I'm trying to free up space on my SSD, but I feel a bit overwhelmed. I've already deleted temporary files, but I keep seeing suggestions to clear out everything in the appdata folder, and that makes me uneasy. I also moved the Program Files (x86) from my SSD to my HDD, which gave me back about 40 gigs, but after deleting the old files, that storage space filled up again pretty quickly. Can anyone offer some advice or tips on how to manage this better?
4 Answers
Just a heads up, deleting Windows-related files can cause problems. It's usually better to remove personal files you don't need anymore and uninstall apps you rarely use. Also, keep in mind that SSDs can fill up quickly if you have a lot of temporary files or cached data. It's important to regularly check on that.
Make sure to back up anything important. You can use a free Google Drive account or other backup services. Once your important files are safe, you can freely uninstall software or, if necessary, reinstall Windows. If you back up your critical stuff, you can always redownload apps later without much hassle.
It sounds like you might have moved the Program Files folder without uninstalling the apps first? If so, you might have broken some installations. Be cautious about deleting anything in the appdata folder too; that could erase custom settings and save files for your installed programs! Maybe start by checking how much space your SSD has left. Have you tried using WinDirStat? It can help you see what's taking up the most space, which could guide your cleanup efforts.
Yeah, I just moved the folder and deleted the old one—everything seems okay for now, but I found this old Reddit post suggesting it. My SSD is about 220 gigs, but it fills up super fast after I clear some space.
I haven't used WinDirStat yet, but I probably should!
If you're looking for a good way to manage installations, I use Revo Uninstaller for clean uninstalls, which also removes leftover files. Plus, it helps with registry clean-up.
My SSD is filling up fast! I had 10 gigs free just a few minutes ago, and now it's down to 8. What do I do?