Hello, dear friends. In this article I will tell you how to clean up drive C from unnecessary files. When it's full, the computer may not function well because it doesn't have enough memory. If Windows is running slowly, lagging, or even won't boot, you can delete programs and other data to free up space on your computer. system disk.
Information can be deleted manually or using Disk Cleanup, a built-in utility operating system, designed to clean up a large number of unnecessary files. You can also think about removing programs that take up a lot of disk space but are rarely used.
Now let's look at the necessary steps to free up space on drive C from garbage.
To do this you need:
- Open the Start menu by clicking the Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen.
- Find "Control Panel" on the right side of the menu.
- Alternatively, you can go to My Computer if you already know exactly what you want clean system disk"C".
- Right-click on the " Local disk(C:)."
- Select Properties to open a pop-up menu. The General tab displays a pie chart showing the usage and free space on the "C" drive.
- Click the Disk Cleanup button to see how much space you can free up.
- Next, go to the “Control Panel”, select “System and Security”. A window will open on the screen containing the option “Free up disk space”, which in turn will activate the built-in cleaning program. This menu also contains information that allows you to view and change system status, perform backup data and system settings, update your computer, view volume RAM and processor speed, check the firewall.
See the entire process of cleaning the “C” drive in more detail in several videos in this article.
How to clean local drive C and what you need for this
- Select the “Free up disk space” command.
- Find a link in the small text under the "Administration" heading at the bottom of the page that will ask you to select a drive.
- Select the drive to clean. Here you will be offered the opportunity to clean up local disks “C”, “D”, etc. Select drive “C”, provided that Windows XP is not installed on any other drive. Typically, "C" stores system data, and "D" contains all documents, records and program files.
- After selecting the drive, click OK to continue.
You need to avoid damaging the system data stored on the C drive as it is important for the normal functioning of the computer. If the file seems strange, it may be a virus. In this case, I advise you to scan the entire system drive or a specific folder with such a suspicious file using the utility. You can also try to identify it using search engine on the Internet. Surely someone has already encountered a similar problem and was looking for an answer to it on the Internet.
Selecting information to delete
How to clean up local drive C? You must wait while Disk Cleanup calculates how much space can be freed. This process can last from a few seconds to several minutes. The more information is stored on the disk, the longer it will take to scan. A pop-up window should appear telling you that Disk Cleanup is calculating how much space can be freed up on your local C drive.
Select the data to delete. We highlight each option to see what information is included in this category and what exactly we will delete. Here you can see how much memory each file type takes up. If temporary Internet data only takes up a few kilobytes, then deleting it is unlikely to change the interface. The user must independently decide whether deleting this data will affect his or her experience. If you are in dire need of free disk space, then do not hesitate to select all the items from the list.
How to clean drive C? Delete downloaded program files. This folder includes ActiveX and Java controls that load automatically when you view certain pages. They are saved in the downloaded program data folder on your hard drive. If you clear them, they will load as needed when you visit the appropriate pages. Cleaning temporary Internet files. These copies of websites are stored on your hard drive for quick browsing. This folder can be safely deleted as you will not lose your personalized settings and web page registration information.
Now you can clear game news and statistics. This data takes up a lot of memory only if the user frequently runs computer games. All this can be removed to free up space. What functions does all this data serve? Game news files make it easy to deliver RSS feeds to your personal game library. If you don’t have a lot of games installed on your computer that are regularly updated, then you don’t have to delete this. Game statistics data is generated to support various applications. All this can be safely deleted along with the news.
Cart and temporary data
What to do if drive C is full? It's time to empty the Recycle Bin as it contains all the files that have been deleted. They are not permanently deleted until you empty that folder. The Recycle Bin may be full or nearly empty, depending on how many files have recently been deleted and how often the folder is emptied.
Now we delete temporary files. Clearing this category often frees up a lot of disk space. The operating system automatically creates these temporary files to protect the information we work with. These files may be associated with Word documents, edited images, incomplete or canceled downloads (from browsers and applications downloading updates, plugins, etc.). We delete all temporary files that have not been modified for at least a week.
Typically, the system deletes temporary files when the computer is turned off. If it crashes, shuts down unexpectedly, or crashes, then those files are not instructed to be deleted and are delayed indefinitely. If a user does not turn off the computer often enough and instead puts it into sleep mode, they may notice a build-up of temporary files.
