Free up memory space on a computer by selecting the task manager feature to access a list of running PC programs and information on CPU usage, before deletin. For more information, switch to the Performance tab. In the Memory section, you'll see a chart of your RAM usage over time. Click Open Resource Monitor at the bottom and you can get further details on its Memory tab. The chart at the bottom will show you how much RAM you have free.
What is taking up space on my hard drive?
If you haven’t got space on your computer for that new app or game, or the clutter on your hard drive is just driving you crazy, you’re not alone.
With the introduction of SSDs (solid-state drives) offering loads less space than traditional mechanical hard drives, in conjunction with games and applications requiring more and more disk space, your hard drive can easily become full.
In this article, we’ll go through the top 8 ways to clean up your Windows hard drive: finding out what is taking up so much space on your hard drive, reducing the clutter and creating space for those all important new applications or files. So, without further ado, let’s get started…
Using Mac instead? Find out how to clear disk space on Mac >
Jump straight to:
New Update: Windows Storage Sense
Since the initial publication of this article, Microsoft have been busy working on the issue of saving space on people's computers. The amalgamation of their hard-work comes in the form of 'Storage Sense' - An all-in-one, intuitive feature which cleans a computer of unwanted files easier and more efficiently than ever before!
If you are using Windows 10, you can use this feature in place of the 'Windows Disk Cleanup' and 'Take out the Trash' sections of this article. This is because these steps are now covered by Storage Sense (Disk Cleanup and Recycle Bin are still available too if you prefer to use those, or if you are running another version of Windows like Windows 7). Let's see how to use this new feature...
- Use Storage Sense on demand
- Set up Storage Sense to run automatically
How to use Storage Sense on demand
If you don't need to clean up your computer files very often, or if you want control over exactly what files are deleted, I would recommend using Storage Sense on demand, rather than allowing it to run automatically. Here's how:
- Click your Windows icon and open 'Settings'.
- Click 'System'.
- Select 'Storage' from the list on the left.
- Under 'Storage Sense', click 'Free up space now'.
- Your computer will be scanned for temporary files which may want to delete.
- Once the scan is complete, tick the files you want to delete.
- Click 'Remove Files' to permanently delete the files from your computer.
How to configure Storage Sense to run automatically
If you often need to clean up your computer for temporary files and like the sound of automating the process, I would recommend using Storage Sense to automatically and periodically clean up your files. Here's how:
- Click your Windows icon and open 'Settings'.
- Click 'System'.
- Select 'Storage' from the list on the left.
- Under 'Storage Sense', click 'Change how we free up space automatically'.
- Choose your preferences (set when you would like Storage Sense to run, what to delete, and how long).
- Once you're happy with your selections, toggle Storage Sense on.
- Click 'Clean Now' if you want to start your first scan now.
The tool is great, right? It's a massive improvement over the separate, hard-to-find features from before. However, it still does not deal with duplicate files, uninstalling unused programs and more... Jump to: finding and deleting duplicates now >
1. Windows Disk Cleanup
Windows comes with a handful of great tools to help keep your computer’s storage nice and tidy. The problem is, not everybody knows where to find these functions, or what to look for.
Disk Cleanup is the first of these tools. It allows you to delete data such as temporary files, which can amount to GB’s (gigabytes) of data over time.
To access the Disk Cleanup function:
- Go to your Computer window (Start -> Computer)
- Right-Click your hard-drive and select ‘Properties’
- Under the ‘General’ tab, click ‘Disk Cleanup’
- Windows will scan your drive and let you know how much space you can save by running Disk Cleanup
- Select the files that you wish to delete form the drive, and hit OK
Another function to mention here is ‘Clean up system files’. Using this function, you can remove older Windows restore points from your drive, leaving only the most recent one. If you wish to use this function, please ensure that your computer is running as expected, as once the restore points are removed, you will not be able to fall back to them.
To use ‘Clean up system files’:
- Click Clean up system files
- Go to the ‘More Options tab’ in the Disk Cleanup window
- Click ‘Clean up…’ under the ‘System Restore and Shadow Copies’ heading
2. Uninstall Programs
For many computer users, most of the disk space used is by applications and games. If you find that you no longer use certain programs, you can uninstall and remove them from your hard drive.
Again, Windows provides the ability to easily get rid of any unwanted programs that we may have on our computer. To uninstall/remove programs, follow the steps below:
- Start -> Control Panel -> Uninstall a program
- Sort the list of programs by file size by clicking the ‘Size header’. Now you can see which programs take up the most space on your computer.
