How To Check Total Hard Disk Size In Windows 7

Hard drives are getting larger and larger, only somehow they e'er seem to fill up. This is even more truthful if you're using a solid-state bulldoze (SSD), which offers much less hard drive infinite than traditional mechanical hard drives.

RELATED: x Ways To Complimentary Up Disk Infinite on Your Mac Hard Drive

If you lot're hurting for hard drive space, these tricks should aid yous free up space for of import files and programs by removing the unimportant junk cluttering upwards your hard disk.

Run Disk Cleanup

Windows includes a built-in tool that deletes temporary files and other unimportant information. To access it, right-click 1 of your difficult drives in the Computer window and select Properties.

(Alternatively you can but search for Disk Cleanup in the Start Menu.)

Click the Disk Cleanup button in the disk properties window.

Select the types of files you lot want to delete and click OK. This includes temporary files, log files, files in your recycle bin, and other unimportant files.

You lot can also make clean upwardly organization files, which don't appear in the list here. Click the Clean up system files push if you also want to delete system files.

Afterwards you do, you lot tin can click the More than Options button and use the Clean upwardly button nether Organization Restore and Shadow Copies to delete arrangement restore data. This button deletes all just the most contempo restore point, so ensure your computer is working properly before using information technology – you won't be able to use older organisation restore points.

Uninstall Infinite-Hungry Applications

Uninstalling programs will free upward infinite, but some programs use very lilliputian infinite. From the Programs and Features command panel, you can click the Size column to see simply how much space each program installed on your computer is using. The easiest mode to get there is to search for "Uninstall programs" in the Showtime Menu.

If you don't see this cavalcade, click the options button at the top right corner of the list and select the Details view. Note that this isn't e'er accurate – some programs don't report the amount of space they utilize. A program may be using a lot of space but may not have any data in its Size cavalcade.

RELATED: Should You lot Use a 3rd-Party Uninstaller?

You may even desire to utilize a third-political party uninstaller similar Revo Uninstaller to make sure any leftover files are deleted and not wasting space.

If you're using Windows 10, you tin can also open up the new PC Settings and go to Arrangement -> Apps & features.

This will let you lot remove either Windows Store apps or regular apps, and should likewise work on a tablet. Y'all can, of form, still open the regular Uninstall Programs in the old Command Console if y'all desire.

Clarify Disk Space

RELATED: Clarify and Manage Difficult Bulldoze Infinite with WinDirStat

To find out exactly what is using space on your hard drive, you lot can apply a difficult disk assay program. These applications scan your hard drive and display exactly which files and folders are taking upwards the nearly infinite. We've covered the best 10 tools to analyze hard disk drive space, but if you want ane to start with, try WinDirStat (Download from Ninite).

After scanning your system, WinDirStat shows you exactly which folders, file types, and files are using the nigh space. Ensure you don't delete whatsoever important arrangement files – only delete personal data files. If you run into a program'southward binder in the Program Files folder using a large amount of space, y'all tin uninstall that programme – WinDirStat tin tell you just how much space a program is using, even if the Programs and Features Command Console doesn't.

Make clean Temporary Files

Windows' Deejay Cleanup tool is useful, but information technology doesn't delete temporary files used past other programs. For instance, it won't clear Firefox or Chrome browser caches, which can employ gigabytes of hard disk space. (Your browser cache uses hard disk drive space to salve you lot fourth dimension when accessing websites in the future, just this is little comfort if you need the hard disk drive space at present.)

For more than aggressive temporary and junk file cleaning, try CCleaner, which you can download here. CCleaner cleans junk files from a variety of third-party programs and also cleans upwardly Windows files that Disk Cleanup won't bear on.

Observe Indistinguishable Files

RELATED: How to Discover and Remove Duplicate Files on Windows

You tin employ a duplicate-file-finder application to scan your hard drive for indistinguishable files, which are unnecessary and can exist deleted. Nosotros've covered using VisiPics to banish duplicate images, and nosotros've also created a comprehensive guide to finding and deleting indistinguishable files on Windows using free tools.

Or if you don't mind spending a few bucks, yous can use Indistinguishable Cleaner Pro, which not simply has a nicer interface, but has tons of extra features to assist you detect and delete duplicate files.

Reduce the Amount of Space Used for Organisation Restore

RELATED: Make Arrangement Restore Use Less Drive Infinite in Windows 7

If System Restore is eating up a lot of hard drive space for restore points, you tin can reduce the corporeality of hard disk space allocated to System Restore. The trade-off is you lot'll have less restore points to restore your system from and less previous copies of files to restore. If these features are less important to you than the hard disk infinite they use, go ahead and costless a few gigabytes by reducing the corporeality of infinite Organization Restore uses.

Nuclear Options

These tricks will definitely save some infinite, but they'll disable of import Windows features. We don't recommend using any of them, but if you desperately need disk space, they can assist:

Disable Hibernation – When y'all hide your system, it saves the contents of its RAM to your hard drive. This allows it to relieve its system state without whatever power usage – the next time you boot your computer, you'll be back where you left of. Windows saves the contents of your RAM in the C:\hiberfil.sys file. To save hard drive infinite, y'all can disable hibernate entirely, which removes the file.
Disable Arrangement Restore – If reducing the amount of space System Restore uses isn't practiced enough for you, you can disable System Restore entirely. You lot'll be out-of-luck if you need to use System Restore to restore your system to an earlier country, and so be warned.

Bear in listen that yous'll never become as much space as a drive promises on the box. To understand why, read: Why Do Hard Drives Bear witness the Wrong Capacity in Windows?

Paradigm Credit: Jason Bache on Flickr