Storage settings in Windows
Applies To
Windows 11 Windows 10Storage settings in Windows provide a detailed view of how your storage is being utilized. You can see the storage consumption categorized by Installed apps, Temporary files, System & reserved, and other categories.
To access Storage settings, go to Settings > System, then select Storage .
System reserved storage
To make sure your device can successfully update and that it runs its best, Windows reserves a portion of storage space on your device for use by temporary files, caches, and other files. When your device is low on space, Windows will clear reserved storage so it can be used for other processes, like a Windows update. Reserving storage also helps keep disk space usage on your device more predictable and more stable.
To see the system reserved storage, go to Storage settings, then select Show more categories. To learn more, visit Windows and reserved storage.
Storage Sense
Storage Sense can automatically free up drive space for you by getting rid of items that you don't need, like temporary files and items in your Recycle Bin.
To learn more, see Manage drive space with Storage Sense.
Cleanup recommendations
Cleanup recommendations help you manage your storage space more efficiently. It analyzes your system and provides personalized suggestions for freeing up space. It identifies files and applications that you can safely remove, such as temporary files including previous Windows installation(s), large or unused files, and apps that you rarely use.
Advanced storage settings
Advanced storage settings provide you with more detailed options to manage your storage effectively.
Storage used on other drives provides a detailed overview of how storage is being utilized across all connected drives. It allows you to see the storage consumption on each drive, including internal and external drives.
By selecting a specific drive, you can view a breakdown of the storage usage, categorized by different types of files such as documents, pictures, videos, and more. This helps you manage your storage more effectively by identifying which drives are nearing capacity and which types of files are taking up the most space.
These settings allow you to specify the default storage locations for different types of content. You can choose where new apps, documents, music, pictures, and videos are saved by default. You can select different drives for each type of content, which helps you manage your storage more effectively and ensures that your files are organized according to your preferences.
By customizing these settings, you can optimize the use of your available storage and keep your system running smoothly.
Storage Spaces helps protect your data from drive failures and extend storage over time as you add drives to your PC. You can use Storage Spaces to group two or more drives together in a storage pool and then use capacity from that pool to create virtual drives called storage spaces.
To learn more, see Storage Spaces.
These settings provide you with detailed information and management options for your storage devices. It allows you to view all the disks and volumes connected to your system, including internal and external drives. You can see important details such as the disk type (for example, SSD or HDD), capacity, and current usage.
Additionally, you can manage your volumes by creating, formatting, or resizing them as needed. To resize a volume, select Properties for the volume with the drive letter assigned (for example, C: or D:).
These settings take you to Windows Backup, which offers a comprehensive solution for safeguarding your important data. Windows Backup allows you to back up a wide range of items, including files, themes, settings, installed apps, and Wi-Fi information.
To learn more, see Backup and restore with Windows Backup.
Drive optimization helps you maintain the performance and health of your storage drives. It includes tools like defragmentation and optimization, which reorganize fragmented data on your hard drives to improve access speed and overall performance. For solid-state drives (SSDs), it performs a trim operation to ensure efficient data management.
To learn more, see Defragment/Optimize your disk drives.
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