Free Up Space By Removing these Windows Files and Folders

                                    

                                          Source :- Windows Files and Folders

Windows is perhaps the most widely used operating system in the world. However, many users are not aware that it comes with several files and folders that are pretty much useless. Caches and old redundant files can be deleted to make more hard disk space. Here are six Windows files and folders that you can safely remove to free up space on your desktop or laptop.

1. Hibernation File

Hibernation mode is like the sleep mode; the difference is that the computer saves all the running programs in the hard drive before shutting down. Just close the laptop, and the device will stay hibernated for seven days. When you power it back on, you can start where you had previously left off.

However, hibernation file will eat up a chunk of your storage space. In case you do not use hibernation feature, then turn it off. Just open the Command Prompt and enter the powercfg.exe /hibernate off command to turn hibernation off.

When the hibernation is disabled, the file will automatically get deleted.

2. Temp folder

Well, Windows Temp folder, as the name suggests, holds temporary OS files. These files are no longer useful. Just open the folder and delete all of its content. If it shows an error, then just repeat the delete process.

3. Recycle Bin

Whenever any document or file is removed or deleted in a Windows PC, it gets sent to the Recycle Bin. This is where all the deleted contents are stored until the user permanently removes them. Therefore, you must empty the recycle bin on a regular basis to free up space on your computer.

The shortcut for Recycle Bin is present on the desktop. Just click on it to open. Right-click individual files and select the Delete option to erase them permanently. You could select the Restore option if you deleted the file by mistake.

4. Windows .old Folder

When you update the Windows version, the device stores a copy of the previous files. These are stored in the folder named Windows.old. This folder can be used if you want to restore the earlier Windows version. While this folder gets removed after a brief amount of time, in case you want to free up space urgently, then you can consider removing this folder yourself.

To delete the folder, open File Explorer and enter Disk Cleanup in the Search option. Click on the Clean up system files option. Once the scan is over, find Previous Windows installation and remove it.

5. Download Program Files

Download Program Files is a folder which keeps the files that are used Active X controls along with Java applets. Effectively, this folder is of no use. In case you have content in the Download Program Files folder, then just empty it.

6. LiveKernelReports

LiveKernelReports takes up a lot of hard disk space. Windows uses it for dumping files. Visit this folder and find files with DMP extension. Delete these files.

Wrapping up

All the files and folders mentioned above can be removed to make more hard drive space. These files and folders are completely safe to delete. Remove these Windows files and folders and enjoy the free storage space.

Karen Minton  is a creative person who has been writing blogs and articles about cyber security. She writes about the latest updates regarding mcafee.com/activate and how it can improve the work experience of users. Her articles have been published in many popular e-magazines, blogs and websites.