In any Windows system, cluttering a hard drive is one of the biggest problems. But you can free up space on the C system drive in Windows 10 with several interesting methods, by the way, some of them are simply absent on systems of a rank below. It is worth considering all the main available methods that will speed up the entire OS.
How to free up disk space C (Windows 10): general principles
To begin with, let's figure out what, in fact, is the fact that the space on the system disk or in the logical partition is dramatically reduced.
The question of how to free up space on your hard drive in Windows 10 may involve several basic solutions, the most important of which are:
- removal of old copies of the system after the upgrade;
- delete system files and backups;
- uninstalling unused user programs and preinstalled system applications;
- cleaning up Internet traces.
Based on this, you can offer several standard options for resolving the problem.
How to free up disk space after installing the system?
The first thing you should pay attention to the moment associated with installing the tenth version in the form of an update on top of the existing seventh or eighth.
The product itself downloaded during the installation of the new system takes about 30 GB or more. In addition, the files of the old OS are stored on the hard drive for 30 days in case the user wants to abandon Windows 10 and return to the previous working system with all installed applications and settings.
Thus, the solution to the problem under consideration (how to clean the system drive C in Windows 10) most often comes down to removing the installation files of the new system and the residual components of the old. To do this, use the standard disk cleaning tool, access to which can be obtained through the PCM menu on the selected section in the usual "Explorer". Simply click the clear button, then highlight the necessary components and click the delete button.
In some cases, you can use the cleaning system files. But here it is necessary to be as careful as possible. You can also easily get rid of old copies of Windows 10 if you installed a new build of the system (namely, build Windows 10, and not the tenth version instead of the seventh or eighth).
They are stored in a special folder Windows.old. Again, simply deleting the directory from Explorer is not recommended. It is better to use a standard cleaning agent.
Standard System Tools
But it was in the tenth version that interesting settings related to the storage section appeared. It is possible to free up space on drive C (Windows 10) in it. To do this, use the options menu and the system section where the โStorageโ item is selected.
Here the priority is the automatic memory control parameter (the slider just needs to be moved to the on position). If you enter the advanced settings, you can specify which files will be deleted without user intervention (unused or those that have been moved to the "Trash" and have been there for more than 30 days). Along the way, you can instantly clean by pressing the appropriate button.
Uninstall unnecessary programs
There is another effective way to free up space on drive C in Windows 10, which is to use the removal tools for unnecessary programs. To do this, use either the options menu with the entrance to the application section, or the standard program and component tool located in the Control Panel, which can be called up in the fastest way through the Run console by entering the control command.
As an additional tool, you can use the removal of installed updates through the specified sections or even driver updates.
Removing system embedded applications
To free up space on drive C in Windows 10, you can also by uninstalling the โwiredโ system programs supplied from the โStoreโ. Own tools in the form of the command line and PowerShell console look rather complicated, so it is easiest to use special uninstallers like iObit Uninstaller.
In such an application, you must use the system manager section (Win Manager), go to the installed Windows applications, select the component, and remove it. You can apply batch removal, which consists in the fact that several programs will be uninstalled at once. At the end of the standard uninstallation process, it is recommended to use the powerful scanning mode, which will reveal unnecessary residues in the form of directories, files or even registry keys. All results are deleted using the kill function.
Browser Cleanup
In browsers, garbage accumulates the fastest. Even if the user accidentally called Edge or Internet Explorer, not to mention other browsers, the cache and temporary files will still be saved, because by default a blank page is not set in them.
However, in any browser you can enter the settings and use the items to clear your browsing history. But when removing all temporary components, it is advisable to indicate the cleaning not in the last day or hour, but from the very beginning. The same can be done with the help of uninstallers, simultaneously removing all unnecessary panels, extensions and add-ons present in web browsers (which is much preferable due to the complete removal of residues, not to mention uninstalling virus or adware applications).
A few words in the end
Finally, it remains to add that if any optimizer program is installed on the computer, the matter becomes even simpler. It is enough to simply start system cleaning in automatic mode (for example, in the CCleaner application or the like), after which all found garbage will be deleted. But in general, the first thing to do is get rid of the heavy files and folders left over from previous systems, and from updates to the current OS. But the backups that are used for recovery, it is not recommended to delete, in any case. This can be done only when, for example, a copy of the system partition is stored on an external drive or it is planned to restore the system exclusively from removable media.