10 Ways to Clear Up Drive Space for Windows 10 Upgrade

You are here because you have finally decided to upgrade your Windows. The latest version of Microsoft Windows is “Windows 10.” It is a lot bigger in size than Windows 8.

A typical Windows 8 installation takes 10 GB to 12 GB of storage space, while a Windows 10 installation takes 25 GB to 40 GB of space. So, if your hard drive is full, you will have to make space for the Windows 10 Upgrade.

In this blog, we will tell you about 10 different ways to free up space to install Windows 10 upgrade easily on your system.

 

• Use Disk Cleaner to Clean Up Space

 

The first method is to use the Window’s built-in disk cleaner to clean up extra space in your system. Disk cleaner will remove all junk data from your system and create space that was not available before.

You can use Disk Cleanup utility for all drives available on the system. In most cases, the default drive – where Windows is installed – gets the most space. It has a ‘Temporary’ files section where most of the data is available. You can delete all this data to create space. 

 

• Empty Recycle bin

 

Most of the files we delete, stay in the recycle bin. So, make sure to clean your system’s recycle bin to save space. In some cases, the recycle bin can have data of as much as 20GB. You can save this space by right-clicking on the Recycle bin and then selecting ‘Empty Recycle bin.’

 

• Disk Defragmenter

 

Disk Defragmenter will reindex all files on the system, making it more accessible. Disk defragmenter is not a disk cleaning utility so, it won’t be creating any additional space in the system.

However, it will compress the files that are already available so that the space you have can be utilized for other purposes, such as upgrading the Windows or installing software.  

 

• Use CCleaner Software to Clean Space

 

I personally love CCleaner software to clean disk space because it has the best junk detection functionality. It can save you as much as 5GBs of space by cleaning unwanted temporary files, browser history, and system files cleanup, and unnecessary files that stay on your system undetected. 

 

If you are someone who doesn’t know how to free up space, then installing this software will be the best way to get started. 

 

• Wise Registry Cleaner and Speed Booster Software

 

The next best software that you can get to speed up the performance of your system is the “PC tune-up facility.” The software will free up excessive space by deleting unnecessary files that other software can’t detect.

It is made to speed up the performance of the system, but it can serve the purpose of memory cleaner as well. So, if you are trying to upgrade to Windows 10, then adding Wise Registry Cleaner and Speed Booster software will be a good idea.

 

• Uninstall Unnecessary Programs

 

One of the best ways to save excessive space on the system is by uninstalling the programs that you no longer need. For example, games you don’t play anymore or software you do not use any more, etc. You can delete them from the system to save space.

To make sure what programs can be deleted, first check if you have used them in the past three months or not. Now ask yourself, will you use them in the next three months? If not, then they are safe to delete.

 

• Delete Files from Downloads Folder

 

Windows Downloads folder is filled with junk files that you won’t ever need again. This is the folder that consumes the most storage space because all downloaded data stays here.

You can make sure that the Downloads folder doesn’t have any unnecessary data by deleting all files that you have not used for the last three months. Since all files available in the Downloads folder are already available on the internet, you can download them later if you need them.

You can save as much as 10GB of space by deleting unnecessary files from the Downloads folder on Windows.

 

• Delete Hidden Files

 

In some cases, hidden files available on the system take unnecessary space. Since these files are hidden, you can’t use them unless they are system files.

So, just skip the hidden files in the systems drive, and delete all hidden files from other drives where you don’t have any installed or program files available. You can save as much as 1GB of space by deleting hidden files from your storage drive.

 

• Move Everything to Cloud

 

You can move all the files stored on your system to a cloud storage drive like Google Drive, Dropbox, or One Drive. All these drives offer 15GB of storage space for absolutely free that you can use to store your data.S

If you get low on storage space, then you can create another account and grant your folders share access. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of data on the cloud. It will free up the disk space you need to upgrade Windows.

For example, I used Google docs to write this blog. All my blogs and relevant images are on Google Drive because it is convenient and easily accessible from anywhere.

 

• Delete System Restore Points

 

Your computer will create system restore points after every one month on your system by default. These ‘system restore points’ can be helpful to restore your data if your computer screen goes black or the system shows the ‘blue screen of death’ error.

These errors are caused either due to a graphic driver update issue, or a problem in display settings. However, these restore points take too much space. So, you can remove a few systems restore points to save storage space.

To delete System Restore Points, type ‘System Restore Points’ on the Windows search bar. Go to Settings > Click on Create System Restore Points.

Now delete unused restore points and then create a new one. This way, you will save the extra space that the restore points were consuming.

Bottom-line

These are the top ten ways to remove unnecessary files from your system and make space for Windows 10 upgrade easily. However, if you still need any help to create space on your system, feel free to reach out in the comments.