My hard drive is getting full.

Question

Not sure what I can delete to make more room. I have a Onedrive to off load files. I don't want to have files on my onedrive and on my c drive as well. I have an approx 1tb solid state c drive with barely 50 gigs of free space. Dell computer.

Answer 1

Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

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I suggest downloading and installing the free version of the TreeSize app.

https://www.jam-software.com/treesize_free

Then right-click the application shortcut, select "Run as administrator", select the drive to be scanned, and wait for the scan to finish.

Share a screenshot of the TreeSize scan result. Use the shortcut "Windows + Shift + S" to use the screenshot tool.

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Looking forward to your reply.

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Answer 2

To free space on C: while still keeping files in OneDrive, use OneDrive’s online-only features instead of keeping local copies.

1. Open File Explorer and go to the OneDrive folder.
2. Select files or folders that do not need to stay on the PC.
3. Right-click them and choose Clear space or Free up space.
   This removes the local copy from C: and keeps the file in OneDrive.
4. Files with a green checkmark are stored locally. Files with a cloud icon are online-only.

To reduce future disk usage:

1. Click the OneDrive taskbar icon.
2. Open Settings > Account > Choose folders.
3. Stop syncing folders that do not need to be stored on the computer.

To clean up Windows disk space:

1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Storage.
2. Turn Storage Sense to On.
3. Select Storage Sense to choose what it cleans, such as temporary files and Recycle Bin items.

Important details:

• Storage Sense works only on the system drive, usually C:.
• If OneDrive files are opened often, they may become local again and use disk space.
• To keep a file on the PC but not in OneDrive, move it out of the OneDrive folder to another folder on the computer.
• To keep a file in OneDrive but not on the PC, keep it in the OneDrive folder and use Files On-Demand / Clear space.
• If deleting files from OneDrive to free cloud storage, there can be a short delay before the storage amount updates.
• If deleting shared items, that can delete them for everyone.

If the goal is to free a large amount of space quickly, start with large folders inside OneDrive that still show the green checkmark, then use Free up space on those first.

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• Delete files or folders in OneDrive
• I'm getting a "Disk full" message in OneDrive
• Manage drive space with Storage Sense
• Use OneDrive and Storage Sense in Windows 10 to manage disk space
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