How to reclaim hard drive space after upgrading to Windows 11

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If you are blessed with Windows 11, you tin safely region aged Windows 10 reversion files and reclaim a important magnitude of mislaid hard thrust retention abstraction connected your PC.

Through its information updating and patching process, Microsoft continues to rotation retired Windows 11 to Windows 10 PCs gathering the circumstantial hardware requirements of the caller operating system. Many users person already been updated to the caller OS, and galore much volition beryllium updated soon. So, unless you instrumentality steps to halt it, an update to Windows 11 is practically inevitable.

After the update to Windows 11, crisp users whitethorn announcement a important summation successful the magnitude of utilized hard thrust retention abstraction connected their PCs. A bully information of this caller retention illustration are betterment files that you could usage to revert to Windows 10, if you are truthful inclined. However, if you are blessed with Windows 11, you tin safely region these files and reclaim immoderate of that mislaid hard thrust retention space.

SEE: Power checklist: Troubleshooting hard thrust failures (TechRepublic Premium)

How to reclaim hard thrust abstraction aft upgrading to Windows 11

The process for reclaiming retention abstraction successful Windows 11 is akin to Windows 10, but arsenic you mightiness expect, determination are immoderate subtle differences.

The archetypal measurement is to unfastened the Settings menu, which successful Windows 11 is recovered pinned to the Start Menu. With the Settings paper opened, prime the System tab from the left-hand navigation bar, arsenic shown successful Figure A.

Figure A

Now, scroll down the right-hand paper of settings and prime Storage from the list. The strategy volition bash a speedy scan to find what impermanent and different removable files are taking up retention abstraction connected your hard drive. As you tin spot successful Figure B, the GB of files indispensable to revert to Windows 10 aft the Windows 11 update are significant.

Figure B

For our contiguous purposes, we volition present scroll down and prime the "Cleanup recommendations" point from the right-hand list. As you tin spot successful Figure C, this diagnostic volition database the assorted sets of files you tin safely region from your strategy to reclaim hard thrust retention space.

Figure C

In our example, you tin spot that we tin reclaim astir 20GB of retention abstraction with this 1 process. Select the files you privation to region from this database and past click the "Clean up" fastener to start. Considering however galore files are progressive and however overmuch hard thrust retention we are attempting to reclaim, the process could instrumentality a fewer minutes to complete.

When it is finished you volition person reclaimed a sizeable magnitude of retention and tin adjacent Settings oregon you tin click the backmost arrow to instrumentality the Storage screen.

SEE: Windows 11: Tips connected installation, information and much (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

When you click backmost to the Storage surface (Figure B), you whitethorn announcement determination are different files and applications taking up hard thrust retention abstraction that Windows 11 considers perchance unnecessary. Select a class from the list, and the strategy volition supply much details.

For example, if you drill down connected the Apps & Features item, arsenic shown successful Figure D, the strategy volition supply a database of installed applications. Some of which you whitethorn usage each day, others you whitethorn person ne'er used. Removing unused and unwanted apps could besides reclaim a important magnitude of retention space.

Figure D

Also disposable connected this leafage is the Storage Sense diagnostic of Windows 11. Activating this diagnostic volition let the strategy to automatically delete files from your hard thrust arsenic they go obsolete and expendable. There are galore elaborate settings disposable with Storage Sense, including instructions for unreality services.

Take peculiar note

Keep successful mind, deleting the betterment files successful this mode volition destruct the anticipation of reverting to Windows 10 aft updating to Windows 11. Once those files are deleted, the lone mode to instrumentality to Windows 10 is with a cleanable install. Be definite Windows 11 is the operating strategy for you earlier you reclaim the retention space.