How to Free Up Space on Windows C: Drive 🖥️

Seeing the “Low Disk Space on C: Drive” alert can be frustrating. A full C: drive can slow down your system, cause updates to fail, or make software crash. With a few simple steps, you can free up space and make your computer faster. Here’s how.

📂 1. Move User Folders to Another Partition

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Your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, and other user folders often default to the C: drive, taking up significant space. Moving them to another drive, like D:, is an effective solution.

Steps:

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1. Locate the “Documents” or “Downloads” folder, right-click, and select Properties.
2. Switch to the Location tab and click Move.
3. Choose a folder on another partition (e.g., D:) and click OK.
4. When prompted, move existing files to the new location by clicking Yes.

Now, all future files in these folders will be saved to the new drive.

💾 2. Change the Default Software Installation Location

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Many apps default to installing on the C: drive, which can quickly fill it up—especially games or design software. Changing the default installation location can save space.

Steps:

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1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Navigate to System → Storage → Change where new content is saved.
3. Under “New apps will save to,” select a different drive (e.g., D:).

Note: Some software may still prompt for a manual location selection.

⚙️ 3. Move Virtual Memory (Paging File) and Temporary Files

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Windows stores virtual memory and temporary files on C: by default. Moving them can free substantial space.

Moving Virtual Memory

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1. Right-click This PC → Properties.
2. Click Advanced system settings.
3. Under “Performance,” click Settings → Advanced → Change.
4. Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.
5. Set the C: drive to No paging file, then select another partition for System managed size.
6. Click OK and restart your PC.

Moving Temporary Files

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1. Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Go to the Advanced tab → Environment Variables.
3. Edit TEMP and TMP paths in the User variables section to a folder on another drive (e.g., D:\Temp).

🔋 4. Disable Hibernation

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The hibernation file hiberfil.sys can occupy several GBs. If you rarely use hibernation, disable it to free space.

Steps:

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1. Press Win + X → open Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin).
2. Enter the following command:

powercfg -h off

The hibernation file will be deleted, freeing space immediately.

🧹 5. Regularly Clean System Junk Files

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Windows generates cache and temporary files that accumulate over time. Regular cleaning keeps your C: drive optimized.

Steps:

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1. Open This PC, right-click C: drive → Properties.
2. Click Disk Cleanup and wait for the system to scan.
3. Select options like “Temporary files,” “Recycle Bin,” and click OK.
4. Optionally, click Clean up system files for deeper cleaning.

By following these tips—moving user files, changing installation paths, managing virtual memory and temporary files, disabling hibernation, and cleaning junk files—you can prevent your C: drive from filling up and maintain a faster, smoother Windows experience.