Thumbnails, system information and other data
How to clear memory? Removing thumbnail images. Windows XP stores a cached copy of all thumbnails of photos, videos, and documents. Thanks to this, the system can display files faster when opening a folder. However, these files can accumulate when we create new folders and stop using old directories. If you delete these thumbnails, the system will automatically recreate them as needed.
Now you can start cleaning system files. In the "Disk Cleanup" menu there is a "Clean up system files" button. We select it if we want to clear additional space, and wait for the program to calculate how much information can be safely deleted. Within 1-2 minutes the same Disk Cleanup menu should appear with additional categories of files that need to be deleted. You need to think about what each of these file types means and decide whether they can be deleted.
How to free up space on drive C? Service pack backup files are older versions of the data that Windows stores. Please note that once these files are cleared, it will no longer be possible to remove the update packages. Temporary installation Windows files- This is information used by the operating system installation. These files remain after installation, but they are no longer needed, so you can delete them.
Cleaning Windows updates are saved copies of each recently installed update center that are created after receiving a more recent version. This function removes old versions of updates that are no longer needed but take up space on your hard drive. You need to be prepared to restart your computer after the system is cleaned.
Unnecessary files
How to quickly clean up C drive? When everything is ready, all you have to do is click “OK” to delete. You need to make sure that the checkboxes next to all file categories that need to be cleaned are selected. The program will ask if we want to permanently delete these files. Let's check all the selected files again. If you are sure, then you need to click “Delete” to shut down and clean up the disk with Windows 7. If you are not quite sure, then you need to return to the file selection window and make sure that the correct categories are marked.
We are waiting for the program to free up disk space. After clicking the Delete button, a pop-up window will appear informing you that the cleanup utility is erasing unnecessary disk files on your computer. We watch the green progress bar to assess how far the removal process has progressed. Depending on the amount of information being deleted (in the worst case, it can be several GB), the utility can work from 1 to 20 minutes.
If for some reason you change your mind, you can click the “Cancel” button to the right of the green status bar. Files that have already been deleted will disappear, but the program will save the remaining information for the freed drive. Below the progress bar, you can see which files are currently being cleaned. This can help us evaluate progress and decide whether the process needs to be cancelled.
Old applications
How to completely clear disk space? We remove old applications to free up disk space with Windows 10. Open the “Programs and Features” menu by clicking the “Start” button. Select “Control Panel”, “Programs”, “Programs and Features”. We wait until the list displays all applications installed on the computer.
We are looking for programs that take up a lot of space and are not used often. Select any of them and click “Delete”. Some applications, in addition to deleting, will also offer modification or recovery functions. To change the program, select “Change” or “Restore”.
It is necessary to understand the following rules of equivalence:
1 kilobyte (KB) = 1024 bytes;
1 megabyte (MB) = 1024 KB;
1 gigabyte (GB) = 1024 MB;
1 terabyte (TB) = 1024 GB.
Your program sizes are probably in the range of up to 100 GB. If you are prompted to enter an administrator password, you will need to do so. If you do not know the password, you should contact your computer administrator for help. How to free up space on your system disk? Now all that remains is to delete the old ones installation files. When we download an application from the Internet, in most cases it is a file with the extension “exe”, called “setup”. Once you have run this file and successfully installed the program, you can safely remove it.
How to clean up drive C? Before freeing up space on your hard drive, you must be patient as individual processes can take anywhere from 1 to 20 minutes. When deleting files, the monitor screen may flicker slightly - this is normal. Be careful not to delete important programs and other valuable information. If you are not sure about the advisability of deleting a file, then it is better to leave it alone.
As using Windows Temporary files accumulate on the disk system programs, contents of the recycle bin, old OS recovery images and other data. You can delete them.
In Explorer, right-click on the system drive (usually drive C) and select “Properties” → “Disk Cleanup”. In the next window, mark the items that take up the most space, click OK and confirm deletion.
To erase even more temporary files, including update data and outdated restore points, click Disk Cleanup again and click Clean up system files. Mark the largest objects in the list that appears and delete them. Then go to the Advanced tab, click Clean up under System Restore and Shadow Copies and confirm deletion.
