How to Save Space Windows 11? we all like it The windows are smooth as silk. Turn on the PC and get started in seconds. But the more the days pass, the more install and remove apps and games, we upload photos and videos and fill up the disk, the system suffers.
Touch clean Windows 11 to perform Like the first day. It shouldn’t take you long. A little cleaning for Windows 11 once every few months will do all works as it shouldhave enough space and not find bad surprises.
There is no single recipe for leave Windows 11 as the first day. In the past, we have seen some of the quickest tasks to clean up Windows 10. Some of them drastic but effective. But in Windows 11, some things have changed, for the better, but sometimes it’s hard to find them. The good news is that you don’t need third-party apps to do the housework. Although there is and very good.
How to Save Space Windows 11?
So if you have been using Windows 11 for a long time, you already know almost all of its tricks, but you have given it so much power that sometimes your computer limps, try the following maintenance tasks to clean up Windows 11. It’s never too late to make your PC a top notch machine.
How is the local drive?
First stop, see the local disk content. How do we occupy the main disk? How many apps and games have we installed? Do we have room to use the available space or do we need to do some cleaning? Windows 11 has centralized all its functions in Setting, the Windows 10 and Windows 11 equivalent of what used to be the Control Panel. You will find it in the Start menu. He has no loss.
Once in Settingfrom System we go Storage. There you will find an infinity of tools to clean Windows 11. But let’s go by parts. The first thing is to see the available space, occupied space and total local disk space. Below, you’ll see this content organized by categories. Click on Show more categories to see everything: applications, photos, videos, documents, temporary files…
You can navigate to each category to process that content manually. However, there are special categories, such as the main two, applications and temporary files. Both will take you to a handful of options to sort through.
Uninstall Apps and Games by hand
Since Settings > System > Storage > Apps or of Settings > Apps > Apps & Features you will find the list of apps and games installed in Windows 11. By default, they are sorted by name, but you can sort them by size. The idea is to see which apps and games consume the most and decide if you need them or if you can ignore them and uninstall them.
When it comes to apps, there are two Windows 11 options that make it easy for you. One of them is the function Archive apps. It is enabled by default. What he does is automatically archive apps you haven’t used for a long time. Be careful, this will remove the application but keep the configuration files.
That way, if you need the app in the future, you’ll get your personal settings back. You will find this feature in Settings > Apps > Apps & features > More settings > Archive apps.
The second Windows 11 option to manage abandoned apps and games is Cleaning recommendations. We’ll talk about her later. It’s basically a wizard that scans different parts of Windows and tells you what you need to do to get space on disc and delete files that you don’t use
For the more traditional, Windows 11 continues to maintain the independent uninstaller, the one we found in the Control Panel. Precisely, you will have to search for the Control Panel in the search engine of the Start menu. Once opened, we will Programs > Uninstall a program. There you will see a more accurate and complete list of apps and games installed in Windows 11.
Delete Temporary Files
We said that in Settings > System > Storage you will see the available space and the space occupied by applications, temporary files and other categories. If you belong to the category Temporary filesyou will come across the version for Windows 11 of what was previously the space cleaning. In reality, this tool still exists as a standalone application, but Microsoft thought it would be more useful for you to integrate it into Windows Settings.
So, from this menu, you will see a list of items that are considered temporary files. They are generated by Windows, the applications you install, etc. You can check and uncheck categories, you will see how much each occupies and what they are used for. In short, by deleting temporary files, Windows will run more smoothly and the disk will be freer of content.
Cleaning Recommendations
So far, we have seen Windows 11 cleaning tasks that require our participation. That is to say, they are manual. We have to activate them ourselves. An intermediate step is to go to Cleaning recommendations. It’s in Settings > System > Storage. It is a handy assistant that analyzes various aspects related to applications, free space and files.
From here you can delete temporary files, view larger files in case you can delete or move to another site (to the cloud or an external drive), see files you’re not using, etc. Come on, who will give you a hand to know where to clean.
Storage Sensor
In addition to cleaning recommendations, Windows 11 added storage sensor, a feature that automates the maintenance and cleaning process. Once activated, it will take care of some tasks for you, like delete files.
Specifically, it allows empty the Trash and Downloads folder, two locations filled with large and unnecessary files. You can tell the sensor to do it always or only when you run out of space. If you choose always, it is possible to program it daily, weekly or monthly. It’s a way of reduce chaos files without you having to do anything.
Clean Windows 11 from Malware
Microsoft warns us in its official help that letting the local disk fill up with files and run out of space affects Windows performance. Another aspect that affects Windows performance is that you have malware everywhere. At best, it slows down Windows.
Windows 11 includes tools to secure your PC against malware. Firewalls, antivirus, backups… By default, everything is activated and it works seamlessly. So you don’t have to do anything. But it doesn’t hurt to make a Full analysis with Windows Antivirus. First, we update the definitions. And then we do the full analysis. It will take more time than the traditional one, but will scan the entire drive local.
Clean Windows Startup
Another element of Windows that impacts its performance. Sometimes certain applications are added to the boot on boot to open when we turn on the computer and Windows starts. This makes Windows 11 take longer to load. And it’s very likely that most of these apps you won’t need right away.
To clean Windows startup, we’ll go to Task Manager. One of your tabs is Start. There you will see applications loaded when Windows starts. You can disable or re-enable them when you see fit. If you can’t find the Task Manageryou can find it in the start menu search tool or by right-clicking the start menu and clicking task manager.
Windows Update
It sounds silly, but when windows updates, performs some maintenance tasks that clean up past updates, temporary files, and other occupied disk space. And while Windows usually updates itself, it doesn’t hurt to peek and check manually.
Since Settings > Windows Update you can see if you have Windows 11 up to date or if there are updates available to download and/or install. The process takes time, but when the installation and restart are complete, your computer should be lighter than before.
Other Cleaning Tasks in Windows 11
It is clear that the tasks we have seen in this article are not all there if you want to clean up Windows 11. These are the essentials to leave Windows 11 as the first day without resorting to outside help. But you can try cleaning programs like the ones we saw at the beginning or move your files. However, moving files won’t eliminate clutter, it will only add it.
If you decide expand your local disk with the cloud or with external drives, there are many options to consider. By default, Microsoft offers OneDrivebut we all know alternatives like Google Drive, Dropbox Is MEGA with several free gigabytes to fill.
On the other hand, if you are not going to access the photos or videos regularly, you can store them on an external drive. There are very cheap several terabytes of capacity and are connected by USB without the need for a power supply.
Finally, there are those who still defend the format the pc as a drastic solution to clean up a slow computer. Windows 11 has an intermediate function that erases everything and reinstalls the operating system.
It’s name is reset this computer and you will find it in Settings > System > Recovery. You can choose to delete everything or keep your personal files. just in case make one previous backup so as not to lose important files by mistake.
