Disk Cleanup and select "Clean up system files". Microsoft Support 3. Moving Files If your drive is full of photos, videos, or games, move those files to a secondary drive (HDD or external SSD) or cloud storage rather than compressing them. Is it Worth It in 2026? Yes: If you are running a laptop with a small, 128GB/256GB SSD and have no room for Windows updates, or if you have a very fast processor but a slow hard drive. No: If you have a decent amount of free space, or if you do heavy gaming/video editing where CPU load is already high. AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses Copy Creating a public link... You can now share this thread with others Good response Bad response 14 sites Free up drive space in Windows - Microsoft Support If you don't want to use Storage Sense, Cleanup recommendations can help you identify and clean up temporary files and system file... Microsoft Support Free up drive space in Windows - Microsoft Support Important: * You can also compress your OS drive (the drive on which Windows is installed), helping you gain extra space to instal... Microsoft Support How to Compress Files, Folder, Drive in Windows to save Disk ... May 16, 2025 —
A popup will ask if you want to apply changes to the drive, subfolders, and files. Select and click OK.
Before you commit, it's important to understand the trade-offs. The Benefits: compress c drive
Before compressing your C: drive, consider the following:
Windows has a native feature that compresses files at the file-system level. This is the easiest way to shrink the footprint of your data without deleting anything. How to compress the entire C Drive: Open and go to This PC . Right-click on your Local Disk (C:) and select Properties . Disk Cleanup and select "Clean up system files"
Note: This process can take anywhere from minutes to hours depending on your drive size and CPU speed. 2. Using the CompactOS Command (Advanced)
This guide covers both methods, starting with the safest and most common approach. Is it Worth It in 2026
How to Compress Your C Drive: A Step-by-Step Guide to Freeing Up Space