It is especially useful to perform such cleaning after updates, since a large backup copy of the previous version of Windows may remain on the computer.
Browsers and others installed programs Over time, they fill the system with temporary files. Sometimes this data can take up a significant amount of storage space. But you can quickly get rid of such garbage with the help free utilities like .
There may be large files on your computer that you don’t need and are just wasting disk space. Searching for them manually is a thankless task. Moreover, there are programs that analyze the disk and display a list of all folders and files on the computer, ordered by size. Use one of them to find and remove unnecessary objects.
Over the years of using a computer, duplicates usually accumulate on it: accidentally copied pictures, songs downloaded several times, and other objects. You don't need these copies, and together they can take up significant storage space. To avoid searching for them yourself, use one of these to find and remove duplicate files.
Windows 10 comes with a built-in Compact OS utility that can make your system smaller. This happens by removing unnecessary OS elements and compressing the remaining data. This way you can free up to 6 GB on the local drive where Windows is installed (usually drive C). If you're interested, do it just in case. backups important data and use it.
Computers are devices of fine technical and software organization. One of the conditions for their functioning at 100% of their existing potential is, naturally, cleanliness and order both inside and outside. system unit, and directly in sections hard drive. If you do not systematically clean your PC from dust, dirt and “digital debris,” sooner or later trouble will happen to it. It will begin to “slow down” and “glitch” or fail completely - it will stop starting.
This article will help you clear drive C of unnecessary files manually and using special programs.
How to remove unnecessary files manually?
Empty the trash!
Everything is earlier in Windows deleted folders and the files are stored in a special directory called “Trash”. It performs the same functions as a trash can in a house or apartment - all the trash is thrown into it. You can restore data that you deleted from this software reservoir at any time.
However, if the “Trash” only stores everything unnecessary, it must be emptied. Because recycled “digital trash” continues to occupy system partition space. Why waste it? Still, it’s better to spend free megabytes (or even gigabytes!) on useful program or a game. Agree.
To empty the Trash, do the following:
1. Right-click on the “Recycle Bins” shortcut on your desktop.
2. From the contextual set of options, select “Empty Trash.”
"Cleaning" in Windows directories
During operation of the operating system, so-called temporary files accumulate in its folders. After a one-time use of Windows or some other program, they turn into “ballast”.
To get rid of them:
1. Press the key combination - “Win” and “E”.
2. Right-click on the “Disk C” icon.
3. In the system menu, click “Properties”.
4. In the new window, on the General tab, click Disk Cleanup.
5. Wait a moment. System utility Before deleting files from the disk, you need to analyze the directories.
6. Check the boxes next to the elements that need to be deleted (“Magazine”, “Sketches”, etc.).
7. Click the “Clear...” button.
Upon completion of the procedure, you can also remove the saved OS restore points and thereby further increase the free space of the system partition. This is done like this:
1. In the same window, go to the “Advanced” tab.
2. In the “System Restore…” block, click “Clean”.
3. Confirm deleting backup points: in the request message, click “Delete”.
Attention! After running the command Windows utility deletes all existing restore points except the last one.
What's going on in the Temp folder?
The Temp folder also serves as storage for temporary files. Many programs and the operating system itself place their elements in it during various operations (unpacking archives, updating, installation, etc.).
You definitely need to visit Temp regularly and clean out all its contents. It can store not only temporary files, but also viruses. Huge number digital “strains” after a successful attack on a PC are located here.
To clear Temp:
1. Open the folder. It is located in the directory:
Drive C → Users → → AppData → Local
2. Press the combination “Ctrl+A” to select all files and folders.
3. Click right button mice. Select "Delete".
Have you been on the Internet? Clean up your browser!
After visiting sites, a fairly large amount of information, including confidential information, is stored in the cache (special storage) and browser log. Naturally, it also reduces the precious free megabytes of the C drive.
Therefore, make it a rule to clean your browser after finishing web surfing (working on the Internet). This procedure will not take much of your time - only 1-2 minutes, no more!
1. In almost all popular browsers (Opera, Google Chrome, Firefox) cleaning is launched by the hot key combination - “Ctrl + Shift + Del”. Click them simultaneously while in a web browser window.
2. In the settings of the panel that opens, specify that you need to delete the data that was saved for the entire period of using the browser. Also check the boxes next to the objects that need cleaning.
