What is taking up space on my hard drive?

1. How To Clean Up Computer Memory Usage
2. Clear Up Memory Space

Restart Windows Explorer to Clear Memory 1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del keys at the same time and select Task Manager from the listed options. 2.Find Explorer and click Restart. To use ‘Clean up system files’: Click Clean up system files Go to the ‘More Options tab’ in the Disk Cleanup window Click ‘Clean up’ under the ‘System Restore and Shadow Copies’ heading. Cleaning out your PC on a regular basis frees up drive space and helps it run better. One of the easiest ways to clean up files you no longer need is by using Disk Cleanup. Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, select Disk Cleanup. Another way to clear memory on your hard drive is to remove viruses. On windows you can use the Microsoft Security Essentials program to scan and clean your computer, or download a virus scanner application like McAfee. While Macs are a little better at preventing viruses, they can still get them. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Alt + Del keys. Go to Task Manager, open Processes tab and the list displaying all your running tasks. Here you see the usage according to CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network. Choose the tasks consuming high CPU percentage and click End Task.

If you haven’t got space on your computer for that new app or game, or the clutter on your hard drive is just driving you crazy, you’re not alone.

With the introduction of SSDs (solid-state drives) offering loads less space than traditional mechanical hard drives, in conjunction with games and applications requiring more and more disk space, your hard drive can easily become full.

In this article, we’ll go through the top 8 ways to clean up your Windows hard drive: finding out what is taking up so much space on your hard drive, reducing the clutter and creating space for those all important new applications or files. So, without further ado, let’s get started…

Using Mac instead? Find out how to clear disk space on Mac >

Jump straight to:

New Update: Windows Storage Sense

Since the initial publication of this article, Microsoft have been busy working on the issue of saving space on people's computers. The amalgamation of their hard-work comes in the form of 'Storage Sense' - An all-in-one, intuitive feature which cleans a computer of unwanted files easier and more efficiently than ever before!

If you are using Windows 10, you can use this feature in place of the 'Windows Disk Cleanup' and 'Take out the Trash' sections of this article. This is because these steps are now covered by Storage Sense (Disk Cleanup and Recycle Bin are still available too if you prefer to use those, or if you are running another version of Windows like Windows 7). Let's see how to use this new feature...

• Use Storage Sense on demand
• Set up Storage Sense to run automatically

How to use Storage Sense on demand

If you don't need to clean up your computer files very often, or if you want control over exactly what files are deleted, I would recommend using Storage Sense on demand, rather than allowing it to run automatically. Here's how:

1. Click your Windows icon and open 'Settings'.
2. Click 'System'.
3. Select 'Storage' from the list on the left.
4. Under 'Storage Sense', click 'Free up space now'.
   
5. Your computer will be scanned for temporary files which may want to delete.
6. Once the scan is complete, tick the files you want to delete.
7. Click 'Remove Files' to permanently delete the files from your computer.

How to configure Storage Sense to run automatically

If you often need to clean up your computer for temporary files and like the sound of automating the process, I would recommend using Storage Sense to automatically and periodically clean up your files. Here's how:

1. Click your Windows icon and open 'Settings'.
2. Click 'System'.
3. Select 'Storage' from the list on the left.
4. Under 'Storage Sense', click 'Change how we free up space automatically'.
   
5. Choose your preferences (set when you would like Storage Sense to run, what to delete, and how long).
6. Once you're happy with your selections, toggle Storage Sense on.
7. Click 'Clean Now' if you want to start your first scan now.

The tool is great, right? It's a massive improvement over the separate, hard-to-find features from before. However, it still does not deal with duplicate files, uninstalling unused programs and more... Jump to: finding and deleting duplicates now >

1. Windows Disk Cleanup

Windows comes with a handful of great tools to help keep your computer’s storage nice and tidy. The problem is, not everybody knows where to find these functions, or what to look for.

Disk Cleanup is the first of these tools. It allows you to delete data such as temporary files, which can amount to GB’s (gigabytes) of data over time.

