Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Deleting Files
• Method 2 of 4: Remove Programs
• Method 3 of 4: Delete temporary files
• Method 4 of 4: Command Line
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

The capacity of hard drives is getting bigger. But many users lack the capacity of even the largest hard drives. How can you free up disk space without deleting the files you need? It's simple - delete unnecessary files (which you don't even know exist). Please note that all of the steps described in this article are optional and can be performed in any order (not necessarily step by step).

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Deleting Files

1. 1 Using Command Prompt or Windows Explorer, type C: Program Files. Open the folders with installed games and delete all save games that you no longer need. If you are unsure where to find your game saves, skip this step.
2. 2 Open the My Documents folder and view its contents. Find and delete files that you don't need (for example, unnecessary songs).
   • Pay attention to the date of the last use of the file. If you opened it a few months ago, then there is probably no point in storing it.
   • Transfer old photos to an external hard drive or flash drive to delete them from the hard drive without losing them.
3. 3 Open the Favorites folder. It stores Internet Explorer bookmarks. Delete unnecessary bookmarks.
4. 4 Combine text documents. If you have two similar Word documents, combine them by copying information from one document to another. This will save space on your hard drive.
5. 5 Empty the trash. Right click on the trash can icon and select "Empty Trash" from the menu.

Method 2 of 4: Remove Programs

1. 1 Click "Start" - "Control Panel".
2. 2 Click "Uninstall a program". In the window that opens, select the programs that you do not use and click "Remove".

Method 3 of 4: Delete temporary files

1. 1 Click Start.
2. 2 In the search bar, type "run" (without quotes) and press Enter.
3. 3 In the window that opens, enter% temp%. A list of temporary files will open.
4. 4 Press Ctrl + A to select all files. Now delete the highlighted files because they just clog up your hard drive.
   • If a warning window appears about deleting files, click OK or Skip.
5. 5 Empty the trash.

Method 4 of 4: Command Line

1. 1 Use command line to check dates. Open a command prompt (click "Start", type CMD in the search bar and press Enter). Enter: chdir C: documents and settings (username) my documents. Then enter dir and see the information displayed. It should look something like this:
   • Microsoft Windows 2000 [Version 5.00.2195]
   • (C) Copyright 1985-2000 Microsoft Corp.
   • C: > chdir c: documents and settings sample my documents
   • C: Documents and Settings Sample my Documents> dir
   • Volume in drive C has no label. Volume Serial Number is F8F8-3F6D
   • Directory of C: Documents and Settings Sample my documents
   • 7/21/2001 07: 20p DIR>.
   • 7/21/2001 07: 20p DIR> ..
   • 7/21/2001 07: 20p 7,981,554 clip0003.avi
   • 7/15/2001 08: 23p DIR> My Pictures
   • 1 File (s) 7,981,554 bytes
   • 3 Dir (s) 14,564,986,880 bytes free

Tips

• If you don't want to manually delete unnecessary files, use CCleaner.
• After you have installed any program, remove its installer.
• Empty the basket regularly.
• If you still don't have enough free space, use external hard drives, flash drives and other external storage media, or simply install an additional internal hard drive.
• Clean your desktop of unnecessary files and / or icons.
• In the My Documents folder, select the least important documents and files and place them in the Pending Deletion folder. After a month, delete these files.
• Try using DOS Navigator to organize your files properly. This is an old free file manager. To use the mouse in it, press ALT + ENTER.

Warnings

• If you do not know the purpose of a particular file, do not delete it. If you think it is a virus, check it with your antivirus program.
• Do not delete files in the system folder (C: windows or C: WINNT).
• Do not delete files that were written by another user.

What do you need

• Computer
• Time
• Unnecessary files
• File manager (optional)
• MS DOS skills (optional)
• CCleaner (optional)