How to find out which files are taking up hard drive space in Windows 11

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Over time, The hard drive of any PC fills up with files that we no longer need.Old downloads, installers, duplicate copies of photos, huge videos, programs you no longer use… All of that gradually accumulates, and there comes a point when your computer starts to slow down or you run out of space to install games, programs, or Windows 11 updates and learn What is a hard drive for?.

The usual approach is to delete a few large files at random and think that's enough, but often Even so, the storage remains practically the same.To really know what's taking up space on your hard drive (both SSD and HDDYou need to combine Windows 11 tools with some specialized utilities that show you the actual size of folders, applications, and files.

Why it's important to know what takes up space in Windows 11

On a modern computer, Storage is almost as critical as RAM or the processorIf the disk is at its limit, Windows 11 has less capacity to create temporary files, install patches, or move data, resulting in occasional freezes, extremely long loading times, and update errors.

Furthermore, when you understand where is the space really going You can make informed decisions: perhaps you have 4K videos that you could transfer to an external drive, a duplicate music library, or piles of temporary files that serve no purpose. It's not just about deleting for the sake of deleting, but about distinguishing what can be safely removed and what should be kept.

Keep in mind that Not everything that takes up space is obvious at first glance.Often the problem isn't your documents, but huge applications, games you no longer play, temporary system files, copies of installers, or even emails and maps downloaded for offline use.

Fortunately, Windows 11 brings several built-in features To see a breakdown of disk usage and detect those "culprits" of wasted space, you can also rely on external programs that display everything visually and very clearly.

View used and free disk space in Windows 11 from Settings

The first thing you should do is Check how much space you have occupied and free in each unitWindows 11 offers a very convenient panel that displays this information globally and also broken down by category. If you see a low disk space warning from the system, you can check how Remove low space warning.

To access this view, open the Settings appYou can do it by pressing the key combination Windows + I, using the Start menu or via the gear icon if you have it handy on the bar.

Once inside Settings, Go to the "System" sectionThis is where almost all the general computer settings are grouped: screen, sound, notifications, power… and also storage.

In the side menu on the left, click on "Storage"You'll see a list of all your storage drives: the main drive where Windows is installed, other internal drives if you have any, and also connected external drives such as USB flash drives or hard drives.

For each unit, Windows 11 displays a bar showing the used and available space.If you select your main disk, the system will load a statistics screen that breaks down storage usage by content type: applications and games, system and reserved files, temporary files, documents, images, videos, email, maps, and much more.

This loading may take a few seconds, but when it's finished you'll have a very clear global view of what the space is being spent onBy clicking on each category (for example, “Apps & features” or “Temporary files”), you will enter another window where you can see more details and, in many cases, take direct action to free up space.

Use the Storage Sensor to automate part of the cleaning

In addition to seeing what disk space is occupied, Windows 11 includes a feature called Storage Sensor which helps you delete unnecessary files periodically without having to constantly monitor it.

To access this option, return to Start > Settings > System > StorageWithin this section, scroll down until you find the section «Storage sensor»Here you will see a master switch that allows you to turn this function on or off.

If you have it turned off, Turn on the Storage SensorFrom there, you can access its detailed settings to specify how you want it to behave: how often it runs, what types of files it deletes, and how long it keeps them before deleting them.

In the countryside "Run Storage Sensor" You can select the execution frequency: daily, weekly, monthly, or only when space is running low. This option is very useful if you often work with your disk nearly full and want Windows to clean up when it detects that you're running low on space.

Below you will find specific sections such as Recycling bin and DownloadsIn the Recycle Bin, you can define how often its contents will be automatically deleted: every day, every 14 days, every 30 days, every 60 days, or never. The same applies to the Downloads folder, which tends to fill up with installers, PDFs, and other files that you only use once and that just sit there taking up gigabytes without you even noticing.

Finally, from this same panel you can Run the Storage Sensor immediately so it performs a cleanup immediately, without waiting for the scheduled interval. This is especially useful when you see you're running out of space just before installing a large program or game.

Check which apps are taking up the most space in Windows 11

Not everything is the fault of personal files: many times It is the applications and programs that most inflate disk usageHeavy games, video editing suites, development environments… it's a good idea to keep track of which programs are the most resource-intensive to decide if it's worth having them installed.

