Use Windows Storage Settings to see what's using your disk

The fastest way to find out what's taking space on your PC is to open Windows Settings and look at Storage. This built-in tool shows you exactly which folders and file types are using the most room, and it takes about two minutes to run.

Open Settings by pressing Windows key + I. Go to System, then Storage. Windows will scan your drive and show you a breakdown: how much space your apps use, how much your photos and videos use, how much your documents use, and so on. You can click on any category to drill down further — for example, clicking "Apps & features" will list every program installed on your PC and how much space each one takes.

This method works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. The scan happens in the background, so you can keep working while it runs. If your drive is nearly full, Windows will also suggest things you can delete, like temporary files or old downloads.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows Settings > System > Storage shows you a complete breakdown of what's using your disk space in seconds.
  • You can click into any category — Apps, Photos, Documents, Videos — to see exactly which files or programs are the biggest space hogs.
  • Third-party tools like WizTree and TreeSize Free show the same information in a visual tree format, which some people find easier to understand.
  • Temporary files, old downloads, and duplicate photos are usually the biggest culprits when a PC runs out of space.
  • Once you know what's taking space, you can delete it directly from the Storage settings window or move it to an external drive.

Understand the Storage breakdown Windows shows you

When Storage finishes scanning, you'll see a list of categories with bars showing how much space each one uses. The categories are: Apps & features, Photos, Videos, Music, Documents, Downloads, Temporary files, and Other. The "Other" category is usually the largest and the hardest to understand — it includes system files, cache, and anything Windows can't sort into another bucket.

Each bar is clickable. If you click "Apps & features," you get a list of every program you've installed, sorted by size. Microsoft Edge, Visual Studio, and games are often the biggest offenders. If you click "Videos," you see a list of video files on your PC, sorted by size. This is useful because a single 4K video file can be 10 to 50 gigabytes.

The "Downloads" folder is worth checking separately. Many people read installers, PDFs, and files they no longer need and forget about them. A single Downloads folder can easily hold 20 to 50 gigabytes of old files.

Use a visual tool if you want to see the full picture at once

WizTree and TreeSize Free are two programs that show your disk space as a visual map. Instead of a list, you see colored rectangles — the bigger the rectangle, the more space that file or folder uses. This makes it much easier to spot the problem at a glance.

WizTree is faster than TreeSize Free because it scans your disk more efficiently. Both are free to read. You run the program, point it at your C: drive (or whichever drive is full), and it shows you a tree view of every folder and file, sorted by size. You can then right-click on a folder and delete it, or move it to an external drive.

These tools are especially useful if your "Other" category is huge and you want to know what's actually in it. Windows Storage Settings doesn't always tell you what "Other" contains, but WizTree and TreeSize will show you the exact folder names and file sizes.

Check your Downloads folder and Recycle Bin first

Before you run a full scan, check two places that often hold gigabytes of space you can reclaim when ready: your Downloads folder and your Recycle Bin.

Open File Explorer and go to Downloads. Sort by size (click the "Size" column header) to see the biggest files first. Installer files for programs you've already installed, old PDFs, and zip files you've extracted are safe to delete. Many people have gigabytes of old installers sitting in Downloads.

Empty your Recycle Bin by right-clicking it on your desktop and selecting "Empty Recycle Bin." Files in the Recycle Bin still take up space on your drive until you empty it. If your Recycle Bin is full, you could free up 10 to 50 gigabytes just by emptying it.

Look for duplicate files and old backups

Duplicate photos and video files are a common source of wasted space, especially if you've synced your phone to your PC or used cloud backup software. Windows Photos app sometimes creates duplicates when you import from a phone or camera.

Check your Pictures folder and sort by date. If you see multiple copies of the same photo with slightly different names or timestamps, you can safely delete the duplicates. Be careful to keep at least one copy of anything you want to keep.

Old backup files also take up space. If you use Windows Backup, File History, or a third-party backup tool, these can create multiple copies of your files. Open Settings > System > Storage and look for "Backup" or check your Documents folder for backup folders you no longer need.

Delete temporary files and cache safely

Windows creates temporary files and cache as you work — these are meant to be deleted, and removing them is safe. Storage Settings has a built-in tool to do this. Go to Settings > System > Storage, scroll down, and look for "Temporary files." Click on it and you'll see a list of things Windows can delete: Recycle Bin, temporary files, cache, and old Windows installations.

Check the boxes next to the items you want to delete. Temporary files and cache are always safe to delete. Old Windows installations (from a Windows update) can be deleted if you're sure your current Windows version is working properly. Click "Remove files" and Windows will delete them when ready.

If you want more control, you can also use Disk Cleanup, an older Windows tool that does the same thing. Press Windows key + R, type cleanmgr, and press Enter. This opens Disk Cleanup, which shows you the same categories and lets you choose what to delete.

Move files to an external drive instead of deleting them

If you have files you want to keep but don't need on your PC every day — old photos, videos, documents, or archived projects — move them to an external hard drive or USB drive instead of deleting them. This frees up space on your PC while keeping your files safe.

Plug in an external drive, open File Explorer, and drag folders from your PC to the external drive. This moves the files rather than copying them, so they no longer take up space on your PC. Once the transfer is done, you can unplug the drive and store it safely.

External drives are inexpensive — a 1 or 2 terabyte external drive costs between 50 and 100 dollars and can hold years of photos and videos. This is a better option than deleting files you might want later.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if my PC is almost completely full?

Start with your Downloads folder and Recycle Bin — these often hold gigabytes of files you can delete when ready. Then empty temporary files using Storage Settings. If you still need more space, move large video or photo files to an external drive. Avoid deleting anything from the Windows or Program Files folders, as these are system files your PC needs to run.

Is it safe to delete files from the "Other" category?

Not all of them. The "Other" category includes system files, cache, and process data that Windows and your programs need. Use WizTree or TreeSize Free to see what's actually in "Other" before you delete anything. Temporary cache files are safe to delete, but system files are not. When in doubt, don't delete it.

Why does my PC show less free space than I think I deleted?

Files you delete go to the Recycle Bin first, not directly off your drive. You have to empty the Recycle Bin to actually free up the space. Also, Windows reserves a small amount of space for system operations, so you may not see the full amount you deleted reflected in your free space.

Can I move my Programs folder to free up space?

No. Programs installed in Program Files need to stay there to work properly. If you want to free up space, uninstall programs you don't use instead. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find the program, and click Uninstall. This removes the program and frees up the space it was using.

What's the difference between moving files and copying them?

Moving removes the file from your PC and puts it on the external drive, so it no longer takes up space on your PC. Copying leaves the original on your PC and creates a duplicate on the external drive, so you use twice as much space. When you drag and drop to an external drive, Windows usually moves the files, but you can hold Shift while dragging to move instead of copy if you're unsure.