How To Free Up Hard Drive Space Windows 7

November 26, 2011 Comment on this post [50] Posted in Tools

This is an "updated for Windows 7" version of my pop original article Guide to Freeing upwardly Disk Space under Windows Vista.

I've got a 256 gig C: drive, merely noticed that in the terminal week or then I'd had only 20 gigs free. Not cool and it was getting tight. A few hours later, I have 91G gratis. Here'south how.

Warranty: There is none. Please read carefully and with all things you find on a random blog, be careful because y'all have no one to arraign but yourself. Nevertheless, if y'all take a few minutes, read advisedly and practise even a few of these tips or but run Disk Cleanup, you'll get lots of infinite back.

Clean up after Windows 7 SP1 (Service Pack one) - After you install Windows vii SP1, it leaves around the original files so yous tin can uninstall the Service Pack if y'all want. Subsequently a few months with the Service Pack, I've decided for myself that it'southward a skilful affair and decided I don't need the choice. In Vista there was a command line tool chosen "vsp1cln.exe" but in Windows seven you tin can run Disk Cleanup and bank check "Service Pack Backup Files" and get back most a gig of space.
The only thing, once more is that yous can't uninstall SP1. Fine with me.
Disk Cleanup - It's astonishing to me the number of people who DON'T run Disk Cleanup. It's fifty-fifty ameliorate in Windows 7. Just run it. Often. Later on yous run information technology, run information technology once again and click Clean Up System Files to get files that you need to exist admin to delete.
Disable Hibernate - I have a desktop, and I prefer just three ability states, sleeping, on or off. I don't apply Hibernate. Plus, I have 12 gigs of RAM, and hibernation uses as much disk infinite as yous have RAM. From an administrative command prompt, type "powercfg -h off" to get that infinite dorsum. Got me back 12 gigs. It's up to you. Don't plough it off if you utilize the characteristic.
%TEMP% Files - Even though Disk Cleanup is bully, sometimes for whatever reason it doesn't always go stuff out of the TEMP folder. I recommend you endeavor to delete the TEMP folder. I practice this from the command line. Open up up an administrative console, blazon "cd /d %TEMP%" (without the quotes, of course). Then, get upward one binder with "cd .." and type "rd /s temp"
Do be warned, this command says to TRY to delete the whole binder and everything underneath it. It'southward very unambiguous. If y'all don't feel comfortable, don't do it. If you lot feel in over your caput, don't do it. If it screws up your computer, don't e-mail me. Side by side, I do a "dir temp" to see if the folder actually got deleted. It commonly doesn't considering almost always some other program has a temp file open and the command can't get remove everything. If it DOES remove the binder, only "md temp" to go it dorsum fresh and empty. This got me dorsum 12 gigs. I'm sure you lot'll exist surprised and get lots back.
Delete your Browser Cache - Whether y'all use Chrome, IE9 or Firefox, your browser is saving probably a gig or more of temporary files. Consider clearing it out manually (or employ the CCleaner mentioned below) occasionally or move the cache from your browser'south settings to some other drive with more than infinite.
Clean up System Restore - Windows 7 keeps backups of lots of system files every fourth dimension something major (driver installation, some software installations, etc) happens, and after a while this can take up lots of space. It uses a service/subsystem chosen ShadowCopies and can be administered with a tool called vssadmin.
Now, the EASIEST manner to handle this is just to run Disk Cleanup, then click More Options and "Clean up…" which will delete all just the virtually contempo System Restore data. That's what I did. That got me back lots of infinite back on my C: bulldoze.
You tin can likewise go to System Properties, and so Organization Protection, then Configure and not but control how much space to permit for Organization Protection but besides delete preview restore points every bit seen in the screenshot at left.
Alternatively, you can utilise the vssadmin tool from an admin command prompt to to do important things. One, you lot can gear up a max size for the System Restore to get. Two, you tin set an alternative drive. For example, yous could have the D: drive be responsible for System Restore for the C: drive.
You can use the commands like this. Annotation that you tin put any drive letters you lot have in there. I ran it for each of my three drives. Annotation that this isn't merely used for Organisation Restore, it'southward also used for the "Previous Versions" characteristic of Windows that keeps some number of Shadow Backups in case you delete something and didn't mean it. Kind of a mini, local fourth dimension motorcar. Bespeak is, this isn't a feature you probably desire off, but one you want kept to a max.
Hither's the command line I used. Your mileage may vary.
vssadmin Resize ShadowStorage /On=C: /For=C: /MaxSize=15GB
