How To Free Up Disk Space in Windows 8

Are you a windows 8 user and you have your PC’s disk to be full with no room to keep more files, then you have to free up disk space. The question now is how to free up disk space in windows 8?

Well, this article has brought to you ways to free up disk space in windows 8 to enable you keep more files on your disk. Read on to know more.

Uninstall useless programs

On way to free up disk space in windows 8 is by uninstalling programs you no longer need. This allows your disk to have more space to take in more files. See the steps below.

How to uninstall useless programs in Windows 8

• Hit the Start button; click on the magnifying glass to bring up the search window. Type Free in it.
• Select the Free up disk space on this PC from the displayed result. Under Apps, click on See my app sizes to display all the apps with the largest disk space usage.
• Select an app and hit the Uninstall button. It may pop-up another window, click Uninstall again. Repeat this process to free up disk space in windows 8.

 

Emptying your computer’s recycle bin:

Another way to free up disk space in windows 8 is by emptying your computer’s recycle bin or deleting large unwanted media (files) – e.g. videos, audios, photos. Follow the steps below to successfully empty your recycle bin.

 

Open the recycle bin app on your computer; below each file, you’ll the disk space consumed by each of the files.

 

ü  Select the app or file you want to delete,

ü  Right click on the file, you’ll see an various options that include restore, delete, and so on.

ü  Click on delete to remove the file. You’ll be asked if you want to permanently delete the file, if you’re sure, Click Yes. 

Repeat this process for each of the file you want to delete.

If you want to permanently delete every file in the recycle bin, instead of selecting them one after another, select all once (CTRL + A, on your keyboard); and follow the steps above.

Quick Note: It is advisable to always backup your files just in case you delete it from your computer. You might need them in the future! You can later reinstall any app anytime in the future.

How To Free Up Disk Space in Windows 8  

Data associated with a program you have deleted may still remain on your computer and could be taking up large amount of space. So to free up space by clearing those unwanted data, you can use windows disk cleanup utility to clear those data and any temporary file associated with the deleted program.

You can also use disk space analyzer tool to help you check for files taking up space. If you’re having issues removing a program, try use a third-party uninstaller app or check if the program manufacturer website to see if there’s an official way of removing the program.

More Ways to Free Up Disk Space in Windows 8

1. Uninstall unnecessary apps and programs

There are some apps on your PC that you don’t use. Those apps are eating up large disk space; uninstall them!  To do this, 

• Hit the “Start” button from your desktop.

• Select “Apps.”

• Select “Apps and Features.”

• Sort it by size to see the apps consuming much space. 

• Uninstall and delete completely anyone you don’t use. Simply select the app, and click on “Uninstall”

 

2. Delete Large files

You won’t know some files are taking much space on your disk until it’s full. To see those large files, 

• Open Windows Explorer / File Explorer,

• Select “This PC.”

• Type “size” into the search box on the upper-right-hand corner.

• You’ll see a result that shows several categories of file sizes, ranging from “smallest” to “largest.”

• Check those large files if you need them, if you don’t, move them to trash

• Do the same with other files you wish to delete!

3. Utilize the Disk Cleanup Tool

This utility allows you to delete unnecessary operating system files. Windows will recognize these files and delete those that are no longer needed. To do this,

Locate ‘Disk C’ on your PC under file explorer, right click on it and select properties, then you’ll find disk cleanup. Hit the “disk cleanup" button and the cleanup process starts. Note that it may take several minutes.

4. Discard temporary files

When you visit a website, there are always trails of files left behind, such as images, text files, cache and cookies. All these enables you to visit the same site faster; but if you want privacy and really wish to free up space on your disk, no need for keeping these trails of files. Delete them! 

Note: Each browser has its own way of clearing these files so you’ve got to check your browser documentation to do the right thing. There you delete cookies, clear cache, and delete temporary files. This will have a positive effect on your hard disk.

5. Save to the cloud

When you save to the cloud, you have more space on your PC for other things. Aside from freeing up disk space, saving to the cloud your files are safe even if you lose your PC or hard drive, you can easily accessible from anywhere even without your PC.

You can do this by backing up the files to the cloud. Some cloud storage services include google drive, iDrive, Box, Apple iCloud, Pcloud.

Conclusion

In this article, we have highlighted different ways to free up disk space in windows 8 as well as how to execute the ways. So if you're having issues with your PC in terms of low disk space, then you should try any of the above methods. Note that if at all you have to clean up important files on your PC, remember to save a backup copy of the files somewhere else.

I hope you find this article helpful.

If you have any question, drop it in the comments box below.