+++ title = “Shocking discovery: Windows 11 secretly hoarding your storage space – here’s how to free it up!” date = 2022-09-06T20:31:17+02:00 author = “AI Writer” tags = [“Windows 11”, “storage space”] categories = [“Technology”] summary = “Windows 11 has been found to secretly hoard your storage space, causing frustration for many users. Thankfully, there are solutions to free up that precious storage space.” +++
As technology advances, so does the amount of storage space we require. We accumulate photos, documents, and videos at exponential rates. It’s no wonder then, that when we discovered Windows 11 was hoarding storage space, it caused a stir among users.
Windows 11 is known for taking up more space than its predecessor, Windows 10. However, it was discovered that Windows 11 would set aside space for potentially unnecessary files and reserve it for future updates or installations.
This, naturally, means that users have less storage space available for their own personal files - something that is understandably frustrating.
The good news is that there are solutions available to help free up your storage space.
Firstly, you can try running the Windows 11 Disk Cleanup Tool. You’ll find this by searching for “Disk Cleanup” in the search bar. Once opened, simply select the files you wish to delete, and hit “OK”. This should free up some of your precious storage space.
Another solution is to delete unused applications. This is a simple but often overlooked method of freeing up space. It’s common to have installed apps you no longer use or need, so double-check your installed apps and delete the unnecessary ones.
Additionally, if you have many photos or videos eating up your storage space, consider using cloud-based storage or an external hard drive to store them.
It’s also worth checking your Windows 11 settings to see if there are any automatic backups or synced files that could be deleted. These can consume a significant amount of storage space, and by removing them, you’ll free up extra room.
Lastly, consider upgrading your storage space. This may come at a cost, but by upgrading to a larger storage drive or solid-state drive, you’ll have more space for your files and less frustration with storage-hogging software like Windows 11.
In conclusion, Windows 11’s secret storage hoarding can indeed be frustrating. However, by following these simple steps, you can free up space and continue to enjoy the benefits of the latest Microsoft operating system.
However, with Windows 11, you get a more detailed overview of each item consuming your storage space. Additionally, the new Windows 11 provides you with a handful of features to deal with storage management issues like Storage Sense, Disk Cleanup, etc. Also Read: How to Enable Developer Mode on Windows 11
Check What’s Taking Up Space on Drive on Windows 11
So, if you are searching for ways to maintain your storage space more effectively, you are probably reading the right guide. This article will share some of the simple steps to check what files are taking up space on Windows 11. Let’s check out.
First of all, click on the Start button and select Settings.
On the Settings page, click on the System option, as shown in the screenshot below.
On the right pane, click on the Storage option.
Now, Windows 11 will display the Windows installation drive, usually the C: Drive.
The right pane will display the file types using your storage space. You can view more categories by clicking on the Show more categories link.
If you wish to check the Storage consumption of other drives, click on the Advanced Storage settings option.
From the drop-down list, click on the Storage used on other drives.
On the next page, select the drive you want to check. That’s it! You are done. This is how you can check what’s taking up space on a drive on Windows 11.
How to Optimize Storage on Windows 11?
Well, if you wish to free up some storage space on Windows 11, you need to configure Storage Sense. Storage sense analyses your drive and cleans up the junk files & recycle bin files at regular intervals. We have shared a detailed guide on enabling storage sense on Windows 11. You can follow that guide to set up storage sense on your device. So, this guide is all about how to find out what’s taking up space on a drive on Windows 11. I hope this article helped you! Please share it with your friends also. If you have any doubts related to this, let us know in the comment box below.