Understand what's taking up all that space with SpaceSniffer or WinDirStat - I've used a large number of Windows Folder Size checkers, and the one I keep coming dorsum to is WinDirStat. WinDirStat is actively adult, it's Open Source, and it works great in Windows. It's wonderfully multi-threaded and is generally fabled. It'll help y'all discover those crazy large log files you've forgotten about deep in %APPDATA%. Information technology saved me x gigs of random goo. SpaceSniffer is as well amazing and really lets you lot drill into what's going on infinite-wise in your disk.
Remove Old Stuff - Just go into Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features and tidy up. There's likely a pile of old crap in in that location that's taking upwardly space. I removed some Games and Game Demos and got back v gigs.
Uninstall annihilation evil - If you want to get a quick look at what's on a machine and uninstall LOTS of stuff apace, look no farther than NirSoft'due south My Uninstaller (download). Remove Toolbars (they remember they demand them and they never exercise and won't miss them), and anything that looks similar it might destabilize their system. I check out toolbars, add-ins, etc
Wasteful TempFiles/ScratchFiles Settings in Popular Programs - Most programs that need scratch infinite have a way to gear up a ceiling on that Max Space. Get into Internet Explorer or Firefox, into the options and delete the Temporary Internet Files. Set a reasonable size like 250 megs or 500 megs. I've seen those enshroud sizes ready to gigs. If y'all've got a speedy connection to the net, that'south only overkill. Check other programs like Adobe Photoshop and other editors and see where they shop their temporary files and how large they've become. I used SpaceSniffer (mentioned higher up) and was shocked to detect 5 gigs of old temp files from a twelvemonth ago in little used programs.
NTFS Compression - That's right, infant, Stacker (kidding). This is a great feature of NTFS that more than people should use. If y'all've got a bunch of folders with sometime crap in them, but you don't want to delete them, shrink. If you've got a binder that fills up with text files or other hands compressed and frequently access stuff, compress 'em. I typically compress any and all folders that are infrequently accessed, but I'm not prepare to toss. That is about xxx-40% of my hard drive. Why bother to compress when Deejay Infinite is so cheap? Well, C: drive infinite usually isn't. I've got an SSD, and it'southward pocket-sized. I'd like to get as much out of it as I tin can without the hassle of moving my Program Files to D:. More chiefly, Why the heck not? Why shouldn't I compress? It'southward utterly painless. Only right click a folder, hit Properties, and so Advanced, then Shrink. Then forget about it. As long equally yous're not compressing a agglomeration of Naught files (won't do much) and then you lot're all fix. Y'all might consider defragging when you lot're done, simply to tidy up if you don't have an SSD.
Find Fatty Temp File Apps and squash them - Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D are really fast and loose with the disk infinite. You can poke around for a while and side by side thing you lot know you're down 2 gigs or more. If you don't use the app a lot, delete the caches when y'all get out, or better withal, make the cache size for each app small.
Remove Crap with CrapCleaner (CLeaner) - This is a bright utility that removes crapware, unneeded programs, toolbars and other things that might litter up your motorcar.
Avant-garde: Use Junction Points/Hard Links/Reparse Points to movement temp file folders - This is an advanced technique. If this technique kills your beloved pet cat, don't email me. You accept been warned. Also, annotation that I'k just saying it works for me.
I reclaimed 25 gigs only today by moving the MobileSync Fill-in folder from iTunes to a spinning rust deejay off my SSD.
Here'due south the idea. You'll movement it to a bulldoze with more space, simply yous'll LIE to iTunes using a little-used Windows Utility that volition make a LINK between the folder iTunes expects to find and the folder you want your backups in. See? Information technology's advanced but VERY powerful, specially when y'all
```
C:\Users\Scott\AppData\Roaming\Apple Calculator\MobileSync>dir                  Directory of C:\Users\Scott\AppData\Roaming\Apple Calculator\MobileSync
                11/25/2011  x:ten PM    <DIR>          .
eleven/25/2011  ten:x PM    <DIR>          ..
11/25/2011  10:10 PM    <JUNCTION>     Backup [f:\iTunesMobileSync\Fill-in]
                  0 File(s)              0 bytes
                  3 Dir(s)  97,594,851,328 bytes free
              
```

While your are in there, why not do some more maintenance on your machine, blow out that grit and install some updates? Bank check out the The Technical Friend'due south Essential Maintenance Checklist for Non-Technical Friend's Windows Calculator.

Promise this helps!

Nearly Scott

Scott Hanselman is a onetime professor, former Chief Builder in finance, now speaker, consultant, male parent, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand up-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.

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