6 Most Effective Ways to Free Up Disk Space in Windows 11

After running a Windows 11 laptop, desktop, or tablet computer for a period of time, the C: drive gets full. In that case, nobody likes to recreate partitions from scratch or restore everything from a backup. To solve this problem, the first step is cleaning up the C drive to reclaim disk space. To free up space in a Windows 11 computer, you can use either the native "Disk Cleanup" tool or third-party software. This article introduces how to free up disk space in Windows 11 with Disk Cleanup and other highly effective methods. If you still cannot reclaim plenty of space after cleaning up the disk, you had better add more free space to the C drive from another partition.

Free Up Disk Space in Windows 11 with Disk Cleanup

As with previous versions, Windows 11 has a native "Disk Cleanup" tool to help free up disk space on the C: drive and other volumes. This tool is easy to use and runs quickly. Most importantly, it is safe to delete all junk and unnecessary files in the system partition C.

2 ways to open the Windows 11 Disk Cleanup tool:

1. Open File Explorer, right-click the C: drive, select Properties, and click Disk Cleanup in the next window.
2. Press the Windows and R keys together, type cleanmgr, press Enter, and then select the C: drive in the next window.

How to free up disk space in Windows 11 with Disk Cleanup:

1. Start Disk Cleanup using either method above.
2. Click the checkboxes in front of the files that you want to delete.
3. Confirm the deletion in the next window.

All files can be deleted without damaging the operating system, but you had better highlight each type of file and read the corresponding description below.

In general, it is very fast to free up disk space in a Windows 11 computer, but it may get stuck for a while if there is a large amount of junk files to be deleted. If you want to get more free space in the C drive, you can try the additional methods below.

Additional Methods to Free Up Disk Space in Windows 11:

1. Uninstall Apps

You can uninstall some apps and games that you no longer use or that were preinstalled on your computer.

2. Move Installed Apps (from the Store)

1. Right-click the Windows logo on the taskbar > Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
2. Click an app or game.
3. Click the Move button.
4. Select the new location from the drop-down list.
5. Click the Move button again.
6. Repeat step 2 to move more items.

3. Reset the Paging File

1. Press Windows and R together on your keyboard to open Run.
2. Input sysdm.cpl ,3 and press Enter.
3. Click Settings under Performance in the Advanced tab.
4. Click Change under Virtual Memory.
5. Uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives" at the top.
6. Select D: or another drive, enter the amount for Initial size and Maximum size in the Custom size radio box, and then click Set.
7. Select the C: drive, select the No paging file radio box, and then click Set.
8. Click OK. (It may require a reboot to take effect.)

4. Reset the Recycle Bin

1. Right-click the Recycle Bin on the Desktop and click Properties.
2. Select a drive for the Recycle Bin.
3. Select Custom size and enter an amount.

5. Reset System Protection

1. Press the Windows and R keys to open Run, type sysdm.cpl ,4, and press Enter.
2. Select the C drive and then click Configure.
3. Slide the bar leftward to decrease the Max Usage of disk space.

Extend C Drive After Freeing Up Disk Space in Windows 11

To add more space to the C drive in a Windows 11 computer, third-party software is a better choice. Compared to other tools, NIUBI Partition Editor features Virtual Mode, Cancel-at-will, 1-Second Rollback, and Hot Clone technologies to protect your system and data. It even provides a free edition for Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP home users, which is fully functional and 100% clean.

You can shrink a partition on the same disk to release free space and then add it to the C drive. During this operation, the operating system, programs, and everything else remain the same as before. No other operations are needed even if you use an SSD or any type of hardware RAID array.

Download NIUBI Partition Editor, and you will see all physical and virtual disks with their partition structures and other detailed information on the main window.

Watch the video to see how to add more free space to the C drive:

Besides shrinking and extending partitions, this free software helps you merge, copy, convert, defrag, wipe, and hide partitions, as well as scan for bad sectors and much more.