos: query
Empty the recycle bin
It may seem obvious, but Many users forget to empty the recycle bin regularly. All the files you delete aren't completely gone until you empty this folder.
Right click on the trash can icon on the desktop and select “Empty recycle bin”You can also configure Storage Sense to do this automatically every so often. For more options on space management in Windows, you can visit this article on how to delete Windows.old folder.
Organize your folders and remove program residues
When you uninstall programs, many times there are some leftovers. “orphan” folders in the system. Travel to C:\Users\YourUser\AppData (you must enable hidden folders to see it) and inside you will find three main folders: Local News, LocalLow y roaming.
Inside them you can find folders with names of programs that you uninstalled a long time ago. If you are sure you no longer use them, you can delete them. to gain some more space.
Find and delete duplicate files
Duplicate content is another major storage enemy. Duplicate photos, videos downloaded multiple times, or .exe installers end up popping up everywhere.
To free up all those lost gigabytes you can use tools like Find.Same.Images.OK, which scans specific folders or your entire drive to find duplicate images or other files. It will show you a list of duplicates, and you can delete them directly from the app.
Disables unnecessary features of Windows itself
The operating system comes with features enabled by default that, in many cases, you don't needYou can disable them and save space and system resources.
To do this, search the start menu “Turn Windows features on or off”. A list of active components will open as Microsoft Hyper-V, print services, Telnet client, among others. Uncheck the ones you don't use and accept the changes.
Disable hibernation if you don't use it
The hibernation feature allows you to save the system state to disk and completely shut down your PC. Although it is useful, It generates a file called hiberfil.sys that can take up as many gigabytes as your computer has RAM..
If you don't use this feature, you can disable it like this:
powercfg /h off
Run that command in the command prompt with administrator permissions.
Delete user accounts that are no longer used
If you shared the computer with other people (family, roommates, etc.), there may be User profiles that are no longer used but are taking up space with files, settings and history.
You can delete them from Settings > Accounts > Other users. Select the account you want to delete and click on “Delete account and data”Before doing so, make sure there is no information you need to save.
Compress specific folders and drives
In addition to Compact OS, you can also compress specific folders or even an entire drive from Explorer properties.
Right click on any folder or drive, select "Properties", and then on "Advanced Options" check the option “Compress content to save disk space”.
It's especially useful for large folders with files you don't access often, such as watched series, old projects, or local backups. You can also learn more about freeing up space at Google Photos, which is another way to keep your storage optimized, in our guide on free up space in google photos.
Free up space with Windows cleaning recommendations
En Configuración> Sistema> Almacenamiento, you will find an option called “Cleaning Recommendations”It's a built-in tool that scans your system and recommends deleting temporary files, files synced to the cloud but not open, programs you don't use, and more.
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