To access the Disk Cleanup function:

1. Go to your Computer window (Start -> Computer)
2. Right-Click your hard-drive and select ‘Properties’
3. Under the ‘General’ tab, click ‘Disk Cleanup’
4. Windows will scan your drive and let you know how much space you can save by running Disk Cleanup
5. Select the files that you wish to delete form the drive, and hit OK

Another function to mention here is ‘Clean up system files’. Using this function, you can remove older Windows restore points from your drive, leaving only the most recent one. If you wish to use this function, please ensure that your computer is running as expected, as once the restore points are removed, you will not be able to fall back to them.

To use ‘Clean up system files’:

1. Click Clean up system files
2. Go to the ‘More Options tab’ in the Disk Cleanup window
3. Click ‘Clean up…’ under the ‘System Restore and Shadow Copies’ heading

2. Uninstall Programs

For many computer users, most of the disk space used is by applications and games. If you find that you no longer use certain programs, you can uninstall and remove them from your hard drive.

Again, Windows provides the ability to easily get rid of any unwanted programs that we may have on our computer. To uninstall/remove programs, follow the steps below:

1. Start -> Control Panel -> Uninstall a program
2. Sort the list of programs by file size by clicking the ‘Size header’. Now you can see which programs take up the most space on your computer.
3. Click any program that you wish to remove, and click ‘Uninstall’

3. Remove Duplicate Files

It is likely that you’ve accumulated duplicate files over time, which are unnecessary for the running of your computer. Unfortunately, Windows does not provide an easy way to find and remove these duplicate files, so a third party software is needed.

There are a number of applications for the removal of duplicate files, but we’ll look at Duplicate Sweeper here. Duplicate Sweeper has a clear and easy interface, and finds and removes duplicates easily.

Let Duplicate Sweeper automatically select duplicate files for removal, using your preferences, or select individual files yourself.

Duplicate Sweeper can find duplicate files, photos and music on your computer, and remove them for you, freeing up loads of space for the stuff you really want.

Try Duplicate Sweeper free ▼

Receive an email with a link so you can download the free trial on your computer:

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On a similar point, you can also delete any duplicate tracks in iTunes which can take up a lot of disk space. This function can be found in iTunes -> File -> Library -> Show Duplicate Items. From this list you can delete any duplicate tracks.

However, if you have loads of duplicate files listed, which ones should you delete? To manually go through each track and pick the best may take some time. For this reason, many people use a third-party software to help out.

One such application is Tune Sweeper. Tune Sweeper can quickly search your iTunes library for duplicates, and automatically select which to remove based on preferences such as highest quality, longest duration or latest played.

Tune Sweeper can also tidy up your iTunes library by fixing track information, downloading missing album artwork to tracks, removing missing tracks and loads more.

For more information about Tune Sweeper, or to download the free trial:

Tune Sweeper homepage

4. Temporary Files

“Wait, we just removed temporary files using Windows Disk Cleanup”, I hear you say. Yes, we deleted temporary files containing webpages, stored on your hard drive for quick viewing. Unfortunately, the Disk Cleanup method did not include files saved by external apps such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. There may still be gigabytes worth of cookies, internet history and caches stored on your computer.

You can delete this information directly from your browser, or by using a third-party application.

For example, using Google Chrome, you can open the settings menu (the 3 dots next to the address bar) -> More tools -> Clear Browsing data… From here you can select which data you wish to remove, then click ‘Clear browsing data’.

5. Take out the Trash

Some of these files which we have removed using the above steps may end up being moved to the Recycle Bin. This is a nice safety measure, because if you make a mistake and have removed a file which you now want back, you can easily restore the file from the Recycle Bin.

However, the files in the Recycle Bin are still taking up space on your computer. If you’re sure that you would like to remove the files in your Recycle Bin, you can select files and right-click to delete them, or simply click ‘Empty the Recycle Bin’ to permanently delete all of the files.

6. Store data on External Storage or in the Cloud

All previous methods in this list describe how to delete or remove files from your computer which you may not need. However, what of the files which you wish to keep, such as precious photos, video and music? These media types can accumulate to some serious storage space, but if you no longer have space for them on your PC hard drive, you still have options!

A common method for keeping data safe is to transfer it to external storage. There are 2 platforms for storing your data elsewhere from your main computer: physical storage and cloud storage.

