Our PC is not just a computing machine but we also use it as a backup device for our smartphones and other gadgets. Whenever we run out of space on our smartphone or camera, we transfer our media files to the PC or to some external backup drive. We also transfer duplicate photos and other media files that take up a lot of space. It is necessary to declutter PC storage on a regular basis.
There are different inbuilt utilities that can help us to delete clutter and manage storage space. Following these manual tips and tricks may not be possible on a regular basis. We can automate the process with the help of the Best System Optimizer and Cleaners for Windows. Let us try these manual tips to declutter Windows storage.
- Find & Delete Duplicate Media Files.
- Delete Large Files & Backup
- Clear Temp Files & Cookies
- Run Disk Cleanup
- Run Disk Defragmenter
- Backup Files on External Storage
Find & Delete Duplicate Media Files
Duplicate photos and videos can take up a lot of space in your storage. The manual process can not bring accuracy in deleting duplicate photos. You can explore the folders in Windows Explorer and find duplicate photos. Go to the view menu and select Large Icon view to view thumbnails of the images for easy selection.
Duplicate Photos Fixer Pro is one of the best duplicate photo finders for Windows. You can quickly scan and find duplicate photos on Windows 11 and earlier versions, MacOS, Android, and iOS devices. Duplicate photo cleaners can scan internal HDD, external storage, SD card, USB Drive, and any other storage device including cloud storage like (Google Drive). Duplicate picture finder allows you to easily preview, select and delete duplicate photos from any device.
Delete Large Files & Backup
Deleting large files and backup files from Windows storage can quickly regain a lot of space on the hard drive. The process is quite simple and easy to follow.
Step 1. Press Win + E to access Windows Explorer.
Step 2. Go to the Videos folder and click on the Size column to sort files by largest to smallest.
Step 3. Select videos and movies that you have already watched and can be deleted.
Step 4. Press the Shift + Delete keys to delete them from the storage permanently.
Step 5. Similarly, go to your backup folders and check if there are old backups present even after taking a new backup, you can select and delete them from the PC.
Clear Temp Files & Cookies
Temp files are unwanted files created by apps and browser cache. It should be removed from storage on a regular basis. Here is the quickest way to clear them up.
Step 1. Press Win + R, type %Temp% and hit the Enter key.
Step 2. Press (Ctrl + A) to select all and Shift + Delete to delete them from the storage permanently.
Step 3. Press Win + R again, type Prefetch, and hit the Enter key.
Step 4. Press (Ctrl + A) and Shift + Delete to clear them up from the storage.
Step 5. Follow the same with the Temp command as well.
Run Disk Cleanup
Disk Cleanup utility is an inbuilt utility to dig out all the temp files and clutter from the storage. Just within a few minutes, you can clear up huge clutter from your storage.
Step 1. Press Win + R and type cleanmgr to access Disk Cleanup.
Step 2. Select the C: Drive as it has Windows installed on it.
Step 3. It will scan and line up all the user clutter on the PC. Select all the removable files and click on the Ok button to clear them up. Follow the same with the D: Drive and all other drive partitions on your PC.
Step 4. Come back to the Disk Cleanup utility with the above steps. Click on the Clean Up System Files button at the bottom, which will scan to list out Windows system clutter.
Step 5. Select all the removable files and clear them up. Restart the PC to give it a fresh start.
Run Disk Defragmenter
Disk Defragmentation is another useful inbuilt utility to arrange used and unused sectors on the hard drive. It can quickly organize empty space and collect unused storage space to be used again.
Step 1. Press the Window key on the keyboard and type Disk Defrag.
Step 2. Click on the Defragment & Optimize Drives App from the results to access the Disk Defragmentation utility.
Step 3. Select the C: Drive and click on the Analyze button to scan for fragmented sectors.
Step 4. Once scanned, click on the Optimize button to arrange the empty sectors together. Follow the same with other hard drive partitions and regain huge space on the drive.
Backup Files on External Storage
When the internal storage is almost full, you can back up all your important files and documents on the external backup drive. This process will keep a minimum load on the internal storage and boost performance. If you access a few files frequently, you can keep them on the cloud storage drive. You can access files on cloud storage from any device anytime, anywhere.
Final Words
This article on how to keep drive storage free on Windows 10 has the best tips and tricks to declutter your storage. These tips and tricks can help you find and delete unwanted files from your PC. The best duplicate photo finder can help you find duplicate photos and recover storage space. There are dozens of duplicate photo finders available over the web however you can always rely on the best duplicate photo finder compatible with Windows and other OS.
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