How to see what's using up storage space on your C: Drive

Have you ever wondered why your C: drive fills up so quickly, even after allocating 100 GB or more of storage to it? Running low on storage can prevent Windows from installing updates, storing temporary files, and performing other tasks properly, which can affect your system's performance. Here's how to check what's taking up space and clean it up.

Identify Which Data Types Are Using the Most Storage

Windows 11 includes a built-in tool that shows exactly which types of data are taking up space on your C: drive and how much storage they use. It breaks down usage into categories such as apps, temporary files, system features, and more. Before you start freeing up space, it's helpful to see what's consuming the most storage so you know where to focus your cleanup first.

To check storage usage, right-click the Start button and open "Settings." Then go to the "System" tab on the left and select "Storage" on the right. If multiple drives are listed, click the C: drive, then click "Show More Categories," and you'll see a breakdown of the file types that use the most space.

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Once you know which category is taking up the most storage, you can begin cleaning up where it matters most.

Clear Space Taken Up by Installed Apps

A significant portion of the C: drive is often occupied by programs such as games, editing software, or development tools. While some of these applications may be essential and used regularly, others might have been installed just to try them out and then forgotten, yet they continue to occupy valuable storage.

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So, you should identify apps you no longer need - especially those taking up the most space - and uninstall them. To remove large apps, go to Settings > System > Storage> Show More Categories > Installed Apps. Here, you'll see a list of all installed programs. Click the "Sort By" dropdown menu and choose "Size" to arrange the apps from largest to smallest.

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Then find the ones you no longer need, click the three-dot menu next to them, and select "Uninstall." Removing unused large apps can free up considerable space.

Reduce Storage Used by System Features

Windows features and system files can also take up a large portion of the C: drive's space. While many of these files are essential and shouldn't be removed, some features may consume more space than necessary, and others might be completely unnecessary if you don't use them. You can reclaim some of that space.

Click "System & Reserved" to see how much space each system component uses. Two common items that can take several gigabytes are the hibernation file (hiberfil.sys) and system restore points. The hibernation file saves the current state of your system in hiberfil.sys, allowing you to resume exactly where you left off.

If you don't use the hibernation feature, you can turn it off and remove this file to free up space. To do that, open Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following command:

powercfg.exe /hibernate off

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Similarly, Windows creates restore points so you can roll your system back if something goes wrong. However, these restore points can also consume several gigabytes of storage, and you usually don't need to keep all of them. To manage them, type "Create a Restore Point" in Windows Search, select the C: drive, and click "Configure."

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From there, you can adjust how much storage System Restore can use and delete older restore points to reclaim space.

Delete Temporary Files to Reclaim Space

After apps, system files, and reserved storage, temporary files created by Windows and apps take up a large amount of space. These include Windows upgrade log files, Delivery Optimization files, thumbnails, and items in the Recycle Bin, which many of us forget to clear. Depending on how long it's been since you last cleaned them up, they could use several GBs.

Fortunately, most of these files are safe to delete and can help you quickly free up space. To remove them, go to System > Storage > Temporary Files, where you'll see how much space each category is using. Select the checkboxes next to the temporary files you want to remove, then click "Remove Files" to clear them.

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Find and Remove Large Folders

Sometimes your storage isn't used by a specific system feature, but by a few large folders instead. Identifying these folders can help you determine exactly where your storage space is going. To find them, go to Settings > System > Storage > Show More Categories > Other, where you'll see the large folders on your computer.

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Click any of these folders to open them directly in File Explorer. From there, you can either delete the entire folder or remove unnecessary files inside it to free up space.

Finding out what's using your storage can help you spot the biggest space hogs and remove them to free up room. In addition to the above resource-hogs, you should also check files stored by other user accounts on the same PC, as well as other miscellaneous or uncategorized items. Doing so will help keep your C: drive organized.