How to Free Up Computer Disk Space

As time goes by, you start noticing that your computer hard drive is becoming really full and there is not that much free space left. That’s normal, because you create and download files, and install software. But did you know that a lot of disk space is occupied by useless junk files that do nothing more than hog your PC? Typically these files are the browser cache, Windows temporary files, Recycle Bin contents, outdated System Restore points, and unnecessary duplicate files.


Windows has a built-in Disk Cleanup tool, which will help you get rid of everything. To use it click on Start –> All Programs –> Accessories –> System Tools –> Disk Cleanup. Then select the drive you want to clean and click OK. The Disk Cleanup tool will analyze the drive and present you with a list of files to delete. You can check and uncheck boxes in the Files to delete list to specify what you want deleted. After that click OK and wait for the utility to do the job.


If you want to free up even more hard drive space, you can delete old System Restore points. To do that click on the More Options tab, find System Restore and click on the Clean Up button. You will then get a message asking if you want to delete all but the most recent Restore Points. Click Yes to confirm, then click OK.


If you are using Windows 7, you’ll need to click on the Clean up system files button first, then select the drive, click on More options and then click on the Clean up button under System Restore and Shadow Copies.


The Windows Disk Cleanup tool requires a lot of steps to help you get rid of all the junk files like Windows temporary files, outdated Windows update patches and unused registry. Fortunately, there are many free utilities, like UPCleaner, that requires one simple click to clean up your PC.

UPCleaner – the Ultimate PC Cleaner is, in simplest terms, a multi-functional cleanup tool as the best computer cleaner tool. If your PC is struggling and clearly coughing up errors and working intermittently, UPCleaner can bring it back. Its cleaner will delete temporary files and unused registry to speed up your computer’s performance, and it also includes tools for finding out what files are taking up the most space on your machine, and protecting your browser.