You can get a detailed list from the Settings app itself. Go back to Configuración> Sistema> Almacenamiento and, within the space breakdown, it falls under the option «Applications and features» or "Installed applications" depending on the version of Windows 11 you have.

You will see a list with all applications installed on the computer along with the size each one occupiesYou can sort that list by size using the drop-down menu or sorting options, so that the apps that consume the most space appear first.

If you want to fine-tune it even further, you can filter by storage unit with the corresponding menu. This is very useful if you have multiple partitions or disks and want to know exactly which applications are installed on each one.

When you detect an application that is taking up too much space, you have several alternatives: uninstall it You can either move the app directly from that list to another drive (if the app allows it) or check if it has internal options to delete cached or temporary data. Alternatively, you could use third-party tools (such as Revo Uninstaller, IObit Uninstaller, or CCleaner) for a more thorough uninstallation to remove any remaining files.

Control Panel: Another way to view program sizes

Although Microsoft is migrating almost everything to the Settings app, The classic Control Panel is still available in Windows 11 and is useful for some tasks, including viewing the size of traditional desktop programs.

To open it, press on the taskbar search iconType "Control Panel" and select the first result. You can also search for it from the Start menu.

Once inside, change the view in the upper right corner to "Big icons" (or small icons) to see all sections clearly. Then, click on "Programs and characteristics".

This window will display a Classic list of programs installed on your computerIf the "Size" column does not appear, right-click on the column headers (where it says Name, Publisher, Installed on…) and select the "Size" option to add it.

By clicking on the size column header, You can sort the programs by the space they occupy.This allows you to quickly see which desktop applications are the heaviest and decide whether it's worth keeping them installed or getting rid of them to free up several gigabytes at once.

Use "Apps & Features" to quickly manage programs

Another way to check application space in Windows 11 is to directly access the section of "Applications" in Settings, instead of going from the Storage menu.

To do this, open Home > Settings > Apps Then go to "Installed apps" or "Apps & features" (the name changes depending on the Windows 11 build). You'll see it there again. All apps with their size, installation date, and other options.

Just like before, you can sort by size This ensures that the apps that take up the most space appear first. From each entry, you can uninstall, move, or modify the app (if the developer offers this option).

This is the same section that Microsoft uses when, for example, the Storage Sense suggests review the heaviest applicationsIn fact, in the Windows 11 Storage panel there is a section for "Cleaning recommendations" where the system shows you suggestions for files and apps that you could remove with just a few clicks.

See which files are taking up the most space using File Explorer

If what you're looking for is to locate large personal files such as videos, photos, music, and documentsThe most direct method is to use the good old File Explorer.

On the taskbar, click the icon of File Browser and, on the left panel, enter "This team"From there, you can open the user's main folders: Videos, Music, Pictures, Documents, Downloads… These are usually the locations where the largest files are stored.

To quickly see the size of the files in a folder, change the view to «Details»You can do this from the top (the "View" tab or the view icon depending on the version) and by choosing the details option, where the size column appears among others.

Once you are in Details view, Right-click in the empty space Within the file list, select "Sort by > Size". This will place the largest files at the top, making it easier to quickly locate the biggest ones.

Another very interesting option is to use the Explorer's own search box. Type any text to activate the tab "Search" and then use the filter "Size" to choose categories such as "Small", "Medium", "Large", "Giant", etc. This will filter the results according to sizeallowing you to see only very large files in the folder or drive you are browsing.

Once you identify files you no longer need, you can delete them directly Or, if you prefer to keep them but free up internal disk space, move them to a USB flash drive, SD card, or external hard drive. This way, you'll still have them available when you connect that device, but they won't take up space on your PC.

How to move files to an external drive to free up space

In many cases, you don't want to delete photos, videos, or music, but you do free up internal SSD or HDDThe best solution then is to move those files to a external hard drive.

The process is simple: first, Connect a USB drive, external hard drive, or SD card. to your Windows 11 computer. Wait for the system to recognize it and for it to appear in "This PC" as a new drive.

