Windows 10

Managing Your Storage

When you need to manage your computer's storage, use the Storage feature in the Settings app. Follow these steps to display the Storage pane:

Choose Start, Settings to open a Settings window.
Click System to display the System pane.
Click Storage in the left column to display the Storage screen.

Seeing What's Taking Up Space on Your Computer

To see what's taking up space on your PC, click This PC in the Storage section. The This PC screen appears, showing how much space the different categories of items are taking up. Click the item whose details you want to see. Windows displays the corresponding screen, which shows details of the files in the category and actions that you can perform on them.

These are the items you'll find on the This PC screen:

System and Reserved:
System files are Windows files that you shouldn't change. Reserved files include backup files with which Windows can repair itself after you do change or delete something vital; the paging file, which Windows uses to supplement virtual memory; the hibernation file, which Windows uses for deep sleep; and System Restore files, which save snapshots of your computer's configuration so that you can restore it to an earlier configuration (for example, after something goes wrong). You can click Manage System Restore to display the System Protection tab of the System Properties dialog box.
Apps and Games:
These are apps (programs) and games, both those that come preinstalled on your computer and those you have installed yourself. On the Apps and Games screen, you can sort the apps by size, by name, or by install date; search for an app by name; and uninstall an app by clicking it and then clicking Uninstall. You can also click the Manage Optional Features link to display the Manage Optional Features window, which enables you to add or remove items such as handwriting recognition and optical character recognition.
Documents:
These are the files in the Documents library, such as Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases. On the Documents screen, you can click View Documents to display the Documents library in a File Explorer window.
Pictures:
These are the files in the Pictures library. On the Pictures screen, you can click View Pictures to display the Pictures library in a File Explorer window.
Music:
These are the files in the Music library. On the Music screen, you can click View Music to display the Music library in a File Explorer window.
Videos:
These are the files in the Videos library. On the Videos screen, you can click View Videos to display the Videos library in a File Explorer window.
Mail:
This readout shows the amount of space your mail is taking up. On the Mail screen, you can click Manage Mail to open the system's default mail app.
OneDrive:
These are copies of files stored on OneDrive that you have downloaded to your computer so that they are available even when an Internet connection is not.
On the OneDrive screen, you can click Manage OneDrive to open the Sync Your OneDrive Files to This PC dialog box, in which you can specify which files to sync.
Desktop:
These are files on your desktop, because many people store many files there. On the Desktop screen, you can click View Desktop to display the Desktop folder in a File Explorer window.
Maps:
These are files containing map data that the Map app has downloaded. On the Maps screen, you can click Manage Maps to display the Offline Maps pane in System settings. Here, you can click Delete All Maps if you want to get rid of all the downloaded maps.
Other Users:
This shows the amount of space that other users' files are taking. On the Other Users screen, you can click Manage Other Users to display the Accounts screen in Settings, where you can work with user accounts.
Temporary Files:
This shows the amount of space that various types of temporary files are taking up. We'll look at the details in a moment, because this is where you'll likely want to start recovering space.
Other:
This category contains the largest folders Windows has identified that don't fit into any of the other categories.

Normally, the best place to start when you need to reclaim space is the Temporary Files screen, because you can often reclaim several gigabytes of space here simply by getting rid of files you no longer need. Follow these steps:

Click Temporary Files on the This PC screen to display the Temporary Files screen.
In the Temporary Files area, click Delete Temporary Files, and then click Yes, I am Sure in the confirmation dialog box that opens.
In the Downloads area, look at the amount of space that files in the Downloads folder are taking up. If there's enough space to be worth recovering, click View Downloads to display the Downloads folder in a File Explorer window, and then delete any files you don't need.
Tip:
When reclaiming space from the Downloads folder, move any files you want to keep to other folders. If you treat your Downloads folder as temporary storage rather than long-term storage, you'll have a much easier time avoiding wasting space in it.
In the Recycle Bin area, look at the amount of space that files in the Recycle Bin are taking up. If you're confident that the Recycle Bin doesn't contain anything you'll miss, go ahead and click Empty Recycle Bin and then click Yes, I am Sure in the confirmation dialog box; if you're not confident, first open the Recycle Bin and check through it for any files whose loss would hurt.
In the Previous Version of Windows area, look at the amount of space that files from your previous version of Windows are taking up. You can delete these files if you're certain that you won't want to roll Windows back to an earlier state or version.
Caution:
Don't delete your Previous Version of Windows files unless you are completely sure you won't need to roll Windows back. Windows automatically deletes the files a month after an upgrade, so they won't hang around forever if you leave them be.
When you finish on the Temporary Files screen, click Back (the arrow at the top) to return to the This PC screen.

Back on the This PC screen, click the next item you want to clear out, such as Apps and Games, and work on the screen that appears.

Controlling Where Windows Saves Games, Apps, Music, and Other Items

The Save Locations list on the Storage screen in the Settings app enables you to control where Windows saves your apps, games, documents, music, pictures, and videos by default. Simply click the appropriate location button, such as the New Apps Will Save To button, and then choose where to save the items. The default setting is This PC, which is usually the best choice until you start running out of space.

