How to Clean C Drive on Windows 11?

As Microsoft brings more features to Windows 11 and improves its latest operating system, more and more users with compatible hardware decide to try the new OS. Upgrading from Windows 10 to 11 will result in drive C having much less free storage once the process is over. Therefore, users wonder how to clean C drive in Windows 11. This article will show you what to do to clean up C drive.

Note. To keep your computer happy, make sure your C drive always has enough free storage. The free space Windows takes is not constant and fluctuates depending on the system’s needs. For example, Windows might need more space to cache your browser files or Windows Update components. Also, Windows 11 uses drive C for the memory swap. Therefore, filling drive C up to its last bit will result in significant instabilities and bugs.

How to Clear Space on Windows 11?

You can use two ways to free up disk space on Windows 11. The first is the Settings app, and the second is the legacy Control Panel. The latter also allows you to free up disk space on Windows 10 and 7.

How to Clean Up C Drive in Windows 11: Through Settings App

Press Win + I to open the Settings app. You can also right-click the Start menu button and select Settings.
Go to the System > Storage section and wait for Windows 11 to scan your drives. The process might take a while, depending on how many physical disks you have and how fast they are.
Click Temporary files and wait a few seconds. Windows will take a few moments to categorize temporary files you can safely delete without any issues.
Carefully read the description of each point and place a checkmark if you are ready to delete a specific file type.
Windows creates a backup of the previous installation when you upgrade from Windows 10 to 11. Therefore, you end up with two systems on a single drive. Such a mechanism allows rolling back from Windows 11 to 10 if you encounter an issue or do not like the new OS. To uninstall a previous Windows copy (usually takes about 20-40GB), place a checkmark next to Previous Windows installation. Deleting old Windows files will prevent you from returning to Windows 10 without reinstalling the operating system.
Once you have placed checkmarks next to everything you want to delete, click the Remove files button.
Confirm the action by pressing the Continue button.

How to Clean Drive C in Windows 11: Using Control Panel

Here is another method to clean drive C in Windows 11. It will also work in older Windows versions down to 7.

Press Win + R and type cleanmgr. Windows will open a new window and list available files category you can safely delete from drive C. Note that some of the largest files you can delete will not appear there. To fix that, click Clean up system files. This action requires Administrator privileges.
Like in the previous section, place a checkmark next to each file type you want to delete. To delete the previous Windows installation, mark the Previous Windows installation(s) option.
Click OK to initiate the cleaning process. Windows will take a minute or a few, depending on how large the files you want to delete are. Also, the slower your drive is, the more time it takes.