Try relocating personal folders to another partition or an external drive to free up some space.

Additionally,change the default save location for files and foldersso that new downloads are automatically saved elsewhere.

Also, check your installed apps and remove anything unnecessary.

Multiple external drives for storage on top of a laptop

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If you need more solutions to free up the C: drive, follow the tips below.

Windows Defender does the job well and provides adequate protection against all types of PC malware.

It’s recommended you postpone any resource-intensive tasks until the scan is over.

Windows Defender scan options.

The exact method differs across different antivirus vendors.

This Windows component stocks different versions of DLL, EXE, and OCX files.

However, WinSxs can balloon up to a size of 5-10GB.

Disk Cleanup options in Windows 11.

Use CHKDSK to Find File System Errors

Logical errors on your storage disk can cause all sorts of malfunctions.

This includes the incorrect reading of free disk space and storage allocation issues.

All these operations can be performed using Disk Management:

6.

The CHKDSK fix command in Command Prompt.

While this may be convenient, hibernation files can fill up your C: drive.

Besides freeing up space on your C: drive, these tools could improve your computers overall performance.

Fix disk errors using Properties.

System Restore Points configuration menu.

Disk Management home screen in Windows 11.