Caution:
Before moving items to another location, make sure it will always be available when you need those items.

Creating Pooled Storage with Storage Spaces

If your computer has two or more drives, you can combine them into a single pooled drive by using the Storage Spaces feature. Storage spaces are useful for improving performance, enabling you to work with large files, and avoiding data loss.

Note:
Technically, you can use storage spaces on any computer that has multiple drives. But because most tablets and laptops have only a single drive, and no means to connect another drive permanently, in practice you'd normally use storage spaces only on a desktop computer.

Understanding Simple Spaces, Mirror Spaces, and Parity Spaces

Windows enables you to create three types of storage spaces, each of which works in a different way-so it's vital that you understand the differences and choose the type you need.

These are the three types of storage spaces:

Simple Space:
A simple space is a space that gives better performance and (usually) more storage but doesn't provide any protection against data loss or drive failure. You can create a simple space with a single drive, but normally you'll want to use two or more drives in order to give yourself space.
Mirror Space:
A mirror space is a space that gives better performance and also protects your files against drive failure by keeping multiple copies. You can create a two-way mirror space by using two or more drives; for a three-way mirror space, which gives greater protection and redundancy, you need at least five drives.
Parity Space:
A parity space is a space that provides efficient storage and protects your files against drive failure; it does not provide better performance. You need at least three drives to protect your data against a single drive failing; to protect against two drives failing, you need at least seven drives.

Which Storage Space Type Should You Use?

Create a simple space when you need somewhere to put large files temporarily, such as when you are rendering video, not for long-term storage.

Create a mirror space for general-purpose use, such as when you are sharing files with others on a network.

Create a parity space for storing data in the long term or for streaming music and video files.

Creating a Storage Space

Now that you know the different types of storage spaces and have decided which type to create, follow these steps to create it:

Right-click or long-press Start to display the shortcut menu.
Click Control Panel to open a Control Panel window.
Click System and Security to display the System and Security pane.
Click the Storage Spaces heading to display the Storage Spaces pane.
Click Create a New Pool and Storage Space. The Select Drives to Create a Storage Pool screen appears.
Note:
If the User Account Control dialog box opens when you click Create a New Pool and Storage Space, verify that the program name is Storage Spaces Settings, and then click Yes.
Check the check box for each drive to include in the pool.
Click Create Pool. Windows creates the pool and then displays the Enter a Name, Resiliency Type, and Size for the Storage Space screen.
Type the name for the storage space in the Name box. If you're creating a single storage space for your own use, you can call it whatever you like; but if you're creating multiple storage spaces, you'll usually be better off using a naming convention.
In the Drive Letter drop-down menu, choose the letter you want to assign to the drive. Windows suggests the next unused letter, such as E: if your computer has drives C: and D:.
In the File System drop-down menu, make sure NTFS is selected. Depending on your computer's configuration, this may be the only choice.
Open the Resiliency Type drop-down menu and choose the storage space type you want: Simple (No Resiliency), Two-Way Mirror, Three-Way Mirror, or Parity. As I mentioned earlier, Three-Way Mirror needs a minimum of five drives, and Parity needs a minimum of three drives; you can create a Simple or Two-Way Mirror storage space with two drives.
In the Size area, look at the readouts and make sure they show what you expect. Briefly, a Simple (No Resiliency) storage space gives you the full amount of space on the drives minus a small overhead for administration; a Two-Way Mirror storage space gives you half the total drive space minus some overhead; a Three-Way Mirror storage space gives you a third of the total drive space minus the overhead; and a Parity storage space with three drives gives you two-thirds of the total space minus the overhead.
Note:
You can set the Size (Maximum) for the storage space to a value larger than the space provided by the drives you've chosen. Do this if you plan to add more drives to the storage space later.
Click Create Storage Space. Windows creates the storage space, and it appears on the Storage Spaces screen.

Using the Storage Space

After creating a storage space, you can use it as you would use any other drive. The storage space appears in your computer's file system under the drive letter you specified in the Drive Letter drop-down menu, and you can create files and folders on it using File Explorer and other apps.

Changing an Existing Storage Space

You can change an existing storage space by displaying the Manage Storage Spaces screen and clicking Change to the right of the storage space. Windows displays the Change a Storage Space screen, in which you can change the name, the drive letter, and the maximum size of the storage space. When you finish, click Change Storage Space to commit the changes.

Note:
You cannot change the type of an existing storage space. If you find you need a different type of storage space than you have created, you will need to delete the existing storage space and set up a new storage space of the right type.

Deleting a Storage Space

When you no longer need a storage space, you can delete it.

Caution:
Deleting a storage space deletes all the files it contains. Unless you have been using the storage space only for temporary files, you must copy or move the files to another location-and verify the copied or moved files-before deleting the storage space.

To delete a storage space, display the Manage Storage Spaces screen and click Delete to the right of the storage space. Windows displays the Confirm Deletion of the Storage Space screen; click Delete Storage Space if you're certain you want to proceed.

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