How to Free Up Gigabytes of Space in Windows 11

Running out of space on your primary SSD can drastically slow down your computer. If your C: drive is in the red, here is the fastest way to reclaim gigabytes of storage.

1. Use Storage Sense

Go to Settings > System > Storage. Turn on Storage Sense. This built-in tool automatically deletes temporary files, empties the recycle bin, and clears out old downloads on a schedule.

2. Clean Up Old Windows Updates

Windows keeps copies of old updates just in case you need to roll back. This can eat up 10-20GB of space. Search for Disk Cleanup, select your C: drive, click "Clean up system files", check "Windows Update Cleanup", and hit OK.

3. Delete the Windows.old Folder

If you recently upgraded from Windows 10 to 11, a massive "Windows.old" folder was left behind. You can safely delete this via the Disk Cleanup tool mentioned above.