After using your Windows PC or tablet for a while you may start noticing it to slow down, you may not be able to install any more apps or Windows updates, or even get notification or error messages saying you need to free up some space.
To free up space on your Windows device you have a few options:
Delete temporary files,
Uninstall unneeded apps,
Move or store personal files on:
SD cards,
USB drives,
External hard drives or solid state drives,
Cloud storage such as OneDrive.
Tools You'll Need:
no extra tools needed
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2. Clean Up Storage in Windows 10
Windows 10 offers a new option that lets you easily view and adjust your drive usage.
Search Storage from the taskbar.
Click Storage.
From here you get a variety of options, all having to do with managing data on your system.
Select a Drive to get a breakdown of what is on the drive such as applications and saved pictures.
Uninstall Applications
Click Apps and Games under Storage Usage.
Select an Application you would like to uninstall.
Click Uninstall.
Clear Temporary Files
Select Temporary Files.
Select additional items you wish to remove and click Remove files.
3. External Data Storage Options
There are various ways to increase your computer's data storage capacity.
USB Flash Drives
Your computer must have at least one available USB port.
To use your USB flash drive, connect it to any available USB port.
Windows 10 will automatically detect it and prompt you for further action.
If your computer does not come equipped with full size USB ports, or a port of a different kind, such as USB Type C, you may need to purchase a dongle to be able to connect full sized USB accessories to your machine.
External Hard Drive
External hard drives typically offer the largest amount of storage space for the money, and easily connect to your computer via USB.
There are both portable and larger form factor external drives on the market. The difference is not only in their size, but larger external hard drives usually require external power, while portable drives only require a USB connection. Keep this in mind if you would like your external drive to be portable.
SD or Micro SD Card
Your computer may have an available SD or Micro SD card slot. While this type of storage does not typically afford the same amount of space as the other options listed, its ultra compact form factor can still be very desirable for removable storage.
To use this type of storage, simply insert the SD card into the available slot.
The card itself can only be inserted into the slot in one way. These card slots are typically spring loaded, and the card should click into and out of place.
4. Get Started with Microsoft OneDrive
OneDrive is free cloud storage that comes with your Microsoft account. It’s like an extra hard drive that’s available from any of the devices you use, so the files you save there are always with you. If you have no accounts signed in to OneDrive or need to create an account, follow these steps.
Select the Start button search for “OneDriveâ€, then click the OneDrive desktop app.
Sign in with your Microsoft account and password, Typically Microsoft account holders already sign in when they sign into their user account after starting their System. Local account holders will need to sign in and, may need to create a Microsoft account if you skipped the account creation process when setting up Windows 10 for the first time.
When OneDrive Setup starts, enter your work or school account if you do not have one, select Sign in to set up your account.
Click Personal. This will allow you to the area where you can create an account.
Sign in with an existing account and click Next or click Create one if you don't have a Microsoft account.
If you are creating a new account, you will need to fill in your account details.
You can use your existing email address to sign up for a Microsoft account by selecting "Use your email instead" if you wish to use your personal email address instead of creating an outlook.com email address. You will still need to create a password for the account.
Follow and complete the on screen instructions to complete the sign up process.
5. How to Use Microsoft OneDrive
When getting started with OneDrive there are two screens in OneDrive Setup that are helpful to watch for:
On the This is your OneDrive folder screen, take note of the location.
If you want to change the folder location, select Change location - this is the best time to make this change.
Select Next once you are satisfied with the location.
On the Sync files from your OneDrive screen, choose the folders you want to sync. This helps control the amount of space OneDrive files take on your computer and conserves bandwidth during sync processes. You can change this later in Settings, but this is a good opportunity as well.
Click Next when ready.
Once OneDrive is set up, simply choose the drive when saving a document. It will automatically sync if you are online.
To move files to OneDrive, all you need to do is drag and drop.
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