Physical storage comes in many different shapes and sizes, but can most commonly be seen as USB Drives or external hard drives. Transferring data from your PC hard drive to an external hard drive allows you to delete the original files on your PC, while still keeping them safe in storage. Needless to say, this can clear a huge chunk of storage space on your PC.

Cloud Storage allows you to store your files on remote servers, and access them via the internet. There are many different cloud service providers: Apple iCloud and Microsoft OneDrive are only two examples. Most providers offer a certain amount of storage space free, and then give the option to pay monthly for more storage space if you should need it.

Consider also that cloud storage is not immune to duplicate files. Since many cloud services charge for more space, it is crucial to remove duplicate files to save valuable space and save yourself money. Check out our guide on how to manage Google Drive files and remove duplicates.

7. Defragment your Hard Drive

When adding a new file to your computer, a particular portion of your hard drive is allocated to store the file. However, after constantly saving and deleting files, a disk will become ‘fragmented’. This means that there are gaps in your hard drive where subsequent files would not fit, so they are left vacant.

As well as affecting your usable free space on your hard drive, fragmentation also has a negative impact on your computer’s ability to store your data in sequence, hence slowing down it’s speed.

Luckily, Windows has us covered, providing a ‘Disk Defragmentation’ tool. Using this tool, we can analyze which of our drives would benefit from defragmentation, before we commit to defragging. This is very useful, as if you have a large drive full of data, it may take a substantial amount of time to defrag.

To make use of this tool, hit your Windows icon, or Start menu, then start typing “Defragment”. From the search list, click Disk Defragmenter. Once you see the tool’s window, you can elect each drive and analyze them to determine what percentage of them is fragmented. Higher percentages mean higher fragmentation.

To defragment your disk, just hit “Defragment Disk”.

Note:

• It is not advised to defragment your hard drive too often, as the constant writing and erasing of data can reduce the lifespan of your hard drive.
• It may also be worth pointing out that there has been some debate as to whether defragmentation of SSDs (solid-state drives) is beneficial or detrimental to the drive. If you are unsure, you can read up on the discussion at PC World.

8. Sufficient RAM

RAM (Random Access Memory) is the hardware in your computer which determines how you store data. RAM stores data or instructions which you use frequently, providing fast read or write processes to improve the general speed of your computer experience.

Sounds great, right? Right. However, if you don’t have sufficient RAM, your computer will start to store the overflow of information which should be stored in RAM, in your hard drive instead. Then, when your computer wants to read or write this data, it is a much slower process between hard drive-computer than RAM-computer.

For these reasons, make sure that you have enough RAM for the processes that you generally do on your computer. It may be worth pointing out that the average user, who’s agenda may be text editing and web browsing, will not require as much RAM as a user who frequently runs multiple programs at once including photo or video editing and rendering software.

You can find out how much RAM you currently have installed in your computer by going to Computer > Properties.

All solutions to Your computer is low on memory on Windows 10/8/7:

Workable Solutions	Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Close programs	Your computer is low on memory error is displayed when your programs are using too much memory...Full steps
Fix 2. Use Windows troubleshooter	Windows troubleshooter can be helpful if a program is forcefully closed, or if something isn't working...Full steps
Fix 3. Run system file scan	Run SFC scan to check and repair corrupted system files, like a corrupted registry file. SFC scan...Full steps
Fix 4. Increase virtual memory	By increasing your virtual memory, you will be able to resolve the low memory issues or alerts...Full steps
Other 4 more useful tips	Other solutions are: upgrade RAM, update Windows to the latest version, repair bad sectors...Full steps

One of the most common issues Windows users encounter is low memory on computers. The error message is as follows:

In Windows 10, the error message reads as 'Your computer is low on memory. To restore enough memory for programs to work correctly, save your files, and then close to restart all open programs.'

In Windows 7, it reads a little different but suggests the same problem 'Close programs to prevent information loss. Your computer is low on memory. Save your files and close these programs.'

When you meet Your computer is low on memory problem, your computer runs out of RAM and becomes low on virtual memory. Computer memory RAM and Virtual Memory items are totally different from the physical disk space of hard-drives or removable storage devices. You may receive Your computer is low on memory alerts repeatedly or sometimes, Your computer is low on memory but it's not.