3. Click the "Clear history" button.
Get rid of unnecessary applications
Some users, especially beginners, experience “Plyushkin’s disease” in the process of selecting and installing programs and games.
Whatever they come across on torrent trackers, websites dedicated to software, and other Internet sources, as well as on disks and flash drives borrowed from friends and acquaintances, they are sure to install on their PC. And at the same time they are guided by the same thought as the well-known literary hero: “I’ll take it, keep it, it’ll come in handy someday.” As a result of this approach, computer clutter occurs almost exponentially.
To neutralize from Windows unnecessary game, utility, follow this guide:
1. Click Start (the first icon on the left at the bottom of the display).
2. In the pop-up panel, click “Control Panel”.
3. In the “Programs” section, click “Uninstall...”.
4. Left-click once in the list on the program you want to get rid of.
5. Click the “Delete” option at the top (above the list).
6. Follow the prompts of the uninstaller that opens to neutralize the software from the computer disk.
Advice! You can also open the uninstaller in another way: Start → All Programs → folder of the application to be removed → Uninstall file, or Uninstaller (or in Russian - Delete, Uninstall).
How to remove applications installed with the system?
Browser Internet Explorer, the Notepad application, games (Klondike, Solitaire, etc.) and other applications integrated into Windows cannot be uninstalled using the method described above, or using special utilities. They can only be disabled - make sure that they are not displayed in the operating system.
1. Open: Start → Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features.
2. In the window that opens, in the list on the left, click the last item - “Turn on and off components...”.
3. Uncheck the box next to the component that you want to remove (for example, Games → Mahjong).
4. Click OK. Wait until the operation completes.
Automatic removal of unnecessary files
Cleaner programs
This category of software is designed to help you clean up your system partition in a matter of minutes. Using special algorithms, these utilities delicately remove all existing “software obscenities” from the registry, OS directories, browsers and other applications.
Let's look at the most effective solutions.
Accurately detects and neutralizes temporary, unnecessary folders and files from drive C (Temp folder, thumbnail cache, memory dumps, system log). Correctly cleans browser directories (cache, cookies, browsing history, saved passwords and logins) and other trusted applications (WinRAR, Nero, Google panel, etc.). Brings order to the registry: checks its integrity, eliminates errors in “branches”.
One of the most powerful utilities for optimizing the OS and cleaning drive C. Cleans efficiently system folders and fixes problems in the registry. Provides the user with the ability to comfortably manage startup, scheduled tasks and uninstall useless apps. Has special settings for selective cleaning.
The most convenient tool for global and selective cleaning of the system disk. Uses more than 90 algorithms for removing unnecessary objects. Highly optimizes the registry, startup, general settings OS. Able to perform detailed monitoring of consumed system resources in real time. Very easy to operate.
To use nCleaner:
1. In the utility window, click the “Clean System” section.
2. To clean the directories on drive C, in the “Clean system...” block, click the “Clean Now” button.
To fix errors in the registry, click the same button, but in the “Registry clean...” block.
3. Upon completion of the analysis of the selected objects, click “Remove”.
What to do with unnecessary drivers?
Of course, delete it. If a device is no longer on the PC, for example, a video card, hard drive, webcam, then, accordingly, its driver is not needed.
To solve this problem, it is best to use specialized utilities. For example, Driver Sweeper. This tiny program is indispensable when you need to find out which drivers are installed in the OS and remove unnecessary ones. It has additional useful features(registry cleaning, backup, etc.). Equipped with a multilingual interface.
Uninstaller programs
These maintenance utilities uninstall programs and games in a semi-automatic mode. They find and run the uninstaller for the specified application, and then, upon completion standard removal, free the system partition from the remaining elements of the remote application.
Let's look at the most popular uninstaller utilities on the Internet.
A worthy alternative to the system applet responsible for uninstalling software. Endowed with advanced functions, carefully analyzes directories. Finds all program remnants in folders and the registry. Equipped with an easy to use control panel.
It analyzes the disk and cleans it from “digital garbage” at lightning speed. Neutralizes objects from folders and the registry without interfering with the performance of the system and programs.
Solution from Chinese developers. Endowed with powerful algorithms for scanning system objects. Has the Force Scan function.
How to delete undeletable files?
