How to Free up Space on C Drive in Windows 10

Most people install the Windows 10 operating system on the default drive, which is usually drive C. The problem starts when drive C turns red and appears to be full or nearly full. This can cause a variety of problems like slowing down the computer. The main problem that needs to be resolved first is how to free up space on the C drive in Windows 10.

Drive C is where all of your system files are saved. They are essential to the functioning of your computer. Most users install applications and software in one place. The operating system and these applications need space to run, install updates, and a more complete C drive deprives them of this capacity. Hence the slowdown.

Note: By default, the majority of users have their Windows operating system installation in drive or C partition. It can be any drive letter on your system, but the problem of full storage leading to Slow and unresponsive applications can be easily resolved by moving the data.

Let’s start.

1. Household

Let’s start with some simple but effective solutions. Have you emptied the trash? Open it and make sure there are no files and folders that you would like to restore.

Click Empty Trash to delete everything in it. Select all the files and folders you want to restore and click Restore selected items if necessary.

You can also delete temporary files from your computer. Performing these two activities can help you recover decent space. Very useful if you don’t delete

2. Clean drive C

The Downloads folder is located in drive C where all the default files like pictures, videos, programs, etc. are downloaded. Collectively, they can monopolize a lot of space. Also check other folders such as Pictures, Videos and Documents to see if there are files that you can move to other players. Maybe there are duplicate files stored in drive C which add to the stress? Find them and delete them.

Don’t forget your desktop because the files stored there are also part of drive C. You are looking for large files that can be deleted or moved to another location. Some of these files will be difficult to delete, but there are also ways to fix this.

3. Uninstall applications

Open the Control Panel and search for “uninstall” in the search bar and select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall any software and applications that you no longer use or that you no longer need. Right click and select the Uninstall option for that.

You can also sort all installed apps by size to determine which one takes up the most space and whether you can remove it.

4. Increase the size of drive C

You can increase the size of the system drive, drive C for most Windows 10 users, by reallocating space from other drives. The process will not take more than a few minutes, but I would still recommend making a backup. This will allow you to take unallocated and free space from other drives and use it to store more files in drive C.

5. Upgrade to a larger hard drive / SSD

No matter how many files you delete, which applications you uninstall and reassign space from other drives, you are limited by the total space available on your hard drive / SSD. How about installing a new, larger hard drive on your computer. Better yet, why not take advantage of this opportunity to switch to an SSD?

6. Disk cleaning

Windows 10 comes with a tool called Disk Cleanup that will help you clean up unnecessary system files, temporary files, and files moved to the trash. What many users don’t know is that you can schedule disk cleanup, so it runs periodically in the background. Automate the whole process and run an instance now to see if it resolves drive C is a complete error.

7. Windows component store (WinSxS)

The WinSxS folder is located inside the C drive and stores, among other things, the files used during Windows update and maintenance. These files could accumulate over time and take up a lot of space.

You can only reduce the size of this folder, not delete or move it elsewhere or to another drive. To do this, find and open Task Scheduler from the Windows Start menu.

Go to the folder structure below and click on the StartComponentCleanup file. Tap Run.

Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Servicing.

That’s it.

Organize and conquer

Two other options will help you save space, but I don’t recommend it either. One disables hibernation and the other disables the system restore function. Both are useful features, especially catering. Plus, they won’t make a huge difference anyway. I recommend following the steps above to recover lost space, and if that doesn’t work, get a bigger disc. Anyway, you should stop seeing the C drive is a complete error now. If you found another way to resolve this error and make more space, share it with us in the comments below.