As long as you are bothered by a computer out of memory, you come to the right place. We hope that the troubleshooting methods on this page will be useful to help you out.

Backup Files to Avoid Data Loss Due to Low Memory on Computer

Some users report that the low memory error also triggers black screen issues, forcing users to reboot their PCs. In general, when your computer has running low memory warning, you may encounter data loss caused by the computer stuck, so it's best to back up data frequently.

EaseUS Todo Backup offers you ultimate data backup solutions to protect data on Windows-based computers. It enables you to perform system backup, disk/partition backup, and file backup.

It also allows you to clone the system to duplicate your operating system to another hard drive, USB, or other storage media. You can migrate OS to SSD without reinstalling Windows.

You can free download EaseUS data backup software on your Windows 10/8/7 computer and use it to back up your computers to avoid data loss regularly.

Step 1. Open EaseUS Todo Backup and select'File' on the main window.

Step 2. Select the files to backup and select the backup destination.

You can choose specific files that you want to back up by browsing the left pane and click 'Browse' to select a destination for saving the file backup.

You'd better create the backup file in some other storage media or in some other drive in case of getting the backup file corrupted or destroyed.

Step 3. Create a backup plan to automatically back up selected files.

1. Click 'Schedule: Off' to create a flexible and automatic backup plan.

2. Set the automatic backup schedule by day, by week or by month and click 'Save' to keep the changes.

If you can also click 'Backup options' at the left bottom to set more advanced parameters for the plan.

And the Image-reserve strategy will help you to keep the backup image as per image retention rule.

Step 4. Click 'Proceed' to execute your operation.

If Your computer is low on memory problem has caused a boot issue, you can still use EaseUS Todo Backup to restore and backup files with bootable USB in the WinPE environment.

8 Ways to Fix Your Computer Is Low on Memory Windows 10/8/7

Some malicious files infected by viruses or malware might lead to Your Computer is low on memory but it's not. So, you can first run Windows' built-in antivirus, Windows Defender, or third-party antivirus program to perform a full scan of your computer to remove malware viruses.

If a virus or malware infection isn't the cause of low memory, apply the following troubleshooting steps to resolve the problem.

1. Close the Programs That Are Using Too Much Memory

Some processes using too much memory would probably throw you the exact low memory error on your computer. In fact, the following way of ending the process that is using too much memory in the Task Manager is beneficial when Windows OS is with high RAM or CPU usage issue.

Step 1. Press 'Ctrl + Alt + Del' to bring up a menu and choose 'Task Manager'.

Step 2. Under the Process tab, you'll clearly see which process is using the most memory. Right-click the process's name and choose 'End task'. This should resolve your problems.

2. Use Windows Troubleshooter

If a program or something else doesn’t work properly on your Windows 7/8/10 system, you might be prompted with the Your Computer is low on memory error message. In this case, you can run Windows Troubleshooter and perform system maintenance to solve the issue.

Step 1. Type Troubleshooting in the search box.

Step 2. On the left panel, select 'View All' and choose 'System Maintenance' from the list.

Step 3. Click on 'Next' and wait while your system to finish the troubleshooting process.

How To Clean Up Computer Memory Usage

3. Run System File Scan

When your system files, such as registry files, have corrupted, you may also receive the Your computer is low on memory Windows 7 or Windows 8, and 10. Use Microsoft's System File Checker to check for system file corruption. This utility verifies the integrity of all protected system files and repairs files with problems.

Step 1. Type cmd in the Search box. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

Step 2. Now type the sfc /scannow command, and press Enter.

Step 3. Wait for the scanning process to complete and then restart your computer. If corrupted system files cause the computer low memory, the problem will be solved.

See: How to fix Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them

4. Increase the Virtual Memory

By increasing the virtual memory, you will be able to resolve the computer low memory issue. Follow the steps below to do it manually as there are no apps dedicated to this matter.

Step 1. Press 'Windows + R' and type sysdm.cpl in the Run dialog box, and click 'OK' to open System Properties.

Step 2. Click 'Advanced system settings'.

Step 3. Then click 'Settings' under the Advanced pane on System Properties.

Step 4. Go on to click 'Change' under the Advanced pane.

Step 5. Uncheck 'Automatically manage paging file size for all drives'.