If you have not yet encountered a situation where an unnecessary file “does not want” to be deleted, you will definitely encounter it in the future. This occurs because the object being deleted is being used by an application or driver.
Such problems are also resolved with the help of special utilities. Here are some of them:
Has a tiny size. Integrates into the OS context menu. Tells the user which specific process is blocking the application. Correctly removes files in directories. Operates with just a few mouse clicks.
Can remove a large number of file locks related to user rights, access and security. Instantly terminates all blocking processes and safely sends the selected item to the trash.
It is protected from inappropriate use: it does not delete files without which the system cannot work and in which confidential user data is stored. Effectively removes locks and deletes files of almost all categories.
Beware, memory eaters!
Windows, by default, reserves system partition memory for its special files. They can have a fairly substantial volume - 4.7, 10 GB or more. But if there is no need for these files, or rather for the functions that they support, of course, it makes sense to remove them. Who wouldn't mind another 5-10 free gigabytes on drive C?
Pagefile.sys
The swap file is a kind of software reservoir for PC RAM. It temporarily stores data that the RAM cannot accommodate. But if you have a powerful computer with about 6-8 GB of RAM, then this file can be removed by disabling a special option.
1. Go to: Panel → Control Panel → System and Security → System.
2. Click “Advanced options...”. In the properties panel, click "Options" in the "Performance" block.
3. Go to the “Advanced” subsection.
4. In the block " Virtual memory» click "Edit".
5. Uncheck the “Automatically select...” option.
6. Click the radio button “No paging file”, click “OK”.
Advice! To reduce the size of pagefile.sys., click “Specify size” and enter the file size in megabytes in the “Initial ...” and “Minimum ...” fields.
Hiberfil.sys
IN this file Data is saved when the PC goes into a special “Sleep mode” - hibernation. If you do not use this option, do the following:
1. Open Start. In the search bar, type - CMD.
2. Run the application that appears in the panel with administrator rights.
3. Enter the directive - powercfg.exe /hibernate off
4. Press "Enter".
You can also disable hibernation through the “Run” panel (launched by the “Win + R” combination). Type in its line - powercfg –h off and click “OK”.
Successful Windows cleaning!
Increasing the size of drives does not always avoid the question of how to clear drive C of unnecessary files.
You can solve the problem by installing and running a special utility CCleaner, downloaded from the website of the developer company. Its advantages:
- Search for data that other cleaning programs do not see;
- Intuitive interface;
- Possibility of free use.
CCleaner program
To clean up temporary files that are not deleted by built-in using Windows, you can also use applications like:
- Disk Cleaner utilities;
- Software package TuneUp Utilities;
- RevoUninstaller Applications.
Additional cleaning methods
In cases where all of the above options did not help add space on the system disk, you should use additional methods, among which are:
- Increasing the volume of the system partition at the expense of the others (in this case, the combined local disk must be located on the same HDD).
There are a number of programs for this, although if using them it is better to make a copy important information from connected sections; - Moving folders with music and movies from drive C (including the desktop). On the desktop you should leave only shortcuts to directories that will be located in other HDD partitions;
- Removing duplicate files, if there are any on your computer.
This can be done manually or using a special program downloaded free of charge from the manufacturer’s website Duplicate Killer, which detects and deletes completely identical images, videos or folders; - Cleaning the “Downloads” folder, which may also contain programs that have not been used for a long time;
- Reducing the amount of space allocated for information for restoring the operating system;
- Disabling hibernation, a mode that saves data from RAM on the hard drive and takes up approximately the same amount of space as the RAM itself.
The function is disabled in two ways: by entering Powercfg /Hibernate off on the command line or by setting the zero parameter in the additional power options (Start - Control Panel - Power Options).
Cleaning for Windows 10
All of the previously mentioned disk cleaning methods apply to any version of Windows. However, there are also those that can only be used in the latter.
In Windows 10, several additional utilities have appeared to gain additional space on the system disk by deleting unnecessary files and folders.
Storage
First of all, the user of this OS should try to clean up the C drive using the “Storage” settings available in the “All Settings” menu (called by clicking on the system notification icon or pressing the “Win” and “I” keys simultaneously) when selecting the “ System".
Settings Windows storage 10
This settings section allows you to view the amount of space occupied by programs, music, images, videos and documents.
