Check What’s Taking Up Space on Windows 10

This guide shows you how to find out which files and folders are eating up your hard drive space on Windows 10. You’ll learn to use built-in tools like Storage Sense and File Explorer, and how to interpret the results so you can clean up safely.

What You’ll Need

• A PC running Windows 10 (any recent version works)
• Administrator access (needed for some system files and cleanup tools)
• About 10–15 minutes of your time

Step-by-Step

1. Open Settings. Click the Start button (Windows icon) in the bottom-left corner, then click the gear icon (Settings). You can also press Win + I on your keyboard.
2. Go to System > Storage. In Settings, click “System”, then select “Storage” from the left sidebar. This opens the Storage overview page.
3. View your main drive. Under “Storage” you’ll see a list of drives. Click the drive that contains Windows (usually C:). This shows a breakdown of what’s using space: System & Reserved, Apps & features, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, Temporary files, and more.
4. Click each category to see details. For example, click “Apps & features” to see a list of installed programs sorted by size (click the “Sort by” dropdown and choose “Size”). Click “Temporary files” to see what can be removed. Click “System & Reserved” to see how much is used by the OS, but be careful—don’t delete anything here unless you know what you’re doing.
5. Use Storage Sense (optional). Back on the Storage page, toggle “Storage Sense” to On. This lets Windows automatically free up space by deleting temporary files and emptying the Recycle Bin on a schedule. Click “Configure Storage Sense or run it now” to adjust settings or run a manual cleanup.
6. Check specific folders with File Explorer. If you want to see which folders are largest, open File Explorer (Win + E), go to “This PC”, and double-click your C: drive. Right-click on a folder (like “Users” or “Windows”) and select “Properties” to see its size. This is a quick way to spot big folders, but it doesn’t show subfolders individually.
7. Use the “View” tab to sort by size. In File Explorer, navigate to a folder like “Users\YourName”. Click the “View” tab at the top, then click “Details”. Right-click the column headers (like Name, Date modified) and check “Size”. Now click the “Size” column header to sort files from largest to smallest. This helps you spot big files in that folder.
8. Run Disk Cleanup (optional). Type “Disk Cleanup” in the Start search box and open it. Select your C: drive. It scans and shows files you can delete (like Windows Update Cleanup, Recycle Bin, Temporary files). Check the boxes for items you want to remove, then click OK. For a deeper clean, click “Clean up system files” first.

Common Mistakes

• Deleting system files. Don’t remove anything under “System & Reserved” unless you’re absolutely sure. Deleting the wrong file can break Windows.
• Ignoring hidden files. Some large files (like pagefile.sys or hiberfil.sys) are hidden. In File Explorer, go to the View tab and check “Hidden items” to see them, but don’t delete them unless you know what they are.
• Emptying the Recycle Bin without checking. Make sure you don’t need any of those files before emptying it.
• Using third-party “cleaner” tools that claim to speed up your PC. Many are unnecessary and can cause problems. Stick with built-in tools.
• Not checking the “Apps & features” list for large programs you forgot. Games and video editors can take up tens of gigabytes.

Tips

• Sort apps by size. In “Apps & features”, use the “Sort by” dropdown to sort by size. This immediately shows which programs are hogging space.
• Use Storage Sense to auto-clean. Turn it on and set it to run weekly. It will automatically remove temporary files and empty the Recycle Bin.
• Check the “Downloads” folder. This is a common place for huge files (installers, ISOs) that you may have forgotten.
• Look for large files in your user profile. Sort by size in File Explorer to find videos, disk images, or backups that you can move to an external drive.
• Consider moving files to cloud storage. If you have OneDrive or another cloud service, you can free up space by making files “online-only”.
• Use “Clean up system files” in Disk Cleanup. This can remove old Windows updates that can be several gigabytes.

Troubleshooting

• Storage page doesn’t show all categories. Make sure your drive is healthy and not full. If it’s over 95% full, Windows may hide some categories. Free up a little space first, then check again.
• You can’t delete a file because it’s “in use”. Close any programs that might be using it (like a video player or Word). If it’s a system file, don’t force it—it may be essential.
• Disk Cleanup doesn’t run. Try running it as administrator (right-click the icon and select “Run as administrator”). If it still fails, restart your PC and try again.
• Storage Sense doesn’t free up as much as expected. It only deletes certain types of temporary files. For bigger wins, manually uninstall large apps or move personal files elsewhere.
• You see a lot of space used by “System & Reserved”. This is normal—Windows itself takes up 20–30 GB. If it’s unusually high (over 50 GB), you can use Disk Cleanup to remove old Windows Update files, but don’t touch the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I see which folder is the largest on my hard drive?

Use File Explorer to navigate to your C: drive, right-click on folders like “Users” or “Windows”, and select “Properties” to see their size. For a detailed breakdown, you can also use the Storage settings page, which shows categories like Apps and Documents.

Is it safe to delete temporary files?

Yes, temporary files are safe to delete. Windows uses them for short-term tasks and will recreate them as needed. Use Disk Cleanup or Storage Sense to remove them.

Why does my hard drive show less space than its capacity?

Manufacturers use decimal (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes) while Windows uses binary (1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes). So a 1 TB drive shows as about 931 GB. Also, the system reserves space for recovery and system files.

What is the “System & Reserved” category?

This includes Windows system files, pagefile.sys (virtual memory), hiberfil.sys (hibernation file), and System Restore points. It’s essential for Windows to run, so don’t delete anything here unless you’re an expert.

Can I move my apps to another drive to save space?

Yes, for many apps from the Microsoft Store, you can go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features, click on an app, and choose “Move” to another drive. For desktop apps, you may need to uninstall and reinstall to a different location.

How often should I check my hard drive space?

It’s a good idea to check monthly, or whenever you notice your PC slowing down or getting low on space. Turning on Storage Sense automates much of this.

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