How to Free Up Space on Your Computer's Hard Drive?

Published: May 3, 2020

Have you noticed your computer acting a bit sluggish, are your programs not loading as quickly as they used to? Your hard drive could be a cause of this; an overloaded hard disk will make a computer run slower.

Freeing up your PC or Mac's hard drive is easy, and here are the ways to do so.

1. Uninstall apps and programs that you are no longer using; to do so, click on the start button from the desktop, select apps, then apps and features, select the app you are no longer using and click uninstall. For Mac: Open the launch pad, press and hold the launch key until the apps start to jiggle, then click the x on the app that you no longer use.
2. Clean up your desktop: Consider moving any files on your desktop to the Documents folder, a clean desktop will help move your computer a little faster.
3. Remove any large files: To find large files Open Windows explorer, select this PC, in the search box type size, you will be able to see sizes ranging from small to large. If you do not need any large files, move them to the trash can and empty it. For Mac: Select the Apple icon, click about this Mac, manage storage, there you will find which files are using up the most storage. You can delete it by moving your cursor over the file and clicking on the x.
4. Launch disk clean up: For PC, you can start the disk clean up by asking Cortana or selecting it from the search box, select drive C. This could take several minutes if you have not done it before. For Mac, you can find a disc clean up the program on the App Store.
5. Delete and temporary files or downloads: Just like your unused apps, remove any downlands and temporary files that are no longer important.
6. Use an external hard drive: For important files and apps that you are still using, we recommend an external hard drive to free up space on your PC or Mac.

At the computer geek, we are your maintenance specialists, if at any time you need help with your hard drive or any other maintenance issues give us a call at 905-426-1784. We are open seven days a week, including holidays.