How to free up disk space on Mac and Windows

Low disk space can negatively impact your computer's performance and speed while preventing you from downloading important files and updates. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to manage and clear disk space on your computer, even if you deal with large files and loads of data.

Before delving into the tools and apps designed to help you clear space, let’s first look at the simplest—and easiest—way to clear space: manually deleting what you don’t need.

Step 1: Get more disk space manually

Any time you delete a file, you’re not completely deleting it. You’re just sending it to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac), where it will continue to take up disk space until you’ve cleared or emptied the bin. You might be surprised to find gigabytes of space taken up by unused files.

How to permanently empty your trash
 

On Windows 

To empty the Recycle Bin on Windows 10 and 11:

1. Find the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.
2. Right-click and select Empty Recycle Bin. Or, open the Recycle Bin and click Empty Recycle Bin in the top-left of the folder window.
3. Click Yes to confirm.
    

On Mac

To empty your Trash folder on a Mac:

1. Locate Trash on your dock.
2. Click Empty in the top-right.
3. Click Empty Trash to confirm.

It’s easy to do but just as easy to forget to do. Clearing up the space you need can be as simple as permanently removing your deleted files.
 

How to uninstall unwanted apps

Both Windows and Mac computers come pre-loaded with a bunch of apps and programs. You may find some of these to be useful, and others not so much. You don’t need to regularly use or even open an app at all for it to take up a significant amount of space on your computer. So it’s a good idea to look through your apps and delete anything you don’t use.
 

On Windows

To delete programs on Windows: 

1. Open Control Panel from the Start menu.
2. Open Programs.
3. Select Programs and Features.
   • You may also be able to select Add or Remove Programs directly from the Start menu. 
4. You’ll be presented with a list of programs on your PC. Right-click on any that you don’t want to keep and select Uninstall.
    

On Mac

To delete apps on Mac: 

1. Open Finder on your dock.
2. Click Applications.
3. Drag the unwanted apps into the Trash.
4. Empty the Trash.

Some apps may store files and data elsewhere, and removing these is a little more complicated. Some of these programs will offer an “Uninstall” utility to make it easier, but if they don’t, you’ll have to search for the program files and remove them manually.

Using Spotlight solves this problem. In Spotlight, search for the program you want to uninstall. Then, you'll see a list of every folder and file associated with it, which you can then drag into the Trash.

There are plenty of third-party apps in the App Store designed to simplify the uninstalling process if you’re nervous about removing something. But be wary about giving an unfamiliar third-party app access to your data.

Step 2: Free up disk space using built-in apps

Both Windows and Mac have built-in tools and apps to help you manage and clear storage space on your computer. Windows 10 and 11 users can use Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense. Mac users running the MacOS Sierra operating system or higher can use the Storage Management feature.
 

How to manually free up space on Windows with Disk Cleanup

When you’re running low on space, it helps to know exactly how much space is available and precisely what’s taking up all your storage. To check on Windows, select File Explorer from the taskbar and then open This PC from the menu on the left. You’ll then be able to see how much space you have available in the Device and Drives section.

Microsoft computers come with a built-in app called Disk Cleanup designed to help you clear temporary files and unneeded data that you might not otherwise be able to identify.

Search for Disk Cleanup in the taskbar and open the app. Then select which drive you want to clean up, and choose which temporary file types you want to delete. If you're going to get rid of more than just the temporary files, you can select Clean Up System Files from Disk Cleanup and select which file types to remove.

Disk Cleanup is an older app that’s not quite as intuitive as its successor, Storage Sense.
 

How to automatically free up space on Windows with Storage Sense

Disk Cleanup requires a bit of manual work to pick and choose which files you don’t want. Microsoft introduced Storage Sense with Windows 10 as an autonomous solution that can work behind the scenes to keep your storage low. Storage Sense can detect which files you don’t need and automatically get rid of them whenever your disk space is low or at intervals you define.

Storage Sense will automatically remove temporary files when your PC is low on disk space. For example, it will delete files from your Recycle Bin or Downloads folder if they’ve been in there or unopened after a certain amount of time.

To enable and configure Storage Sense on Windows 10 and 11: 

1. Click Start and then open Settings.
2. Click System.
3. Click Storage.
   • On Windows 10, click Configure Storage Sense or run it now.
4. Toggle the button below Storage Sense to on.
5. Choose your desired settings.
   • Under Run Storage Sense, select how frequently you want the program to run when you’re online and logged in.
   • Under Temporary files, choose when you want files from your Recycle Bin or Downloads folder to be automatically deleted.
   • Click Clean Now to allow Storage Sense to begin deleting files immediately.

Storage Sense can also make files online-only if they’ve not been open for a certain amount of time. This means they’ll be available in your OneDrive cloud storage, but not locally on your PC.
 

How to free up space on a Mac with storage space recommendations

First, you should check how much space is available on your Mac. 

1. Click the Apple icon at the left of the menu bar on the top of your screen.
2. Select System Settings from the drop-down menu. 
   • Alternatively, open Settings on your dock, then go to General.
3. Scroll down to Storage to see a summary of your available disk space.
4. Click Storage Settings… to and see a detailed breakdown of your disk space, separated into categories to help you visualize.
   • You can see specifically how much storage Documents, System Data, and Apps are using, so you can identify what needs to be moved or deleted.
      

From this window, you'll also be shown some recommendations for optimizing your storage space. Like Disk Cleanup on Windows, Apple created this tool to help you manage and free space on your Mac by making recommendations on what could and should be cleared. Recommendations include:

• Allowing your Mac to automatically remove Apple TV shows and movies that you’ve already watched 
• Automatically erasing items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days
• Storing all files, photos, and messages in iCloud

Your Mac will also automatically clear any caches, logs, and data that aren’t needed whenever storage space starts to run low.

Step 3: Get more disk space by using cloud storage

Getting rid of unwanted files and apps is the priority. But you may find that doing so still isn’t quite enough to get your computer performing the way it should be. Also, you don’t want to delete a file that you may need in the future. If that’s the case,  consider moving the files you want to keep over to the cloud. An external storage device may work but is nowhere near as versatile as cloud storage.

Using a cloud storage service like Dropbox means you can save all your files online and access them from any device with an internet connection. With the Dropbox desktop app, you can access and edit your files on your Mac or PC as you would with local files. They’ll be saved on a remote server, so won’t take up space on your computer.

Worried about accidentally deleting files you end up needing later? Dropbox file backup has your back. With file recovery and version history, you can restore your deleted files or previous versions of work without missing a beat. By default, Dropbox backs up all of your files, including early versions of files, for a full 30 days—and up to 180 days or even 1 year, depending on the Dropbox plan you choose.

Cloud storage is an increasingly important solution for individuals and businesses alike. It’s scalable, so you can get as much storage as you need. You can access your files from anywhere, without having to lug around a hefty external hard drive. And using it means you don’t have to compromise on your device’s speed and performance.

If you keep all of your files in the cloud and have only system files and apps stored on your computer, you can expect to see huge improvements in how it runs.

Free up storage space with Dropbox

Say “goodbye” to the hassle of low disk space and “hello” to seamless access to your files from any device, anywhere. With Dropbox, you can easily store, manage, and back up your important files without slowing your computer down. You can even save space by storing your files and folders as online-only.

Enjoy peace of mind with file recovery and version history features, ensuring you never lose important work. Don’t let disk space issues slow you down. Sign up for Dropbox today and experience the freedom of cloud storage.