How to Free Up Space on Windows 11 Easily and Safely (6 Ways)

Why Free Up Space on Windows 11?

Since the release of Windows 11, many users have upgraded to Windows 11. However, many users, especially Windows 10 users, report that after upgrading to Windows 11, the free space on the computer disk is obviously insufficient. As a result, you may no longer be able to install important Windows updates in the future and your PC performance may suffer.

As for why this lack of space occurs, it's because Windows keeps a copy of the system files from your old Windows installation so that you can roll back to the previous version if you run into problems after an upgrade. But if you don't encounter any problems and you want to know how to free up space on Windows 11, then you can read on to learn 6 easy ways to clean up space.

How to Free Up Space on Windows 11 in 6 Easy Ways

Next, this article will introduce 6 useful methods in turn to show you how to free up space on PC. You can use Disk Cleanup, Windows 11 storage features, free third-party software, or other methods to help you. Each method includes a detailed graphic tutorial. Keep reading for more details.

👉 Method 1. Free Up Space on Windows 11 by Disk Cleanup🔥
👉 Method 2. Use Storage Sense to Free Up Disk Space Automatically🔥
👉 Method 3. Free Up Space on Windows 11 by Deleting Files Manually
👉 Method 4. Permanently Delete Files in Recycle Bin🔥
👉 Method 5. Remove Useless Apps
👉 Method 6. Free Up Space on Windows 11 by Third-party Backup Software (Easiest)

Method 1. Free Up Space on Windows 11 by Disk Cleanup

The first method to solve the lack of Windows 11 disk space usage is to use the Windows' own disk cleanup tool. You can follow the steps below to learn how to clean C drive on Windows 11:

Step 1. Type disk cleanup in the Windows search box and open the Disk Cleanup app. This application should come pre-installed in your system.

Step 2. Select the drive that you need to clean. If this is your first time running this program, it is suggested that you run it on Drive C.

Step 3. Click OK and wait for Windows 11 to sift through your files to look for items that can be safely deleted. After loading, Windows will show a list of different types of eligible items. The Disk Cleanup tool will pre-select items that it believes are safe to delete.

Step 4. Select other item types that you wish to delete. You should notice that the total amount of disk space you can gain changes as you select or deselect items.

Step 5. Click OK and wait for the cleanup tool to load. Now you have automatically deleted some files thus freeing up some drive space.

Method 2. Use Storage Sense to Free Up Disk Space Automatically

Windows 11 comes with a built-in feature named Storage Sense that can effectively manage your storage and automatically free up space. You can use it to set up custom rules on which folders to delete, schedules to remove data, and more. For how to clear disk space on Windows 11 by turning on Storage Sense on Windows 11:

Step 1. Open Settings on Windows 11, and go to System > Storage. Click on Storage Sense on the right.

Step 2. Configure the Storage sense settings as needed. For example, you can enable Cleanup of temporary files and Automatic User content cleanup (set Delete files in my Downloads folder to Never).

Step 3. Then, tap on Run Storage Sense now.

Method 3. Free Up Space on Windows 11 by Deleting Files Manually

If you don't know how to clean up disk space in Windows 11 by removing files and are worried that deleting files may cause your system to behave abnormally, you can remove them from the Storage Setting.

Step 1. Go to the Storage tab likewise on Windows 11, scroll down to the Storage management section and click Cleanup recommendations.

Step 2. Wait for Windows to scan the system for excess files. Once done, it will segregate these files under four sections, namely Temporary files, Large or unused files, Files synced to the cloud, and Unused apps.

Step 3. Open each section and select the files to be cleaned. Be careful when selecting file groups, such as Downloads and Recycle Bin. Windows will delete all these files if you select them.

Step 4. Select Clean up for each section after you choose the files or file groups to be deleted.

Method 4. Permanently Delete Files in Recycle Bin

Files deleted from your desktop or other folders are not permanently deleted. They are stored in the Recycle Bin folder, so you can restore them if needed, which will take up disk space on Windows 11 as well. For how to free up disk space in Windows 11 by clearing up Recycle Bin, here is what to do:

Step 1. Open Recycle Bin from your Desktop or search to access it from the Start menu.

Step 2. Right-click the Recycle Bin icon and click on Empty Recycle Bin.

Method 5. Remove Useless Apps

Too many installed programs, like games apps, will occupy a lot of disk space, especially on C drive. To free up disk space on Windows 10/11, you can remove unnecessary apps from time to time.

Step 1. Launch the Settings app, navigate to Apps and then Installed Apps.

Step 2. Locate the app you wish to remove, click the three dots icon, and choose Uninstall.

Method 6. Free Up Space on Windows 11 by Third-party Backup Software (Easiest)

Apart from the above methods, there is one easiest way to free up disk space in Windows 11. That is to use the free file backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard to help you back up files to external disks or the cloud, so that you will not be afraid of data loss caused by deleting local files, and can effectively free up disk space.

Next, take backup files to an external disk as an example to demonstrate the operation steps. You need to download this freeware first and install it. If you are a Windows Server user, you can choose the AOMEI Backupper Server version.

Step 1. Connect the external disk and make sure it can be detected by your computer.

Step 2. Open AOMEI Backupper Standard and click Backup > File Backup.

Step 3. Click Add File or Add Folder to select the files or folders you want to backup to an external disk.

Step 4. Choose the external hard drive as the backup destination.

Step 5. Confirm all your operations and click Start Backup to free up space on Windows 11.

Notes:

• Options: The software allows you to set email notifications, compress or split backup files and write comments.
• Schedule Backup: You can set different backup frequencies including Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event triggers, and USB plug in. 
• Backup Scheme: You can select different backup methods. You can upgrade to AOMEI Backupper Professional to enjoy the differential backup method which can easily restore your scheduled backup. After the upgrade, you can also enable automatic backup cleanup feature to save disk space. 

Summary

Many users report that they are running out of disk space after upgrading to Windows 11, and that is because Windows saves the installation files of the old system. Not regularly cleaning up unneeded files and applications, as well as temporary file and picture buildup, can also cause low disk space.

The 6 useful methods described in the article can tell you how to free up space on Windows 11. One of the easiest ways is to use the free backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard to back up files to an external disk or cloud, which will not lose data and effectively free up disk space. It supports a variety of backup methods and Windows operating systems, and you can also use it to schedule backups. Regularly backing up files is more conducive to protecting data security.

Besides, it also provides functions such as System Backup, Disk Backup, and Partition Backup to meet your various backup needs. If you need to Restore a backup or use the Clone function, this free software can easily help you achieve your goals. You can download this software to explore more functions.