- Click any program that you wish to remove, and click ‘Uninstall’
3. Remove Duplicate Files
It is likely that you’ve accumulated duplicate files over time, which are unnecessary for the running of your computer. Unfortunately, Windows does not provide an easy way to find and remove these duplicate files, so a third party software is needed.
Clean Free Disk Space
There are a number of applications for the removal of duplicate files, but we’ll look at Duplicate Sweeper here. Duplicate Sweeper has a clear and easy interface, and finds and removes duplicates easily.
Let Duplicate Sweeper automatically select duplicate files for removal, using your preferences, or select individual files yourself.
Duplicate Sweeper can find duplicate files, photos and music on your computer, and remove them for you, freeing up loads of space for the stuff you really want.
Try Duplicate Sweeper free ▼
Receive an email with a link so you can download the free trial on your computer:
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On a similar point, you can also delete any duplicate tracks in iTunes which can take up a lot of disk space. This function can be found in iTunes -> File -> Library -> Show Duplicate Items. From this list you can delete any duplicate tracks.
However, if you have loads of duplicate files listed, which ones should you delete? To manually go through each track and pick the best may take some time. For this reason, many people use a third-party software to help out.
One such application is Tune Sweeper. Tune Sweeper can quickly search your iTunes library for duplicates, and automatically select which to remove based on preferences such as highest quality, longest duration or latest played.
Tune Sweeper can also tidy up your iTunes library by fixing track information, downloading missing album artwork to tracks, removing missing tracks and loads more.
For more information about Tune Sweeper, or to download the free trial:
4. Temporary Files
“Wait, we just removed temporary files using Windows Disk Cleanup”, I hear you say. Yes, we deleted temporary files containing webpages, stored on your hard drive for quick viewing. Unfortunately, the Disk Cleanup method did not include files saved by external apps such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. There may still be gigabytes worth of cookies, internet history and caches stored on your computer.
You can delete this information directly from your browser, or by using a third-party application.
For example, using Google Chrome, you can open the settings menu (the 3 dots next to the address bar) -> More tools -> Clear Browsing data… From here you can select which data you wish to remove, then click ‘Clear browsing data’.
5. Take out the Trash
Some of these files which we have removed using the above steps may end up being moved to the Recycle Bin. This is a nice safety measure, because if you make a mistake and have removed a file which you now want back, you can easily restore the file from the Recycle Bin.
However, the files in the Recycle Bin are still taking up space on your computer. If you’re sure that you would like to remove the files in your Recycle Bin, you can select files and right-click to delete them, or simply click ‘Empty the Recycle Bin’ to permanently delete all of the files.
6. Store data on External Storage or in the Cloud
All previous methods in this list describe how to delete or remove files from your computer which you may not need. However, what of the files which you wish to keep, such as precious photos, video and music? These media types can accumulate to some serious storage space, but if you no longer have space for them on your PC hard drive, you still have options!
A common method for keeping data safe is to transfer it to external storage. There are 2 platforms for storing your data elsewhere from your main computer: physical storage and cloud storage.
Physical storage comes in many different shapes and sizes, but can most commonly be seen as USB Drives or external hard drives. Transferring data from your PC hard drive to an external hard drive allows you to delete the original files on your PC, while still keeping them safe in storage. Needless to say, this can clear a huge chunk of storage space on your PC.
Cloud Storage allows you to store your files on remote servers, and access them via the internet. There are many different cloud service providers: Apple iCloud and Microsoft OneDrive are only two examples. Most providers offer a certain amount of storage space free, and then give the option to pay monthly for more storage space if you should need it.
Consider also that cloud storage is not immune to duplicate files. Since many cloud services charge for more space, it is crucial to remove duplicate files to save valuable space and save yourself money. Check out our guide on how to manage Google Drive files and remove duplicates.
7. Defragment your Hard Drive
When adding a new file to your computer, a particular portion of your hard drive is allocated to store the file. However, after constantly saving and deleting files, a disk will become ‘fragmented’. This means that there are gaps in your hard drive where subsequent files would not fit, so they are left vacant.
As well as affecting your usable free space on your hard drive, fragmentation also has a negative impact on your computer’s ability to store your data in sequence, hence slowing down it’s speed.
Luckily, Windows has us covered, providing a ‘Disk Defragmentation’ tool. Using this tool, we can analyze which of our drives would benefit from defragmentation, before we commit to defragging. This is very useful, as if you have a large drive full of data, it may take a substantial amount of time to defrag.
