How To Change Disk Space Location In Windows 10

If your PC is running low on gratuitous space, you might not be able to install of import Windows updates, and your PC's performance may exist affected. Here are some ways to free up space and so you can keep your PC upward to engagement and running smoothly. These suggestions are listed in order, so start with the first one, see if that helps, and then go along to the next one if it doesn't.

To check the total disk infinite left on your Windows xi device, select File Explorer from the taskbar, and so select This PC on the left. The available space on your drive will appear under Devices and drives.

Note:If you follow the steps beneath and go along to have trouble updating Windows considering of low disk infinite, resetting or reinstalling Windows might assist. For more info, run into Reinstall Windows.

If you used Disk Cleanup to free upwardly infinite on your device and then encounter a Depression Disk Space fault, information technology's possible that your Temp folder is apace filling up with application (.appx) files that are used by Microsoft Store. For more info, see Low Disk Space error due to a full Temp binder.

Storage Sense tin automatically complimentary up drive infinite for y'all by getting rid of items that you don't need, like temporary files and items in your Recycle Bin. For more info, see Manage bulldoze space with Storage Sense.

If your system doesn't have Storage sense, you lot tin use the Disk Cleanup tool to delete temporary files and organization files from your device.

In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup, then select information technology from the results.
Select the check box next to the blazon of files you want to delete. (To view a description of each type of file, select the name.) Past default, Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Cyberspace Files, and Thumbnails are selected. Be sure to clear those check boxes if you don't want to delete those files.
To costless upward even more space, select Clean upwards system files, and and so select the blazon of organization files you desire to delete. Disk Cleanup will take a few moments to summate the amount of space that can be freed up.

Note:If it's been fewer than 10 days since you upgraded to Windows 10, your previous version of Windows will be listed as a system file you can delete. If you need to gratuitous upward drive space, you can delete information technology, merely go along in heed that you lot'll exist deleting your Windows.old binder, which contains files that give yous the option to go back to your previous version of Windows. If you delete your previous version of Windows, this can't exist undone. (You won't be able to go back to your previous version of Windows.)
Later you've selected the types of files yous desire to delete, select OK, and so select Delete files in the confirmation window to get-go the cleanup.

Important:

In that location's as well an option in Deejay Cleanup to Compress your Bone bulldoze. Selecting this option compresses the drive on which Windows is installed, helping you proceeds actress space to install important updates. This action does not delete the contents of this drive, and y'all shouldn't experience problems opening and saving files from the compressed drive.
After you lot install the update, yous tin manually decompress the OS drive at whatever time. To do this, select File Explorer from the taskbar, and in the left pane, selectThis PC. Right-click or tap and agree the OS drive (usually disk C), and then select Properties on the shortcut carte. Clear the Compress this bulldoze to save deejay infinite cheque box, and so selectUtilize >OK.

Windows 11 may indicate that information technology needs more space to get the latest Windows 11 feature update. You can use an external storage device to help you lot complete the update.

To larn more, encounter Complimentary upwards infinite for Windows updates.

Note:You may need to employ a micro-USB adapter if your device doesn't accept a standard USB port.

Personal files such as videos, music, photos, and documents can take up a lot of space on your device. To see which files are using the virtually infinite:

Select File Explorer from the taskbar and discover the files you lot want to move.
NetherThis PCin the menu on the left, select a folder to see what files are saved in information technology. The Videos, Music, Pictures, and Downloads folders unremarkably incorporate the largest files that you've saved to your device.
To encounter the size of the files in a folder, select View > Details. Right-click in the open space and then select Sort by > Size to show the largest files at the top of the list.
If there are files yous no longer need on your device, you can either delete them or move them to an external storage device similar a USB drive or an SD card.

Note:If you delete any files, remember to empty the Recycle Bin to completely remove them from your device and costless up space.

To move photos, music, videos, or other files that you desire to keep but don't use very oftentimes, consider saving them to an external storage device like a USB drive or an SD card. You'll still be able to employ them when the drive is continued, but they won't take up infinite on your PC.

