Locate, Remove and Delete Large Files in Windows

How Do I Delete Large Files in Windows 10/8/7

To find and delete large files on your PC in Windows 10, you can use the built-in File Explorer feature. Here's how: Open File Explorer, then click on "This PC" or "Computer" in the left-hand menu.

Many users have encountered the issue of a full system disk, which can cause Windows 10, 8, or 7 to slow down significantly. This often happens when the system disk is cluttered with large files or unnecessary data, leading to decreased computer performance.

To resolve the issue of a slow PC, consider finding and deleting large files that are taking up unnecessary space and slowing down your system performance. This simple step can help free up storage space and improve your computer's overall efficiency.

You can use the built-in Disk Cleanup tool in Windows or the About Disk feature in macOS to automatically find and delete unnecessary large files. Alternatively, you can use third-party software like CCleaner, Disk Cleanup, or WinRAR to scan your system for large files and delete them with a few clicks. You can also use the command line in Windows to find and delete large files using the `dir` and `del` commands.

Here, you'll find two ways to improve your computer performance and free up disk space, making it easier to resolve the issue with ease.

Before deleting large files on your PC, back up your valuable files from the target drive to another secure location or external storage device to avoid data loss. Be cautious when selecting files to delete, ensuring you don't mistakenly remove important data.

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If you accidentally deleted files and followed the methods on this page, don't panic. You can recover them from the recycle bin. Simply go to the recycle bin, find the deleted files, and restore them to their original location on your device.

Automated: Find, Locate and Delete Large Files in Windows 10/8/7 

If you're looking for a simple yet effective way to scan and find large files on your system partition or non-system hard drive in Windows 10, 8, or 7, consider using a professional and reliable file cleaner software for assistance.

Qiling software automatically finds and cleans up large, useless files on your hard drive, freeing up space and improving your computer's performance. With its simple steps, you can easily locate and remove unwanted files on your Windows PC, making it a convenient tool for boosting your computer's efficiency.

How to find and clean up large files

Step 1. To resize or clone a partition on your Windows PC, download and install Qiling Partition Master Suite for free, then launch it on your computer.

To install and launch Qiling CleanGenius, hover your mouse on the "PC Cleaner" option on the suite, then click the Download icon to initiate the installation and launch the software.

Step 2. On Qiling CleanGenius, select "Cleanup" on the main screen, and click "Scan" to start scanning.

Step 3.After the scanning process is complete, select the large files that are no longer needed and click "Clean" to remove them.

Step 4. When Qiling CleanGenius finishes cleaning the files you selected, click "Done" to complete the cleaning process.

After using Qiling Tool M to clean up large files, you've successfully completed the process. This achievement is a great step in maintaining your Windows PC's performance. In addition to cleaning up large files, you can further utilize Qiling Tool M to remove junk files and optimize your system disk's performance, ensuring your computer runs smoothly and efficiently.

Manual: Locate and Remove Large Files in Windows Storage Settings

To free up space on your PC, you can manually locate and remove large files by using Windows Storage Settings. To do this, first, find and locate large files on your PC, and then manually delete them one by one.

# 1. Use Windows Storage Settings to Locate and Find Large Files on PC

Step 1.To access the Windows Storage Settings, open the Search bar and type in storage, then select "Storage" from the search results to open the settings.

Step 2. To free up space on your C drive, start by opening File Explorer and navigating to the drive, typically denoted as "C:\". Look for the largest folders or files taking up space, which are often located in the "Users" or "Program Files" folders.

Step 3. To free up space on your C drive, select a large file or folder that's taking up a significant amount of space, and click on it to view its contents and details. This will allow you to see the specific files and subfolders within it, giving you a better understanding of what's contributing to the space usage.

To free up space on your computer, identify files that are taking up the most space by checking the details of files such as Temporary files, Documents, and others. Open these files to confirm which one is consuming the most space on your computer. This will help you determine which files to prioritize for deletion or compression to free up space.

# 2. Check and Remove Useless Large Files from PC

Continued with steps in # 1, you can now check each item and find out all useless large files on your PC and remove them immediately.

Step 1. To free up space on your PC, open the "Apps & games" section and uninstall any games that you no longer want or need, which are taking up a significant amount of storage space.

Step 2. To declutter your computer, open the "Documents" folder, click on "View documents", and review the files stored there. Remove any unnecessary or large files that are taking up space.

Step 3. To get rid of large temporary files on your computer, open the "Temporary files" folder, select the unnecessary files, and then click the "Remove files" button to delete them.

# 3. Use Windows Sense to Clean Up Useless Files Automatically

To automatically delete temporary files and free up space on your PC, you can enable the Windows Sense feature in Windows Storage Settings. This will allow you to set a schedule for deleting temporary files, helping to keep your computer's storage tidy.

If you're using Windows 10 1809 or later, you can use the new "Quick Assist" feature to remotely assist another user. This feature allows you to share your screen and control the other user's computer, making it easier to troubleshoot and resolve issues. To use Quick Assist, you'll need to have the Quick Assist app installed on both computers, and you'll need to be connected to the same network.

Step 1. To free up space on your Windows device, go to Settings, then click on Storage, and finally toggle on Storage sense. This feature automatically deletes temporary files, empty the recycle bin, and remove unused apps and files. By turning on Storage sense, you can free up space without having to manually delete files.

Step 2. To finish the settings, click on the option "Change how we free up space automatically".

Storage sense - To enable Windows Sense to run automatically on your PC and clean up disk space, select the desired frequency from the available options, such as daily, weekly, or monthly. This will allow the feature to run on its own schedule and free up disk space by removing temporary files and other unnecessary data.

Temporary Files - In the settings, go to the "Storage" or "Storage & cloud" section, then select "Free up space" or "Storage usage", and check the box next to "Delete temporary files that my apps aren't using". Next, choose how many days you want the Recycle Bin to keep deleted files and set a time limit for keeping downloaded files in the Downloads folder.

To prevent Windows from automatically deleting your files in the recycle bin or downloaded files, you can set "Never" under each column in the settings. This will protect your files from being deleted by Windows sense.

Conclusion

If your computer boots up slowly, freezes frequently, or shows low disk space on the C: drive, it's likely that your computer is cluttered with unnecessary large files. Fortunately, there are solutions available to help you resolve this issue.

If you need further guidance on improving computer performance or speeding up your PC, I can provide additional information.

1. How do I search for or find large files?

To find large files on your PC, simply navigate to Windows Settings and select the "Storage" option, then click on each drive to view the files stored on it. This will help you identify and locate any large files that may be consuming storage space on your computer.

2. What can I do when C drive is out of space?

When your C drive warns you it's out of space, try deleting large useless files that are taking up space on your system partition first.

Another solution to increase C drive space is to add space to the C drive by extending the system partition with more free space. This can be done using Disk Management or third-party partition management software, such as Qiling Partition Master, which is free.

3. How do I speed up PC, improve computer performance?

When a computer's performance slows down or freezes, check if the C drive is running out of space. If so, clean up big files you no longer need to free up space. Then, review your computer's startup settings and disable any unnecessary programs from launching automatically. If these steps don't improve performance, consider transferring installed programs to another hard drive.

Upgrading your computer's performance can be as simple as replacing the old hard drive with a newer, larger HDD or SSD, which is the most efficient way to improve speed. Alternatively, upgrading installed programs to a compatible version with your current Windows OS can also be a practical solution.

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