The Easiest Approach to Free up Space on Your Computer

Do you need to free up computer space? If so, the task is probably weighing on you. After all, few things are more annoying than those “Storage Disk Almost Full” popups on your home computer.

In addition to littering your screen, they make it hard to use your computer, and can even slow your system down. But how do you get rid of them? If you’re one of the many people who can’t successfully combat this notification by deleting a few photos or videos, this guide is here to help. Read on.

Free up Computer Space By Deleting the Small Stuff

Start freeing up space in the most obvious place – by deleting all the unneeded files on your system. Have a bunch of duplicate photos? Old videos? Documents you don’t need anymore? Get rid of them. If you have items you want to keep, but don’t need on your desktop, back them up to an onsite and offsite platform, and delete them from your hard drive.

Even if you don’t have hours to devote to cleaning up your PC, just a few minutes of concentrated deleting can make a big difference. Be sure to hit your browser and desktop download folders, and your music and photo libraries. Keep a sharp eye out for unneeded videos, since they’re some of the largest files on your system.

Use Your System’s Tools

Both Mac and Windows computers have built-in “junk cleaning” systems to help you get rid of unneeded files. If you’re using a windows computer, follow these prompts to get to your storage settings:

• Settings > System > Storage > This PC

From there, you can view your temporary files folder and delete anything you don’t need. You can also access the disk cleanup tool by searching for it in the search bar.

If you’re using a newer Windows system, like Windows 10, you’ll have the power to run these operations automatically, which saves time. If you’re using a Mac system, follow these prompts to find your storage utility:

• Apple Menu > About This Mac > Storage > Manage

This will display the types of files on your computer, and how much storage they’re taking up. From here, you can delete the files you no longer need and choose to keep the ones you do.

Enlist Outside Help

If your manual efforts haven’t made a big difference in your storage, it’s time to go looking for third-party tools to help. Today, storage is a big problem on most private computers, and lots of smart companies around the globe have cropped up to help consumers address the problem. Here are a few you might want to try:

• Duplicate Files Finder. This free program works on Windows computers to identify and delete duplicate files.
• DupeGuru. This is a free Mac tool that helps you identify unneeded files that are taking up space, and get rid of them.

If you’d prefer a more dynamic storage solution, you may find yourself paying for one. Tools like CCleaner start around $25 and can help you get rid of junk files that are lurking in your browsers and download folders. CleanMyMac is another program that works to get rid of duplicate files, wipe unneeded downloads, and even uninstall apps you aren’t using.

A Cleaner Computer is a Faster Computer

Everyone loves the feeling of a nice, clean computer! When you need to free up computer space and take a proactive approach to dealing with those bothersome storage notifications, you prevent your hard disk from getting too full and being almost impossible to clean. Next time you see one of those little notifications, use the three-fold approach of manually deleting files, using your computer’s tools, and enlisting a third-party program to help.

Before you know it, you’ll have a fast, pop-up free computer, and no annoying notifications to deal with!