Connect an external storage device like a USB drive or SD carte to your PC.
Select File Explorer from the taskbar and go to the binder that contains the files y'all want to move.
Select the files, then select Cutting on the ribbon. Navigate to the location of the external storage device y'all connected, and then select Paste.

Saving new files to another drive volition assist prevent low space bug on that drive in the future, so you won't take to motility your files to another drive repeatedly. Instead of saving all your new files to the default drive, you tin can save some of them to a different bulldoze that has more complimentary space.

Select Kickoff > Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Where new content is saved.
Open Storage settings
For each content type, select a bulldoze from the drib-down card. If the bulldoze you lot desire to apply isn't listed there, make sure it's connected to your PC.

You tin save infinite by turning on OneDrive Files On-Demand, which stores a smaller placeholder file on your difficult drive instead of the full-size file that'due south stored in your OneDrive business relationship in the cloud. Y'all'll be able to become to your OneDrive files from your PC without having to use upwards difficult-bulldoze space downloading total-size versions of them all. See Learn about OneDrive Files On-Demand for more info.

Sometimes a virus or other malware tin can eat significant hard-drive infinite by corrupting your system files. If yous suspect your PC is infected with malware, use an antivirus program like Windows Defender to run a virus scan and cleanup. If this doesn't fix the problem, yous might need to reset your PC.

If you lot've followed the instructions hither but still need assistance freeing up space on your device, you can contact Microsoft support to conversation with a back up amanuensis. This is also recommended if your attempts to free up drive infinite trigger particular error codes that you lot need help resolving.

The following questions concern low disk space and Windows Update specifically. Learn more well-nigh Windows Update.

When there isn't enough complimentary space bachelor to install an update, a pop-up notification will prompt you lot that additional space is required to install the update.

When you lot select Gear up issues, you'll be informed almost how much boosted space is needed. You'll too be notified that you tin can use an external storage device and then that y'all don't need to costless up quite equally much space on your system drive. Larn how to gratuitous upwardly space to install Windows updates.

Windows needs more space to update message

The total complimentary disk space your device requires to complete an update varies. Typically, feature updates require half dozen GB–11 GB or more than of free infinite, while quality updates require two GB–3 GB or more. Larn nigh the difference betwixt a feature update and a quality update.

You need disk space to download the update, download new versions of any optional features and languages that are currently installed, and to apply the update. Boosted space is temporarily required to support removal of the update (typically for x days). This space tin exist reclaimed afterwards the update is completed. To do this, Select Start > Settings > Arrangement > Storage > Cleanup recommendations.
Open Storage settings

The update is compressed to reduce download size.

Note:For devices with reserved storage, an update will first use the reserved storage space earlier using other disk space. For more than info, see How reserved storage works in Windows.

The space required to complete a feature update depends on two factors: which update path is followed and the size of optional content and other updates that employ to your PC when the feature update is installed.

Notation:For devices with reserved storage, an update volition start use the reserved storage space before using other disk space. For more than info, see How reserved storage works in Windows.

Windows follows iii different characteristic update paths, depending on the corporeality of disk space currently bachelor.

ane. For PCs with plenty of free disk space

Windows automatically tries to complete more of the update process in the groundwork while you employ your PC. This significantly reduces the fourth dimension your PC will exist offline (or unusable) during the update, although it might temporarily use more disk space to complete the update. Learn more about our efforts to reduce offline time during updates (English language only at this time).

2. For PCs with limited free infinite but still enough to complete the update automatically

Windows will automatically optimize for reducing the amount of gratuitous disk infinite required to install the update. This will event in a longer offline install time.

three. For PCs that don't have plenty space to automatically install the update

Windows will prompt yous to gratuitous up disk infinite or employ external storage to temporarily extend the storage on your PC. If you lot utilise an external storage device, Windows won't demand every bit much complimentary space on the system drive as it temporarily uses your external storage.