Then open Open File Explorer and go to the folder where the files you want to move are located (for example, Images, Videos, or Downloads). Select the files or folders you want to move: you can use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select multiple files at once.

With the files selected, click the option at the top "Cut"Alternatively, use the context menu by right-clicking and choosing Cut. Then, navigate to the external drive letter in "This PC", open or create a folder where you want to save them, and press "Paste".

Thus, The files will be physically moved to the external drive.They will no longer take up space on your internal drive, but will remain accessible whenever you have the external device connected. It's a great way to keep content you don't use daily readily available without filling up your main drive.

Analyze disk usage with WinDirStat

When you want to go one step further and to see exactly what is occupying each corner of the diskThird-party tools are a great help. One of the best-known and longest-established is WinDirStat, a free and open-source program.

After downloading and installing WinDirStat, open it and Choose the unit you want to analyze (for example, your C: drive). The program will scan the entire disk structure and, when finished, will present you with an interface with three main areas.

In the top left you will see a directory tree where each folder and subfolder is displayed along with its size and percentage of total space. This allows you to quickly identify which directories are taking up the most space.

The lower part of the window shows a color block map (known as a treemap): each rectangle represents an individual file, and the block size is proportional to the disk space it occupies. Colors are assigned by file type, so you can quickly see if, for example, you have many videos, images, or large executables.

When you place the cursor over any block on that map, WinDirStat displays detailed information about the file: name, exact path, size, type… You can also select a folder in the top tree and see only the blocks corresponding to its content.

If you identify a file you want to delete, simply Right-click on it and choose the delete optionThis way you can delete large files directly from the tool itself, although it's always a good idea to know exactly what you're deleting to avoid accidentally removing something important from the system.

Analyze the disk with SpaceSniffer

Another very popular use for visualize how disk space is distributed es SpaceSnifferUnlike WinDirStat, this tool stands out for displaying everything in a single, very intuitive graphical panel, without a traditional directory list.

After downloading SpaceSniffer from its official website (it usually works even without a full installation), run it and choose the drive you want to scanThe program will begin to draw a series of rectangles on the screen that represent folders and files.

In SpaceSniffer, The larger folders usually appear in a brown tone and are subdivided into smaller blocks that correspond to their content. The files are usually displayed in blue, and the entire set adapts as the analysis progresses.

The beauty of SpaceSniffer is that you can double-click on any folder to "go inside" it and see in detail its subfolders and files, always visually ordered according to their size.

This way you can delve as deeply as you want, locating your search in just a few minutes. which specific files are taking up space in each area of ​​the disk. If a blue block stands out due to its size, it is probably a video, an ISO image, or a very large compressed file.

When you detect files or groups of files that you know you don't need, you can Right-click on them and choose "Delete" to delete them directly from the tool. In a matter of seconds, the space occupied by those blocks will be freed up and the chart will be reorganized to reflect the new situation.

When to use external tools and when to stick with Windows tools

The built-in tools in Windows 11 (Storage, Storage Sense, Explorer, Apps & features, Control Panel…) are more than enough for Most users just want to do a little cleaningRemove resource-intensive programs and organize personal files.

However, if you notice that the disk remains full, that space "disappears" for no apparent reason, or you want a much deeper analysis, WinDirStat and SpaceSniffer are almost indispensable alliesThey allow you to see things that would go unnoticed in the standard Windows interface, such as folders lost in strange paths, accumulations of temporary files, old copies of data, etc.

It is also important to remember that The Windows system and reserved files occupy a portion of the disk that should not be touched lightly.Even if you see that the "System and reserved" section is large, you shouldn't delete anything directly from there except for the safe options offered by the system itself (for example, cleaning temporary files or...). earlier versions of Windows).

By combining these options, you can control both the space your apps use (whether they are apps from the Microsoft Store or classic programs) such as the size of your personal files and system dataThe result is a computer with more breathing room, fewer problems when updating, and, in general, smoother operation.

Taking a few minutes from time to time to check your storage using Windows 11 tools, and if necessary, using programs like WinDirStat or SpaceSniffer, is the best way to Avoid unpleasant surprises when the disk fills up at the worst possible moment. and keep your PC tidy, lightweight, and ready for whatever you ask of it.

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