How can I reduce the size of my PC’s hard drive?

instructions

1. Check your disk space to identify which folders/files are taking up too much space on your PC’s hard drive. Open File Explorer by clicking the folder icon on the Taskbar or press the Windows key + E. Select This PC in the sidebar and you’ll see a list of all the drives on your PC and how much space each is taking up.

2. Delete any unnecessary or duplicate files from the hard drive. For example, uninstall any programs that you don’t need, delete old documents and photos, and delete any temporary files.

3. Move files to an external drive or cloud storage. You can transfer large files such as movies, music, or photos to an external hard drive or cloud storage service (such as Dropbox or Google Drive) to free up space on your PC’s hard drive.

4. Compress files on your PC to reduce their size. Right click on a file, select “Send to” and choose “Compressed (zipped) folder”. This will compress the file into a smaller version that takes up less space.

5. Use disk cleanup tools to remove unnecessary system files. Windows has a built-in disk cleanup tool which allows you to delete temporary files, empty the Recycle Bin, and delete system files. To access it, search for “Disk Cleanup” in the Start Menu and open it.

6. Free up space with a disk defragmenter. Fragmented files on your hard drive take up more space than they need to, so using a disk defragmenter can help to free up some space. To access it, search for “Defragment and Optimize Drives” in the Start Menu and open it.