How to Free Up Disk Space on Windows 11 (Without Losing Files)
A full C: drive slows updates, breaks game installs and makes Windows sluggish. The good news: most of the space is usually junk Windows and your apps leave behind, and you can get it back without touching your own files.
Work through these in order. The first few are completely safe; the later ones have trade-offs, which are spelled out.
1. Find out what's actually using the space
Open Settings → System → Storage. Windows breaks the drive down into apps, temporary files, documents and more; click Show more categories for the full list. Often one thing dominates: a game library, a Downloads folder, or video files. Fixing that one thing beats any amount of cleaning.
2. Use Cleanup recommendations
In the same Storage page, open Cleanup recommendations. It lists temporary files, large or unused files, files synced to the cloud, and apps you haven't opened in a while. Review each list before deleting; it shows you what you'd remove.
3. Delete temporary files
Under Storage → Temporary files, tick the categories you want gone: Windows Update cleanup, Delivery Optimization files, thumbnails, temporary files and the Recycle Bin are safe to remove. Untick Downloads unless you've checked it: that's your real Downloads folder.
4. Turn on Storage Sense
Switch on Storage Sense in the Storage page and configure it to empty the Recycle Bin and clear temporary files on a schedule. It keeps the drive from filling up again.
5. Clean up system files
Run Disk Cleanup from the Start menu, choose your C: drive, then click Clean up system files. This finds things the normal view hides, such as old Windows Update packages and, after a major upgrade, Previous Windows installation(s). Deleting the previous installation frees a lot of space but removes the option to roll back the upgrade; Windows removes it automatically after about 10 days anyway.
6. Uninstall apps and move games
In Settings → Apps → Installed apps, sort by size and remove what you don't use. Game launchers like Steam can move an installed game to another drive without re-downloading it.
7. Turn off hibernation (desktops)
The hibernation file (hiberfil.sys) can take several gigabytes. If you never hibernate, typically on a desktop, open Terminal (Admin) and run:
powercfg /h offThis also turns off Fast Startup. Run powercfg /h on to undo it. On a laptop, keep hibernation if you use it.
8. Clear app and game caches
Browsers, Discord, launchers and GPU shader caches all grow over time. They're rebuilt automatically, so clearing them is safe, but a game may stutter briefly on first launch while shaders recompile, and clearing browser cookies signs you out of sites.
Do it in one place
Krypt Cleaner is a free Windows cleaner that covers the steps above from one window:
- A Health Check that shows how much space you can reclaim before you clean anything.
- Temp files, update caches, shader caches, crash dumps, browser data, and app and game caches.
- Storage analysis and a duplicate finder that never deletes on its own.
- A risk label on every action, with sensitive browser data opt-in.
No account, no telemetry, no bundled adware, and the source is on GitHub.
FAQ
What can I safely delete to free up space on Windows 11?
Temporary files, Windows Update cleanup, Delivery Optimization files, thumbnails, the Recycle Bin, crash dumps and app caches. Check the Downloads folder by hand before deleting it.
Is it safe to delete Windows Update cleanup files?
Yes. They're copies of updates that are already installed. Removing them only means you can't uninstall those specific updates.
Why does my C drive keep filling up?
Usually temp files, update caches, browser and app caches, and game installs. Turn on Storage Sense, and check Settings → System → Storage to see which category is growing.
Do PC cleaners make my computer faster?
They free space, which helps when a drive is nearly full. On a drive with plenty of room, cleaning won't change performance much. For speed, see how to increase FPS on Windows 11.