How to free up space in c drive in windows 10 or windows 11?

Adjusting the Storage Sense settings in Windows 10 and Windows 11 can automatically free up space in C drive by deleting unnecessary files. Here's how:

Free up Space in C drive on Windows 10:
1. Open Settings: Press Windows + I.
2. Navigate to Storage: Go to System > Storage.
3. Turn on Storage Sense: Toggle Storage Sense to On.
4. Configure Storage Sense: Click Configure Storage Sense or Run Now.
5. Set your preferences:
  You can choose how often Storage Sense runs (for example, daily, weekly, monthly, or when free disk space is low).
  Enable "Automatically delete temporary files not used by my apps."
  Check "Delete files in the Recycle Bin if they're older than X days."
  Enable "Delete files in the Downloads folder if they haven't been opened in X days" (if desired).
6. Save your settings.

Free up Space in C drive on Windows 11:
1. Open Settings: Press Windows + I.
2. Navigate to Storage: Go to System > Storage.
3. Turn on Storage Sense: Toggle Storage Sense to On.
4. Configure Storage Sense: Click Storage Management or Storage Sense.
5. Set your preferences:
  Choose how often Storage Sense runs.
  Enable options to automatically delete temporary files, files in the Recycle Bin, and downloads after a specified time.
6. Additional Options: You can also specify whether to delete local copies of cloud files or manage local PDFs and documents.

Disable Hibernation to free up space in c drive for Windows 11 or Windows 10.

Hibernation (hiberfil.sys) is a power-saving mode that saves your current system state (open programs, files, etc.) to the hard drive and shuts down the PC. When you turn it back on, Windows restores everything exactly as you left it.

How Hibernation Works

When enabled, Windows creates a file called hiberfil.sys in the C: drive. This file is roughly 70-80% of your total RAM size (e.g., 16GB RAM → ~12GB hiberfil.sys). Unlike Sleep mode, which keeps power to RAM, hibernation fully powers off the PC.

If you don't use hibernation, the hiberfil.sys file is just wasting space. Disabling it can free up several GBs , especially useful for small SSDs.

How to Disable Hibernation & Delete hiberfil.sys

Press Win + X → Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).

Run:

powercfg /h off

This disables hibernation and deletes hiberfil.sys immediately.

Final Thoughts

Disabling hibernation is a quick way to free up GBs of space if you don't need it.

If you use a laptop or want Fast Startup, keep it enabled.

For desktops with SSDs, disabling it is often safe (use Sleep instead).

To free up space in c drive from windows 10 or windows 11, please try to reduce system restore space.

System Restore is a useful Windows feature that allows you to roll back your system to a previous state if something goes wrong. However, the restore points can take up significant space on your C: drive. Here's how to manage and reduce their disk usage.

How Much Space Does System Restore Use? 

By default, Windows allocates 3–10% of your C: drive for restore points. On a 500GB drive, this could mean 15–50GB reserved for restore points. Older restore points are deleted automatically when space runs out.

How to Free up Space in Drive for Windows 10/11

1. Press Win + S, type "Create a restore point", and open it.

2. Under the "System Protection" tab, select your C: drive and click Configure.

3. Move the slider to set a lower max usage (e.g., 3–5% instead of 10%).

4. Click Apply → OK.

5. Click Delete to remove all existing restore points (only do this if you don’t need them).

Best Practices for System Restore
✔ Keep at least 3–5% allocated (enough for recent restore points).
✔ Manually create a restore point before major changes (Windows updates, driver installs).
✔ Use Disk Cleanup regularly to remove old restore points.
❌ Don’t disable System Restore completely (it’s a lifesaver for system crashes).

Certainly! Running out of space on a 128GB SSD can slow down your PCs significantly. Here are some effective steps to free up space on C: drive in Windows 10 and Windows 11:

1. Use Windows Built-in Storage Cleanup Tool
*  Open Settings: Press Windows + I.
   Go to Storage Settings: Windows 10: System > Storage. Windows 11: Similar path, or search for "Storage" in Settings.
*  Run Storage Sense:
   Turn on Storage Sense.
   Click Configure Storage Sense or run it now.
   Click Run Storage Sense now.
   It will delete temporary files, Recycle Bin contents, and previous Windows updates. This is to free up space in C: drive in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

2. Moving Files to External Storage

* Connect your External Drive
   Plug in your USB external HDD or SSD.
   Wait for it to be recognized by Windows.
* Open File Explorer
   Press Windows + E.
   Navigate to the folders containing large files (e.g., Documents, Downloads, Videos, Photos).

* Select Files or Folders
  Click on the files or folders you want to move.
  Use Ctrl + Click to select multiple items.
* Move Files
  Right-click the selection.
  Choose Cut.
  Navigate to your external drive (listed under "This PC").
  Right-click inside the drive and choose Paste.

A fresh installation of Windows 10 typically requires around 20–25 GB of space. However, over time, with updates, temporary files, and installed programs, the space usage can grow significantly (often 40 GB or more). Hence, 128GB SSD is a bit in short.

To free up space in c drive on windows 10, you can simply compact the os. It is a feature in Windows 10/11 that reduces the size of system files by compressing them (similar to how files are compressed in a ZIP folder). This can free up several gigabytes (GB) of space on your C: drive, but it may slightly impact performance (though usually not noticeable on modern PCs with SSDs).

First, run the following command to enable compression. It will free up space in c drive by compressing the files.

compact /compactos:always

This will compress system files and show how much space was saved. Example output:

XXXX files within XXXX directories were compressed.
Saved: XX.XX GB

Pros:
✅ Frees up significant space    

✅ No data loss    

✅ Reversible at any time  

Cons:

⚠️ Slightly slower file access (mostly on HDDs)

⚠️ Minor increase in CPU usage

⚠️ Not recommended for high-performance systems

Clearing your browser cache can help free up some space in C drive on Windows 11/10, especially if you browse a lot and store many temporary files. Here's how to clear cache in the most common browsers:

Google Chrome:

• Open Chrome.
• Click the three dots menu in the top-right corner.
• Go to More tools > Clear browsing data.
• Choose the time range (e.g., "All time" to clear everything).
• Check Cached images and files (you can also clear cookies if desired).
• Click Clear data.

Mozilla Firefox:

• Open Firefox.
• Click the three lines menu in the top-right corner.
• Select Settings.
• Go to Privacy & Security.
• Scroll down to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear Data.
• Check Cached Web Content.
• Click Clear.

Microsoft Edge:

• Open Edge.
• Click the three dots menu in the top-right corner.
• Select Settings.
• Go to Privacy, search, and services.
• Under Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear.
• Select Cached images and files (and other data if needed).
• Click Clear now.

Clearing cache won't delete your saved passwords or browsing history unless you choose those options. Clearing cache can improve browser performance and free up space in C drive on Windows 11/10, especially if cache files are large.

 To free up space in C drive on your Windows 10 computer, you can try the following methods:

1. Use Disk Cleanup:
Press Windows + R, type cleanmgr, and press Enter.
Select the C: drive and click OK.
Check the boxes for files you want to delete (e.g., Temporary files, Recycle Bin, System error memory dump files).
Click OK, then confirm to delete the files.

2. Uninstall Unnecessary Programs:
Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
Review the list and uninstall programs you no longer need.

3. Delete Temporary Files Manually:
Press Windows + R, type %temp%, and press Enter.
Select all files (Ctrl + A) and delete them.
Repeat with temp folder by typing temp in Run.

4. Manage System Restore and Shadow Copies:
Right-click This PC > Properties > System Protection.
Under Protection Settings, select the C drive and click Configure.
You can delete previous restore points to free up space in C drive.