Windows 11 comes with a powerful built-in feature called Storage Sense that helps you manage your computer’s storage efficiently. This tool automatically removes unnecessary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and organizes your storage to free up valuable disk space. Let’s explore how to enable, configure, and use Storage Sense in Windows 11 to keep your system running smoothly.
Enabling Storage Sense in Windows 11
Step 1: Open the Settings app by pressing Win + I on your keyboard or by clicking the Start menu and selecting the gear icon.
Step 2: In the Settings window, click on “System” in the left sidebar, then select “Storage” from the list of options.
Step 3: Look for the “Storage management” section and toggle the switch next to “Storage Sense” to turn it on. You’ll see a pop-up notification near the taskbar confirming that Storage settings have been enabled.
Configuring Storage Sense Settings
After enabling Storage Sense, you can customize its behavior to suit your needs. Here’s how to access and adjust the settings:
Step 1: In the Storage settings page, click on “Storage Sense” to access its configuration options.
Step 2: You’ll see several options that you can adjust:
- Cleanup of temporary files: Enable this to allow Storage Sense to delete temporary files.
- Automatic User content cleanup: Turn this on to run Storage Sense automatically.
- Run Storage Sense: Choose how often you want Storage Sense to run – every day, week, month, or during low free disk space (default).
- Delete files in my recycle bin if they have been there for over: Select a time period after which files in the Recycle Bin will be automatically deleted.
- Delete files in my Downloads folder if they haven’t been opened for more than: Choose a time frame for deleting unused files in your Downloads folder.
- Locally available cloud content: Set a time period after which unused cloud-synced content will be made online-only to save space.
Step 3: Adjust these settings according to your preferences. Remember, more aggressive settings will free up more space but might delete files you still need, so choose carefully.
Running Storage Sense Manually
While Storage Sense can run automatically based on your settings, you can also trigger it manually when you need to free up space quickly:
Step 1: Go to Settings > System > Storage > Storage Sense.
Step 2: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Run Storage Sense now” button.
Step 3: Wait for the process to complete. Storage Sense will clean up files based on your configured settings.
Using Cleanup Recommendations
Windows 11 also offers Cleanup Recommendations to help you identify and remove unnecessary files:
Step 1: In the Storage settings page, scroll down and click on “Cleanup recommendations”.
Step 2: Windows will analyze your storage and provide recommendations in four categories:
- Temporary files: Select files to remove, including downloads, diagnostic data, and Recycle Bin contents.
- Large or unused files: Identify and remove large files you no longer need.
- Files synced to the cloud: Remove local copies of files already synced to cloud storage.
- Unused apps: Uninstall apps you haven’t used in a while.
Step 3: Review the recommendations and select the items you want to remove, then click “Clean up” to free up the space.
Freeing Up Space on Other Drives
Storage Sense primarily works on your system drive (usually C:), but you can manage space on other drives too:
Step 1: Go to Settings > System > Storage.
Step 2: Under “Advanced storage settings”, click on “Storage used on other drives”.
Step 3: Select the drive you want to manage and review the storage usage by category (Apps, Pictures, Documents, etc.).
Step 4: Click on any category to see more details and take action to free up space.
By utilizing Storage Sense and following these steps, you can keep your Windows 11 system running smoothly with optimized storage. Remember to periodically review your storage settings and run manual cleanups if needed to maintain peak performance.