Here you can install a disk on which the corresponding files will be automatically installed, which will help avoid filling up the system partition.
System disk memory usage
For example, from this list you can select temporary files that are no longer needed and should be deleted to free up space.
Among them is information from the system recycle bin and boot folders, which can be easily deleted directly from this menu.
Also, when viewing “Storage”, you can see the sizes of each of the system files, including the swap file, system restore and hibernation.
The last two can be deleted, although this may lead to data loss if there is a problem with the system.
The Applications and Games section contains information about the programs installed on the PC, including the amount of space they occupy. Some of them can only be deleted.
But those that were installed from " Windows Store 10" are also moved to other disks, freeing up space on the system one.
Compress hibernation file and OS files
In the 10th version of the operating Windows systems A special Compact OS utility has appeared that compresses system files and reduces the space they occupy in the system partition.
According to the software manufacturer, it works well enough powerful computer does not affect its performance at all.
In this case, enabling the compression function by launching command line via “Start” and entering the command: compact /compactos:query Sometimes it allows you to free up to 2 GB.
The ability to compress the hibernation file has also been increased.
If in the past Windows versions it only turned off, freeing up space approximately equal to the PC’s RAM, but also removing some of the functions for quick startup, now you can even reduce its size.
At the same time quick start will be possible, but the hibernation file will take up less space.
Moving Applications
IN Windows system 10 installed several standard utilities and applications like OneNote, mail, calendar and weather monitoring.
They are removed from the Start menu, but not always removed from the list of all applications.
And in context menu There is no deletion option for them. Yet programs are relatively easy to remove using PowerShell commands.
In this not very long article I want to tell you about another way to increase free space on the system disk. Let me remind you that for normal computer operation you need to always leave approximately 10% of the system disk size free.
This time we'll do without any computer programs and use the built-in cleaning tool for the Windows operating system.
At the end of the article, I will remind you of other methods for removing several gigabytes of unnecessary files from the most important disk on your computer.
So, first, some water. Previously, I told all my friends and acquaintances reinstalling Windows I made a system disk of 60 GB in size, naively believing that this would save it from overflowing...
...but then I realized that I need to teach users how to clean it themselves sometimes and take care of it. This is how several articles were born on this site dedicated to cleaning the system disk.
No matter how hard you try, but The system disk swells over time and most often this is facilitated by the users themselves through their rash actions, for example, installing huge games on this drive or placing many personal files that can (and should) be stored on another logical drive or partition.
But the system itself “helps” fill its disk with various logs, error reports, outdated updates and their installers, restore points... It puts all this in its special WinSxS folder, which we will clean up now.
Go to the WinSxS folder and clean it manually - this will simply kill the system. To optimize this folder, the creators (gods) of Windows gave us special utility with the “original” name “Disk Cleanup”.
“Disk Cleanup” is available in Windows 8 and almost all Windows 7. This utility is missing only for those who do not have the KB2852386 update installed.
Cleaning the system disk
Everything is very, very simple. Click on the “Start” button and in the menu that appears, go along the path: “All Programs” - “Accessories” - “System Tools”...
...run “Disk Cleanup” and specify the system drive...
Click “Ok”...
...and wait for a while...
...until such a window appears...
...in which you need to check the boxes for files to be cleaned. Don't forget about the slider on the right and move it down...
When you select a line, a description appears at the bottom of the window.
In my screenshot, the outdated updates are only 2.13 MB in size - this is because a few minutes ago I did this cleanup without screenshots and freed up almost a whole gigabyte.
Each user will have their own size of garbage to be removed - it depends on the time and intensity of use of the system.
After checking the boxes, click “Ok” and boldly agree with the warning...
...cleaning the system disk of unnecessary files.
In the “Advanced” tab you can delete all system restore points except the last one. They usually take up a lot of space...
Personally, these restore points have never saved me, and therefore I immediately disable this service after installing the system.
That's all cleaning the system disk without programs. At the end of the article, as promised, I’ll remind you of a couple more ways to optimize the most important disk on your computer.
Disabling hibernation usually frees up SEVERAL GIGABYTES on the system disk. I also highly recommend you transfer three petty daddies to another disk. And of course, don’t forget to use the best cleaner of all time, CCleaner.