Beyond each of these update paths, the total amount of free disk space required will vary, depending on the optional content installed and other updates that use to your PC. For example:

Optional features. Many optional features available for Windows are pre-installed or caused on need past the arrangement, or manually by you. You tin can encounter which ones are installed on your PC by going to Settings > Apps> O ptional features.
Open up Optional features settings
These features range in size from less than 1 MB to almost two GB for the Windows Mixed Reality portal. You can reduce the amount of space required to install a feature update on your PC past uninstalling optional features you aren't using.
Languages installed. Windows is localized into many languages. Although many people merely employ one language at a time, some people switch between two or more languages. You tin see which languages are installed on your PC by selecting Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
Open Linguistic communication settings
During each update, all language resources and whatever associated typing, text-to-speech, speech communication-to-text, and handwriting recognition resource must exist updated. The content for each language can range from well-nigh 175 MB to more than 300 MB. You lot can reduce the corporeality of space required to install a feature update on your PC past uninstalling languages you aren't using.
Driver updates. OEMs and other hardware partners sometimes publish new graphics, networking, sound, and other drivers in conjunction with the new Os update. The size of these drivers can vary significantly, depending on your PC and on which drivers accept been updated.
OS quality updates. During a feature update, Windows tries to download and automatically install the latest quality update so that your PC is fully up to date when yous start using it. Shortly after the feature update is released, the quality update for that feature update could be as small-scale as a few hundred MB, but as more quality and security changes are implemented, the quality update can increase in size to i GB or more. If your PC is short on disk space, yous can download and install the quality update after the characteristic update is complete.

Finally, Windows Update volition temporarily disable hiberfile.sys, pagefile.sys, and other system files in club to use the space these files typically consume to apply the feature update. Any files that are disabled to employ the update will be automatically re-enabled when the update is consummate. Because these files vary in size depending on how yous apply your PC and the amount of RAM your PC has, even in cases where ii different PCs have the verbal same Bone image, the amount of free deejay space required to complete an update may vary.

The combination of update path and features means there'south a wide range of gratis disk infinite required to consummate an update. Hither are a few examples for PCs updating to Windows 10 version 1803:

	Optimized for reduced offline fourth dimension	Optimized for minimal disk space	Optimized for minimal disk space with external storage
Minimal optional features, languages, and updates	20 GB	v.5 GB+	4.5 GB+
Lots of optional features, languages, and updates	xx GB+	13.75 GB+	7 GB+

To bank check the total deejay infinite left on your Windows 11 device, select File Explorer from the taskbar, and and then select This PC on the left. The available space on your bulldoze volition announced under Devices and drives.

File Explorer image of available space on the C drive.

Information technology may be all-time to use an external storage device in the following cases:

When admission to the cyberspace isn't available.
When yous demand to store large files or a large number of files. In these situations, the files generally take longer to upload and information technology might toll more than to shop files.

Generally, nosotros recommend that you cull a larger capacity device considering your local storage and disk space needs may change over fourth dimension. If you know that you lot won't take many photos, videos, or other files and apps to save to your device, the 32 GB device might be a adept option for y'all. A good example is a device that you lot only utilize to run i pocket-sized app, or that you only use for online content that never gets downloaded to the local difficult drive.

When considering what storage hardware to use in your device, don't look simply at the hardware'southward storage capacity. Frequently, the speed of the storage is more of import than its size. Devices with slow storage hardware, such every bit those labeled "HDD" are typically slower to utilize than those using faster storage hardware, such as those labeled "SSD" or "eMMC."

You don't need to remove everything from your hard drive to update your device, but you'll need to free upwardly enough infinite to complete the update.

Related topics

Tips to meliorate PC performance in Windows
Go help with Windows activation errors

If your PC is running low on gratuitous space, you lot might non exist able to install important Windows updates, and your PC'southward performance may be affected. Hither are some ways to free upwards infinite and then yous can keep your PC upward to date and running smoothly. These suggestions are listed in club, so start with the outset ane, see if that helps, and and so continue to the side by side i if it doesn't.

