This article explains how to free up storage space on computers running the following operating systems:

• Windows 10
• Windows 11
• Apple Ventura or later
• Apple Monterey or older

This article is a summary of the wider external articles "Free up drive space in Windows" and "Free up storage space on your Mac".

Windows users

Find out how much space you have left

To check the total disk space left:

1. From the taskbar, elect File Explorer 
2. Select the This PC icon from the sidebar

The available space for each drive will appear under the Devices and drives section.

How to free up storage space on Windows 11

Delete files with Storage Sense

1. Select Start

2. Select Settings

3. Select System

4. Select Storage

A new window will detail how the space is used. Open the linked Show more categories to see all the categories available

5. Turn on Storage Sense to allow Windows delete unnecessary files automatically. 

Delete files manually

1. Select Start

2. Select Settings

3. Select System 

4. Select Storage   

5. Select Cleanup recommendations

6. Select the files (temporary, unused, and synced to the cloud) or unused apps you want to remove

7. Select the Clean up button for each section. Please note: Cleanup will also remove systems files that are not in use

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Windows 10

Delete files with Storage Sense

1. Select Start

2. Select Settings

3. Select System

4. Select Storage from the sidebar

5. Select Configure Storage Sense or run it now

7. Under Temporary Files, select when you want each type of files deleted.

You can also delete unnecessary files manually as follows:

1. Scroll down to the section Free up space now
2. Select the Clean now button.

Uninstall apps 

This section explains how to uninstall applications you do not need any longer:

1. Open the Start menu

2. Select Settings

3. Select Apps

4. From the sidebar, select Apps & features

5. Search for a specific app. You can also sort them by size to see which ones are taking up the most space.

6. Select the application you want to delete

7. Select the Uninstall button

Delete files manually

Videos, music, photos, and documents can take up a lot of space. The Videos, Music, Pictures, and Downloads folders usually contain the largest files that you have saved to your device.

To see which files are using the most space:

1.  From the taskbar, select File Explorer

2. From the sidebar, select This PC

3. Select a folder to see what files are saved in it.

To see the size of the files in a folder, select:

1. The View tab
2. The Details button

To show the largest files at the top of the list, please:

1. Right-click in the open space
2. Select Sort by
3. Select Size 

4. If there are files you no longer need on your device, you can either

• Delete them
• Move them to an external storage device (like a USB drive, and external drive storage, or an SD card).

Please note: if you delete any files, remember to empty the Recycle Bin to completely remove them from your device and free up space.

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Apple users

Find out how much space you have left

macOS Ventura or later:

1. Choose Apple menu
2. Select System Settings
3. Select General in the sidebar
4. Select Storage 

macOS Monterey or older

1. Choose Apple menu
2. Select About This Mac
3. Select Storage

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How to free up storage space on Apple Ventura or later

1. Choose Apple menu

2. Select System Settings

3. From the sidebar, scroll down and select General 

4. Select Storage 

5. Decide how to optimise the storage based on the recommendations 

You can also choose to empty the bin automatically. By turning on the option, your Mac will automatically erase items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days. You can modify this setting later in the Finder. 

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How to free up storage space on Apple Monterey or older

1. Choose Apple menu

2. Select About this Mac

3. Select Storage 

4. Select Manage

macOS calculates how much space is being used by different categories. Please wait until all categories are finished being calculated to ensure you’re seeing the accurate amount of space. Values are refined as each category is calculated.

5. Decide how to optimise the storage based on the recommendations 

You can also choose to empty the bin automatically. By turning on the option, your Mac will automatically erase items that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days. You can modify this setting later in the Finder. 

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