The Importance of Memory Optimization
Most modern hard drives are capable of storing up to several terabytes of info and the question of how to get more disk space on PC does not seem to be relevant.
On the other hand, the volume of information people deal with is also increasing swiftly. For example, software, games, or other utilities become larger and larger. As a result, many owners of fast but smaller SSD drives have to look for ways to free up disk space.
What problems can you come across when you have little space left on your hard drive? If you exclude the obvious lack of space for new files, then the second problem is a decrease in computer performance. In addition, you will not be able to install important operating system updates, which can protect your computer and boost its efficiency.
In this article, you can find all the information that can help you free up disk space on PC and prevent this situation.
Perhaps you have accumulated a lot of temporary files that slow down the operating system? Or maybe you have a lot of video data stored and you are wondering how to compress MP4 files?
Scroll down below to find answers to these and many other questions.
The Best Ways to Free up Disk Space
Looking up how to clean up hard drives, it is important to understand which files cause the problem in order to fix it properly. Below, you can get an insight into the most widespread and efficient methods.
Delete Programs and Apps
Perhaps this is the first method that comes to mind when talking about freeing up disk space.
For most users, most of the disk space is used to store applications and games. It is necessary to revise the content you store on the hard drive from time to time and identify those files that you have not used in a while.
Those who use Windows should open the control panel and select the “Uninstall a program” option. In this menu, they can filter the data by size and determine which ones take up the most space. After that, just click the “Delete” button.
For Mac users, the guide is similar, but they need to first go to the “Storage” section and then click the “Manage” button.
Clean up Desktop
Most PC users store files on the desktop for convenience and speed of access to information. Moreover, this is often the default location where programs are installed or files are downloaded.
If you have such a situation, then it is likely that your computer is running inefficiently. The reason is that files (especially large ones) slow down your OS, as they take up RAM.
It is worth reconsidering the possibility of deleting all the files that you do not need. If you cannot do this for some reason, then simply transfer them to separate folders that are not located on the system drive.
Launch Disk Cleaner Tools
In this case, you can use both the built-in utilities that come standard with a Windows or Mac PC or use special cleaning programs. Let’s start with the first option. If you are a Windows user, you need to go to the settings of the disk of interest and select the “Cleanup” option.
Please note that this function is not equivalent to defragmentation. In the first case, the system automatically searches for files that slow down the computer. If you launch defragmentation, the disk space will be optimized by compression without deleting files.
Both processes can be scheduled so that the system automatically executes them at the appointed time.
Another option that is related to compression is the usage of third-party software like file archivers (for example, 7-zip).
In case you are looking for a detailed guide about cleaning the Windows clipboard, then this article will be useful.
If you are a Mac user, then you need to click the “Manage” button in the “Storage” section. Here you can enable the option to automatically delete files that have been trashed for more than a month, delete movies that you have already watched, and so on.
If you decide to clean unwanted files through a special program, you can find a lot of them on the Internet. Their functionality may vary, but most of them come with similar basic features:
- remote control;
- scheduled space cleaning;
- detailed reports;
- ability to analyze the registry and more.
This software can only delete files but conduct an analysis of the disk space, identify technical issues, customize the cleaning up process in detail, and more.
Remove Temporary Files
Now that you have found out how to get more GB on PC through built-in disk cleanup features, let’s figure out how to delete temporary files that carry information about web pages. They are stored on the hard drive for quick access and viewing.
However, this method does not cover information stored by external applications. An example of such an application can be the well-known Google Chrome.
To fix this issue, you need to open a browser and find the menu for clearing browsing history, cache, deleting downloaded files, cookies, and more.
Use Cloud Storage
All of the above-mentioned methods implied cleaning up space through deleting files. But what if you still don’t want to delete your favorite music, or all those files are crucial for your work? In this case, you have two options for solving the problem: use external drives or pay attention to cloud storage.
In the first case, you will need to spend money to purchase a device. Plus you should take it with you in order to get access to data. This is inconvenient and limits your mobility.
In the second case, you use third-party servers (cloud technologies) that store your data. Here, you can get access to information from anywhere in the world with a device that is connected to the Internet.
Initially, most cloud providers offer a limited storage volume, which can be increased by picking up a certain pricing plan. Although this method also involves financial spending, it is preferable because it allows working on the go.
Sufficient RAM
First of all, let’s understand what RAM is. So, this is a part of PC hardware responsible for how data is stored. Because RAM stores information and frequently used instructions, the computer can read or write data faster. This will improve the overall performance of the PC.
If the amount of RAM is insufficient, then the operating system transfers part of the data to the hard disk. The problem is that the process of reading and writing slows down significantly in this case.
That’s why it is important to know how much RAM you have and how resource-intensive the work you are going to do on your PC is. Users who browse the Internet or work with text will need less RAM than graphic or video editors.
Clean the Recycle Bin
Files deleted in the usual way can always end up being moved to the Recycle Bin. This is a convenient option because, if a file is deleted by mistake, you can always restore it in one click.
However, if the files are stored there, then it is obvious that they also take up disk space. Therefore, if you are 100% sure that you do not need the information, you can use the “Empty the Recycle Bin” option and delete files permanently.
Summing up
To recap, it is necessary to once again note the importance of cleaning up disk space, since this directly impacts a PC’s performance and security.
This can be done using both built-in tools or through special cleaning utilities, a wide range of which is on the market.
Please note that to maintain the proper level of computer performance, it is recommended to check the condition of the hard drive at least once a month, especially with heavy use. So the best option would be setting up a hard drive scheduled analysis.