To check the full deejay space left on your Windows x device, select File Explorer from the taskbar, and and then select This PC on the left. The bachelor space on your drive will appear under Devices and drives.

Annotation:If you follow the steps below and continue to have trouble updating Windows because of low disk space, resetting or reinstalling Windows might help. For more info, run into Reinstall Windows.

If y'all used Disk Cleanup to free upward infinite on your device and then meet a Low Disk Space error, information technology's possible that your Temp folder is rapidly filling up with awarding (.appx) files that are used by Microsoft Store. For more than info, come across Low Disk Space error due to a total Temp folder.

Storage Sense tin automatically free up bulldoze space for y'all by getting rid of items that you don't need, like temporary files and items in your Recycle Bin. For more info, see Manage bulldoze space with Storage Sense.

If your system doesn't accept Storage sense, you can utilize the Disk Cleanup tool to delete temporary files and system files from your device.

In the search box on the taskbar, type deejay cleanup, then select it from the results.
Select the check box side by side to the blazon of files you want to delete. (To view a clarification of each type of file, select the name.) Past default, Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, and Thumbnails are selected. Be sure to clear those cheque boxes if you don't want to delete those files.
To free up even more space, select Clean up system files, and so select the type of system files you want to delete. Disk Cleanup will accept a few moments to summate the amount of infinite that tin can be freed up.

Notation:If it's been fewer than ten days since you lot upgraded to Windows ten, your previous version of Windows volition be listed as a arrangement file you can delete. If y'all need to free upwards drive space, you can delete it, simply keep in mind that you'll be deleting your Windows.quondam folder, which contains files that give you the pick to go back to your previous version of Windows. If you lot delete your previous version of Windows, this can't be undone. (Y'all won't exist able to get back to your previous version of Windows.)
After you've selected the types of files you want to delete, select OK, and so select Delete files in the confirmation window to kickoff the cleanup.

Important:

There's likewise an option in Disk Cleanup to Compress your OS drive. Selecting this option compresses the drive on which Windows is installed, helping you lot gain actress space to install important updates. This action does non delete the contents of this bulldoze, and you shouldn't experience bug opening and saving files from the compressed bulldoze.
After you install the update, you can manually decompress the Os drive at whatever time. To do this, select File Explorer from the taskbar, and in the left pane, selectThis PC. Right-click or tap and hold the OS bulldoze (usually disk C), and and so select Properties on the shortcut carte. Clear the Compress this drive to salvage deejay space check box, then selectApply >OK.

Windows ten may indicate that it needs more infinite to go the latest Windows 10 feature update. You lot can utilise an external storage device to help you complete the update.

To acquire more, see Free upward infinite for Windows updates.

Note:You may need to use a micro-USB adapter if your device doesn't have a standard USB port.

Personal files such equally videos, music, photos, and documents can take upwards a lot of infinite on your device. To see which files are using the well-nigh infinite:

Select File Explorer from the taskbar and notice the files y'all want to motion.
UnderThis PCin the menu on the left, select a folder to see what files are saved in it. The Videos, Music, Pictures, and Downloads folders usually incorporate the largest files that you've saved to your device.
To see the size of the files in a folder, select View > Details. Right-click in the open space and then select Sort by > Size to show the largest files at the peak of the listing.
If in that location are files yous no longer demand on your device, you can either delete them or move them to an external storage device like a USB drive or an SD carte du jour.

Annotation:If you delete any files, call up to empty the Recycle Bin to completely remove them from your device and free upwardly space.

To move photos, music, videos, or other files that you want to keep merely don't use very often, consider saving them to an external storage device like a USB drive or an SD card. You lot'll still be able to apply them when the drive is connected, but they won't take up space on your PC.

