Quick answer: The fastest way to free up space on Windows 11 is to open Settings > System > Storage and use Cleanup recommendations plus Storage Sense to clear temporary files, empty the Recycle Bin, and remove large or unused items. Turning on OneDrive Files On-Demand then offloads rarely used cloud files to online-only, reclaiming even more local storage.
A nearly full drive is one of the quickest ways to make a good Windows 11 PC feel sluggish. Updates fail, apps crawl, and you get that dreaded “low disk space” warning at the worst possible moment. The good news: Windows 11 ships with everything you need to reclaim gigabytes without installing a single third-party cleaner.
This matters more than it used to. Many Windows 11 laptops ship with 128GB or 256GB SSDs, and between the operating system, major updates, and a few big apps, that space disappears fast. Rather than paying for a cleaner utility, or worse, deleting files you shouldn’t, you can lean on the tools Microsoft already built in. They’re designed to remove the safe stuff and leave your documents alone.
Below I walk through the built-in tools in the order I’d actually use them, from the one-click recommendations to the deeper cleanup that recovers the most space. Follow them top to bottom and you’ll know exactly how to free up space on Windows 11 and keep it free.
Start with Cleanup recommendations
Windows 11 has a single screen that scans your drive and surfaces the biggest, safest things to delete. It’s the first place to look.
- Open Settings > System > Storage.
- Select Cleanup recommendations.
- Review each expandable category: Temporary files, Large or unused files, Files synced to the cloud, and Unused apps.
- Tick the items you’re comfortable removing, then select Clean up.
This one screen often recovers several gigabytes on its own, especially if you’ve never cleared temporary files or old Windows Update leftovers.
Turn on Storage Sense to automate cleanup
Storage Sense is Windows 11’s background cleanup engine. It’s off by default, though Windows may switch it on automatically if you run critically low on space. Enabling it means you rarely have to think about cleanup again.
- Go to Settings > System > Storage.
- Switch Storage Sense to On.
- Click into it to set the cadence: run it monthly or “during low free disk space,” and choose how often to empty the Recycle Bin and clear the Downloads folder.
Out of the box, Storage Sense can remove temporary app and system files, empty Recycle Bin items older than a set number of days, optionally clear old Downloads you haven’t opened, and convert unused OneDrive files back to online-only. A conservative setup, a 30-day inactivity window and monthly runs, is a good starting point for most people.
Clear temporary files manually
If you want to clear temporary files right now rather than wait for Storage Sense, there’s a dedicated screen for it.
- Open Settings > System > Storage.
- Select Temporary files.
- Review the checklist. It typically includes Windows Update Cleanup, Delivery Optimization files, thumbnails, and the Recycle Bin.
- Uncheck anything you want to keep (for example, leave Downloads alone if you store important files there), then select Remove files.
Windows Update Cleanup in particular can free a large chunk after a major update, since Windows keeps old system files as a rollback safety net.
Use OneDrive Files On-Demand
If you use OneDrive, Files On-Demand is one of the most effective space savers because it keeps your files visible in File Explorer while storing the actual data in the cloud until you open them.
- Files show up with cloud icons and take almost no local space until accessed.
- Starting in Windows 11 version 22H2, the default is to make OneDrive cloud files online-only if they haven’t been opened for more than 30 days.
- You can right-click any file or folder and choose Free up space to offload it manually, or Always keep on this device to pin essentials for offline use.
Pin only what you truly need offline, let the rest live in the cloud, and Storage Sense will handle the offloading automatically over time.
Cleanup methods compared
| Method | What it clears | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cleanup recommendations | Temp files, large/unused files, unused apps, synced cloud files | A fast, guided one-time cleanup |
| Storage Sense | Temp files, old Recycle Bin, old Downloads, unused OneDrive files | Hands-off, automatic maintenance |
| Temporary files screen | Windows Update Cleanup, Delivery Optimization, thumbnails, Recycle Bin | Reclaiming space after big updates |
| OneDrive Files On-Demand | Local copies of cloud files (kept online-only) | Laptops with small SSDs and lots of cloud files |
The legacy Disk Cleanup tool still works
Most of what you need now lives in Settings, but the old Disk Cleanup utility is still present in Windows 11 and can be handy for a couple of jobs the Settings app doesn’t surface as clearly.
- Press the Windows key, type Disk Cleanup, and open it.
- Select your system drive (usually C:) and let it scan.
- Tick categories like Temporary files, Thumbnails, and Recycle Bin.
- For deeper cleaning, click Clean up system files, which adds options such as Windows Update Cleanup and previous Windows installation files.
That last category matters: after a major feature update, Windows keeps a Windows.old folder so you can roll back, and it can occupy many gigabytes. Once you’re confident the update is stable, clearing it here reclaims a large block of space in one move. Just remember that removing it means you can no longer roll back to the previous version.
Extra ways to reclaim space
Once the built-in tools have done their work, these steps clear the remaining big offenders:
- Uninstall apps you don’t use. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, sort by size, and remove the big ones you’ve forgotten about.
- Move large media to an external drive or the cloud. Video files and game installs are usually the largest single items on a drive.
- Empty the Recycle Bin if you haven’t. Deleted files sit there taking space until it’s cleared.
- Reduce or relocate the page file only if you know what you’re doing; for most people the defaults are best left alone.
- Check the Downloads folder by hand. It’s a graveyard of installers and one-off files that add up fast.
- Turn off hibernation if you never use it. The hibernation file (hiberfil.sys) can occupy several gigabytes; disabling hibernate via an elevated command prompt removes it, though this is an advanced step best skipped if you rely on hibernate.
- Clear duplicate photos and videos. Media libraries are usually the single biggest space consumer, and duplicates from imports and backups quietly stack up.
Work through these after the built-in tools and you’ll typically find the real space hogs are a handful of large apps, a bloated Downloads folder, and a media library that grew without anyone noticing. Tackling those three usually clears far more than chasing tiny temporary files.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Storage Sense on by default in Windows 11?
No. Storage Sense is off by default. Windows may turn it on automatically if your PC runs critically low on space, but otherwise you enable it yourself under Settings > System > Storage.
Is it safe to delete temporary files?
Yes. Temporary files, thumbnails, and Windows Update Cleanup items are safe to remove. The main thing to watch is the Downloads folder, which Windows lists as a temporary-file category but may contain files you want to keep.
What is OneDrive Files On-Demand?
It’s a feature that keeps your OneDrive files visible in File Explorer while storing the data in the cloud until you open them. Since Windows 11 22H2, cloud files default to online-only after 30 days without being opened, which reclaims local space automatically.
How much space can I expect to free up?
It varies widely by system. A first pass through Cleanup recommendations and Temporary files commonly recovers several gigabytes, and offloading OneDrive files can free much more on a drive full of synced documents and photos.
Do I still need third-party cleaner apps?
For most users, no. Windows 11’s Storage Sense, Cleanup recommendations, and Temporary files tools cover what third-party cleaners do, without the risk of an unfamiliar app deleting the wrong thing.
Will clearing space speed up my PC?
It can help, especially if your drive was nearly full, since Windows and apps need free space to work smoothly and install updates. Freeing space won’t fix every slowdown, but a comfortably empty drive removes one common cause.
The takeaway
You don’t need extra software to reclaim storage on Windows 11. Run Cleanup recommendations for a quick win, switch on Storage Sense so cleanup happens on autopilot, clear the Temporary files screen after big updates, and lean on OneDrive Files On-Demand to keep rarely used cloud files off your local drive. Do those four things and that low-space warning becomes a rare visitor rather than a monthly headache.
