I'm trying to clear up some space on my SSD because it's getting full, but I'm a bit wary of what to delete. I've already deleted some temporary files, but I've seen suggestions about deleting everything in the appdata folder, and I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I also moved the Program Files (x86) folder from my SSD to my HDD, which freed up about 40 GB, but I can't figure out why the storage seemed to fill up again so quickly. If anyone has experience with this and can offer more tips on how to free up space safely, I'd appreciate it!
4 Answers
Moving your Program Files folder can be risky. If you didn't uninstall and reinstall those programs after moving, you might have broken them. As for deleting items in the appdata folder, don’t do it! That can erase crucial customizations and save files for your applications. First, check how much space you actually have on your SSD. You might find that using a tool like WinDirStat could help visualize which files are taking up most of your space.
You might also want to consider checking what applications are running in the background that could be using up space or caching data.
Make sure to back up anything important! Use Google Drive or similar services for free backups. If something goes wrong, it’s much easier to reinstall programs and recover files. That way, you can experiment with cleaning up without worrying about losing your stuff.
For managing programs, I use Revo Uninstaller. It’s pretty good for cleaning up leftover files too after uninstalling. Might be worth a shot!
I wouldn’t recommend deleting anything that’s Windows-related. Instead, focus on removing personal files you don’t need anymore or any apps you rarely use. It’s safer that way!
I just freed up 10 GB, and now it’s down to 8 GB in like 10 minutes! It’s frustrating!
Yeah, I moved my Program Files and thought it worked fine at first, but it's a mess now. My SSD is 220 GB, and I feel it filling up fast! I've never used WinDirStat either.