Free space: find the big things safely
Find out what is filling your computer, and clear several gigabytes without deleting anything you want.
The message is alarming, and it does need attention: a computer with no room left becomes slow, refuses to update, and cannot save your work.
But the space is nearly always taken by four things, and three of them are safe to clear without a moment’s thought.
Key points
- See exactly what is filling the machine, in Settings, System, Storage
- Clear temporary files and old update copies from a list Windows chose
- Leave Windows, Program Files and anything named by an engineer alone
- Turn on Storage Sense, with Downloads set to Never
What to remember
- The Temporary files screen is the safest cleaning there is, because Windows chose the list rather than a stranger’s program.
- Only ever clear things you put there yourself, or things Windows has offered you on a checklist.
- Set Downloads to Never. That folder holds things you fetched deliberately, and losing one is a genuine nuisance.
Try this
Open Storage on your own computer and look at the list. You do not have to clear anything. Find out where your space has actually gone.
Practice: Free space: find the big things safely. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.