How to Free Up Storage on Phone and PC

In this article we will discuss about how to Free Up Storage on Phone and PC. If you have a gadget, chances are you don’t just use it as android and iPhone. It’s now your camera, your GPS, and even your music and movie collection. With all of these features on one device, the storage can fill up quickly. When you have things you want to save but don’t have enough room, it can be frustrating to think about deleting other things. Nothing is more annoying than getting a “storage full” message when you’re sure you’ve deleted almost everything you can without wiping your device clean.

Sometimes it seems like your phone is always about to hit its storage limit, making it impossible to take photos, videos, or install apps. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 have a special menu for changing settings to make the process easy. From this menu, you can see how much space each type of material is taking up on your device. In Windows, you can also quickly free up room and set Storage Sense to remove temporary files and items from the recycle bin on its own. Both versions of Windows can do the same thing, but some screens and settings are slightly different. Here are the many ways how to Free Up Storage on Phone and PC.

Why is Freeing Up Storage Important?

1. Optimal device performance: When your device’s storage is filled up, it can slow down its performance. By freeing up storage space, you can improve the overall speed and responsiveness of your device.
2. Smooth operation of apps: Many apps require a certain amount of free space to function properly. When your device’s storage is full, it can lead to app crashes, freezing, or lagging. By freeing up storage, you ensure that apps run smoothly without any interruptions.
3. System updates and software installations: System updates and software installations often require a sufficient amount of available storage space. If your device is low on storage, it may prevent you from installing important updates or new applications. Freeing up storage ensures that you can take advantage of the latest features, bug fixes, and security enhancements.
4. Capture and store media: If you enjoy taking photos, recording videos, or downloading media files, having enough storage space is essential. By freeing up storage, you can continue to capture and store your memories without running out of space.
5. Data backup: Regularly backing up your device’s data is crucial to protect your important files and prevent data loss. Freeing up storage allows you to create backups without any issues, ensuring the safety of your valuable data.

How to Free Up Storage on Phone

Delete photos, videos and other large files

Even though it’s nice to be able to see photos and videos in your chat app, you don’t always need to keep them. It’s easy to find these old files and delete them.

On iPhone

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages on your iPhone.
2. You can delete files you’ve sent or received from the “Photos,” “Videos,” “GIFs and Stickers,” and “Other” folders.
3. For other files, go to the Files app and choose “On My iPhone.”
4. There are folders for all the apps that save files to the Files app in the “On My iPhone” folder.
5. Check the files in the folders to see if there are any big ones.
6. Under each file’s name, you’ll see how big it is.
7. You can delete files you don’t need by hitting and holding the file name until a menu appears, then choosing “Delete” from the menu.

On Android

1. Open the My Files app (also called File Manager) on an Android device.
2. You will see a folder called “Downloads.”
3. When you open the folder, you will see all the files you have saved.
4. If you press and hold a file name, you can choose files to delete.

Uninstall apps you don’t use

Photos and movies usually take up a lot of space, but apps, especially games, can also take up a lot of space. It’s best to get rid of apps you rarely use.

On iPhone

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage on your iPhone.
2. You’ll see a list of apps that are ordered by how much space they use.
3. When you choose an app, you’ll be able to delete it or send it to another device.
4. If you offload an app, it will be deleted, but the data will still be there in case you want to restart the app later.
5. You can also choose to get rid of apps you haven’t used in a while immediately.
6. Go to Settings > App Store and turn on “Offload Unused Apps.“

On Android

1. Go to Google Play Store.
2. Tap on Profile.
3. Select Manage apps & devices.
4. Choose Manage on an Android device.
5. Under the name of each app, you’ll see how much space it takes up.
6. To delete an app, tap the app’s name.
7. Then tap “Uninstall”.

Back up your phone to the cloud

If you don’t have the time or patience to go through old photos and videos or if you want to keep all your media files, back them up to a cloud storage service and delete the ones you don’t want from your phone. With cloud storage services like Dropbox, you can choose to have a full-resolution copy of your photos backed up immediately whenever you have WiFi.

If you have an iPhone and have turned on the iCloud regular backup service, the process is done for you.

1. Open Settings.
2. Select “Apple ID.”
3. Select “iCloud.” Toggle on all of the apps you want to backup to iCloud.
4. If you want your photos and video backed up, select “Photos” and toggle on “iCloud Photos.”
5. However, once you turn on iCloud Photos, any action you take on your phone will be replicated in iCloud.
6. So if you delete a photo or video, it will delete in your iCloud backup.
7. If you want to delete photos on your phone, we recommend backing up your phone locally as outlined below.
8. Select “iCloud Backup.”
9. Toggle on “iCloud Backup.” If you already have iCloud backup on, you’ll see the last time you backed up to iCloud.
10. If you’re short on iCloud storage, go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud and select “Manage Storage.”
11. There you can select “Backups.” If you have old phone backups you don’t need, you can delete those to regain space.
12. You should always leave one backup for your iPhone.

For Android, you can set up your phone to immediately back up to Google One.

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose “Google.” If you’re worried about mobile data, scroll down and make sure that “Back up using mobile or metered Wi-Fi data” is turned off.
3. Choose “Backup.” If you have backed up your phone before, you will see a list of what has been backed up. If everything is backed up, or if this is your first time backing up to Google, move on to the next step. If you don’t see everything being saved up, open the Google One app and tap “Storage.” After that, click “View details.” Now you can choose “Manage backup” to choose which files you want to save.
4. Click “Back up right now.” If this is your first time backing up, you can choose what you want to back up.

How to Free Up Storage on PC

Identify Space-Hogging Files and Folders

To begin, you need to identify which files and folders are taking up the most space on your PC. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open the File Explorer by pressing the Windows key + E.
2. Navigate to the main storage drive (usually the C: drive).
3. Sort the files and folders by size, from largest to smallest.
4. Identify any large files or folders that you no longer need, such as old videos, outdated applications, or unnecessary documents.

Delete Unnecessary Files and Folders

Once you’ve identified the space-hogging files and folders, it’s time to remove them from your PC. Follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the unwanted file or folder.
2. Select “Delete” from the context menu.
3. If prompted, confirm the deletion.

Clear Recycle Bin

When you delete files, they are moved to the Recycle Bin rather than being permanently removed from your PC. To completely free up the space they occupy, you need to empty the Recycle Bin:

1. Right-click on the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.
2. Select “Empty Recycle Bin” from the menu.
3. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Uninstall Unused Applications

Many PCs have numerous applications installed that are rarely used. Removing these unused applications can free up significant storage space. Here’s how:

1. Open the Start menu and go to “Settings.”
2. Click on “Apps” or “Apps & features.”
3. Scroll through the list of installed applications and identify the ones you no longer use.
4. Select the application and click on “Uninstall.”
5. Follow the uninstallation prompts to remove the application from your computer.

Clear Temporary Files and Caches

Temporary files and caches can accumulate over time and consume a considerable amount of storage. Clearing them regularly can free up space and enhance your PC’s performance. If you want to know more information about this error visit Microsoft official Website. Follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type “%temp%” (without quotes) and press Enter.
3. Select all the files and folders in the temporary folder.
4. Press the Shift + Delete keys simultaneously to permanently delete them.
5. Confirm the deletion if prompted.

Utilize Storage Optimization Tools

Windows provides built-in storage optimization tools that can help you free up space more efficiently. Here’s how to access them:

1. Open the Start menu and go to “Settings.”
2. Click on “System” and then “Storage.”
3. Select “Configure Storage Sense or run it now.“
4. Enable Storage Sense to automatically free up space by deleting unnecessary files and emptying the Recycle Bin.

Questions and Answers