Connect an external storage device like a USB drive or SD card to your PC.
Select File Explorer from the taskbar and go to the binder that contains the files you want to move.
Select the files, select the Domicile tab, and then select Move to > Choose location.
Select the external storage device you connected in the location list, and so select Move.

Saving new files to another drive will aid prevent low space problems on that drive in the future, and then y'all won't take to move your files to another drive repeatedly. Instead of saving all your new files to the default drive, you lot can save some of them to a different bulldoze that has more than free space.

Select Start > Settings > System > Storage .
Open Storage settings
Under More than storage settings, select Alter where new content is saved.
For each content type, select a drive from the drop-downwardly carte du jour. If the drive y'all want to use isn't listed in that location, make sure information technology's connected to your PC.

Note:OneDrive Files On-Demand requires Windows 10 version 1709 or after and OneDrive client version 17.three.7064.1005 or later on. To see which version of Windows you're running, select Commencement > Settings > System > About . To see which version of the OneDrive customer you have installed, see Which version of OneDrive am I using?
Open Near settings

You tin salve infinite past turning on OneDrive Files On-Need, which stores a smaller placeholder file on your hard drive instead of the full-size file that'south stored in your OneDrive business relationship in the deject. You'll be able to get to your OneDrive files from your PC without having to apply up hard-drive space downloading full-size versions of them all. See Larn almost OneDrive Files On-Demand for more info.

Sometimes a virus or other malware can consume significant hard-drive space by corrupting your system files. If you lot suspect your PC is infected with malware, use an antivirus program like Windows Defender to run a virus browse and cleanup. If this doesn't set the problem, you might need to reset your PC.

If y'all've followed the instructions hither but nonetheless need help freeing up infinite on your device, you can contact Microsoft support to chat with a support agent. This is also recommended if your attempts to gratuitous up drive space trigger particular error codes that y'all need help resolving.

The following questions concern low deejay infinite and Windows Update specifically. Learn more than near Windows Update.

When there isn't enough costless infinite bachelor to install an update, a pop-up notification will prompt you lot that additional space is required to install the update.

When you lot select Prepare issues, yous'll be informed well-nigh how much additional space is needed. You'll as well be notified that you can use an external storage device so that you don't need to free up quite as much space on your system drive. Learn how to gratuitous upwardly space to install Windows updates.

Windows needs more space to update message

The total free deejay space your device requires to consummate an update varies. Typically, feature updates require vi GB–11 GB or more of gratuitous space, while quality updates crave two GB–3 GB or more. Acquire nearly the deviation between a feature update and a quality update.

You need disk infinite to download the update, download new versions of whatsoever optional features and languages that are currently installed, and to utilize the update. Additional infinite is temporarily required to support removal of the update (typically for 10 days). This space tin can exist reclaimed after the update is completed. To do this, Select Start > Settings > System > Storage > Gratis up space now.
Open Storage settings

The update is compressed to reduce download size.

Note:For devices with reserved storage, an update volition first utilise the reserved storage space before using other deejay space. For more info, see How reserved storage works in Windows.

The space required to complete a feature update depends on two factors: which update path is followed and the size of optional content and other updates that apply to your PC when the feature update is installed.

Note:For devices with reserved storage, an update will beginning use the reserved storage space earlier using other disk space. For more info, encounter How reserved storage works in Windows.

Windows follows 3 dissimilar feature update paths, depending on the amount of disk space currently available.

1. For PCs with enough of free deejay space

Windows automatically tries to complete more of the update process in the background while y'all use your PC. This significantly reduces the time your PC will be offline (or unusable) during the update, although information technology might temporarily apply more than disk space to complete the update. Learn more about our efforts to reduce offline time during updates (English only at this fourth dimension).

ii. For PCs with limited gratis space just still plenty to complete the update automatically

Windows volition automatically optimize for reducing the amount of free disk space required to install the update. This volition event in a longer offline install time.

3. For PCs that don't have enough space to automatically install the update

Windows volition prompt you to free up disk space or use external storage to temporarily extend the storage on your PC. If yous use an external storage device, Windows won't demand as much free space on the organisation drive equally information technology temporarily uses your external storage.