• Tick on 'Custom Size'.
• Then set 'Initial size' and 'Maximum size' by yourself. (The sizes you set should be moreover than the Recommended size.)
• Click 'Set' and 'OK'.

5. Upgrade RAM

If you really don't have a lot of memory and often have a computer low memory problem, you can upgrade your RAM. RAM upgrades can speed up your computer, and you'll experience fewer system freezes or hangs.

Note: If you are not a computer professional, it's better not to do this yourself. You can turn to a computer expert for help.

6. Update Windows to the Latest Version

Make sure you are running the latest Windows version. Microsoft constantly rolls out Windows update to improve the system's stability and fix various issues. Updating your Windows OS to the latest version is one fix for your computer is low on memory.

Step 1. Open 'Settings' on your Windows 10/8/7. Click 'Update & security' and click on the 'Check for updates' button under the Update status to check whether there is a new version of Windows available.

Step 2. If there is one, install the update immediately and restart your computer afterward.

7. Check and Repair Disk Errors

Your disk has bad sectors is also one of the reasons for Your computer is low on memory problem. In this case, you can run a file system check to repair the corrupted file system disk.

EaseUS Partition Master Free is a mature disk management tool that enables you to create/delete/format partition, resize/move partitions to solve low disk space issue, merge partitions, clone disk, wipe data, and convert disk/partition, which is totally free.

Now, download and use this free disk management tool to check and repair bad sectors on your disk to solve computer low memory issue on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

Step 1. Open EaseUS Partition Master on your computer. Then locate the disk, right-click the partition you want to check, and choose 'Check File System'.

Step 2. In the Check File System window, keep the 'Try to fix errors if found' option selected and click 'Start'.

Step 3. The software will begin checking your partition file system on your disk. When it has completed, click 'Finish'.

8. Run System Clean Up to Remove Junk and Temporary Files

The last useful way to fix Your computer is low on memory Windows 7/8/10 is to delete the junk and temporary files and folders. Here is a free PC disk clean up tool to help you make it effortlessly.

Step 1.  DOWNLOAD and install EaseUS Tools M. Select 'System Cleanup' on the main screen.

Step 2. Select the type of junk files you want to scan and click 'Analyze'.

Step 3. Identify and select useless files and click 'Clean up' to remove those files from your PC or laptop.

Clear Up Memory Space

To Sum Up

We've given you all the possible solutions in this article to solve Your computer is low on memory issue on Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7. We hope they would be resultful. If you've tried them all, but nothing worked, don't be discouraged. Contact our technical support team via live chat or email [email protected] to get instant assistance.

More FAQs About Your Computer Is Low on Memory Windows 7

Here are more frequently asked questions about the problem: Your computer is low on memory. Let's check them together.

What does it mean when your computer is low on memory?

When you receive Your computer is low on memory error message, your computer is running out of RAM and becomes low on virtual memory. When you encounter a low memory problem, you can't open a program or save data to a computer until you correct the situation.

Why is my available RAM so low?

Why is the computer low on memory? That’s because some programs on your computer take too much allocation of memory. The problem may also occur because the system BIOS is outdated. If you have an older computer, the system may be unable to access all the installed RAM. In this case, you have to update the system BIOS to the latest version.

What are the signs of insufficient RAM on your computer?

When your computer is out of RAM, you may get the error: Your computer is low on memory to restore enough memory for programs to work correctly, save your files and then close or restart all open programs.

You might also have difficulty running multiple programs at once. You won't be able to open the application or save data to your computer. What's worse, sometimes, the low memory error also leads to black screen issues, forcing you to reboot your computer.

How do I fix low RAM on my computer?

There are a few ways to fix computer out of memory on Windows 10/8/7:

• Run antivirus software for a full system scan
• Close the programs that are using too much memory
• Use Windows troubleshooter
• Manually increase virtual memory
• Repair corrupted file system
• Update Windows to the latest version
• Clean junk and temporary files and folders
• Remove recently installed software

How do I free up more memory on my PC?

If your RAM is in high usage, try the following methods to reduce the amount of RAM.

• Restart your PC
• Close used software
• Use lighter apps and manage programs
• Scan for malware
• Adjust virtual memory
• Try ReadyBoost
• Increase more RAM