Beyond each of these update paths, the full amount of free deejay space required will vary, depending on the optional content installed and other updates that apply to your PC. For example:

Optional features. Many optional features bachelor for Windows are pre-installed or acquired on need by the arrangement, or manually by yous. You tin run into which ones are installed on your PC by going to Settings > Apps > Apps & features > Manage optional features.
Open up Optional features settings
These features range in size from less than 1 MB to almost 2 GB for the Windows Mixed Reality portal. Y'all can reduce the amount of space required to install a feature update on your PC by uninstalling optional features you aren't using.
Languages installed. Windows is localized into many languages. Although many people only utilise one language at a time, some people switch betwixt two or more languages. Y'all can see which languages are installed on your PC by selecting Get-go > Settings > Fourth dimension & Linguistic communication > Language .
Open Language settings
During each update, all linguistic communication resources and any associated typing, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and handwriting recognition resources must exist updated. The content for each language can range from about 175 MB to more than 300 MB. Yous tin can reduce the amount of space required to install a feature update on your PC past uninstalling languages you aren't using.
Driver updates. OEMs and other hardware partners sometimes publish new graphics, networking, audio, and other drivers in conjunction with the new Os update. The size of these drivers can vary significantly, depending on your PC and on which drivers have been updated.
Bone quality updates. During a feature update, Windows tries to download and automatically install the latest quality update so that your PC is fully up to date when you lot starting time using it. Shortly afterward the feature update is released, the quality update for that characteristic update could exist as small equally a few hundred MB, but as more quality and security changes are implemented, the quality update tin can increase in size to one GB or more than. If your PC is curt on disk space, you can download and install the quality update after the feature update is complete.

Finally, Windows Update will temporarily disable hiberfile.sys, pagefile.sys, and other system files in order to use the space these files typically consume to utilise the characteristic update. Whatever files that are disabled to apply the update will exist automatically re-enabled when the update is consummate. Considering these files vary in size depending on how you use your PC and the amount of RAM your PC has, fifty-fifty in cases where two different PCs have the exact aforementioned Os image, the corporeality of free disk space required to consummate an update may vary.

The combination of update path and features means in that location's a wide range of gratis disk space required to consummate an update. Here are a few examples for PCs updating to Windows version 1803:

	Optimized for reduced offline fourth dimension	Optimized for minimal disk infinite	Optimized for minimal deejay space with external storage
Minimal optional features, languages, and updates	20 GB	five.5 GB+	iv.5 GB+
Lots of optional features, languages, and updates	20 GB+	xiii.75 GB+	7 GB+

To cheque the total disk infinite left on your Windows 10 device, select File Explorer from the taskbar, and and then select This PC on the left. The available space on your drive volition appear nether Devices and drives.

File Explorer image of available space on the C drive.

It may exist best to employ an external storage device in the post-obit cases:

When access to the internet isn't available.
When you demand to store big files or a large number of files. In these situations, the files generally take longer to upload and it might cost more than to store files.

Windows Update automatically offers updates to eligible devices. To double check that your device is up to date, select First > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update , and then select Check for updates.
Check for updates

Acquire more about Windows Update.

Generally, we recommend that you choose a larger capacity device because your local storage and deejay infinite needs may change over time. If you know that you won't have many photos, videos, or other files and apps to save to your device, the 32 GB device might be a good option for you. A good example is a device that you but use to run one small app, or that you only use for online content that never gets downloaded to the local hard bulldoze.

When considering what storage hardware to use in your device, don't look just at the hardware's storage chapters. Often, the speed of the storage is more of import than its size. Devices with slow storage hardware, such as those labeled "HDD" are typically slower to employ than those using faster storage hardware, such equally those labeled "SSD" or "eMMC."

Yous don't need to remove everything from your hard drive to update your device, only you'll need to complimentary upwardly plenty space to complete the update.