To make use of this tool, hit your Windows icon, or Start menu, then start typing “Defragment”. From the search list, click Disk Defragmenter. Once you see the tool’s window, you can elect each drive and analyze them to determine what percentage of them is fragmented. Higher percentages mean higher fragmentation.
To defragment your disk, just hit “Defragment Disk”.
Note:
- It is not advised to defragment your hard drive too often, as the constant writing and erasing of data can reduce the lifespan of your hard drive.
- It may also be worth pointing out that there has been some debate as to whether defragmentation of SSDs (solid-state drives) is beneficial or detrimental to the drive. If you are unsure, you can read up on the discussion at PC World.
8. Sufficient RAM
RAM (Random Access Memory) is the hardware in your computer which determines how you store data. RAM stores data or instructions which you use frequently, providing fast read or write processes to improve the general speed of your computer experience.
Sounds great, right? Right. However, if you don’t have sufficient RAM, your computer will start to store the overflow of information which should be stored in RAM, in your hard drive instead. Then, when your computer wants to read or write this data, it is a much slower process between hard drive-computer than RAM-computer.
For these reasons, make sure that you have enough RAM for the processes that you generally do on your computer. It may be worth pointing out that the average user, who’s agenda may be text editing and web browsing, will not require as much RAM as a user who frequently runs multiple programs at once including photo or video editing and rendering software.
You can find out how much RAM you currently have installed in your computer by going to Computer > Properties.
'Free up some memory urgently' scam removal instructions
What is the 'Free up some memory urgently' scam?
'Free up some memory urgently' is a scam run on deceptive websites. It promote the Kalox APP browser hijacker, however, the scheme might also promote different browser hijackers, adware and other Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs). This scam could potentially also promote malware (e.g. ransomware, Trojans, etc.). Like the name suggests, the scheme claims that users' devices are overloaded and states that they must immediately free up memory. Note that no web page can detect issues or threats present in systems - any that make such claims are scams. Typically, users access these websites unintentionally - they are redirected to them by intrusive advertisements or PUAs already infiltrated into the device.
When a website running 'Free up some memory urgently' scam is accessed, a pop-up window is displayed. It states that the computer memory has reached its limit and urges users to create some space by freeing up memory. They are instructed to click the 'Free memory' button and follow the steps provided. The small print in the pop-up states that, by clicking the aforementioned button, users agree with the scam's terms. At the time of research, once the button is clicked, users are presented with the Kalox APP browser hijacker. Following the scheme's narrative, this software will supposedly free up system memory. Browser hijackers operate by reassigning the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of fake search engines. Therefore, each new browser tab/window opened and each search query typed into the URL bar redirects to the promoted address. Rogue search engines are usually unable to provide unique results, and so they redirect to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other legitimate sites. Even if fake search engines can provide results, they tend to be inaccurate and/or promote untrusted and malicious sites. In the case of Kalox APP, it promotes s3redirect.com and gooogle.page - bogus search engines. Additionally, browser hijackers can restrict/deny access to browser settings and reset any permitted changes made. Furthermore, most PUAs (browser hijackers included) can track data - they monitor browsing activity and gather sensitive details extracted from it. Information of interest includes URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, IP addresses, geolocations, personally identifiable details and other data. Furthermore, the gathered information is often shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). To summarize, the presence of or download products promoted using these dubious techniques.
If a browser is force-opening websites such as those promoting 'Free up some memory urgently' scheme, it is most likely due to PUAs already installed on the system. These applications can cause redirects to untrusted/rogue, sale-oriented, deceptive/scam, compromised and malicious websites. Another type (browser hijacker) modifies browsers to promote bogus search engines. Adware-type apps run intrusive ad campaigns (i.e. deliver pop-ups, banners, coupons and other ads). When clicked, these advertisements redirect to various harmful sites and some can even stealthily download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs). Most PUAs can monitor users' browsing habits and collect private information. To ensure device integrity and user safety, remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins without delay.
| Name | 'Free up some memory urgently' pop-up |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud. |
| Fake Claim | Scam claims that the device's memory is overloaded. |
| Distributed Unwanted Apps | Kalox APP |
| Symptoms | Fake error messages, fake system warnings, pop-up errors, hoax computer scan. |
| Distribution methods | Compromised websites, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications. |
| Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible malware infections. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Malwarebytes. |
'A virus has been detected on your computer', 'VIRUS ALERT FROM Windows' and 'Windows firewall has blocked some features of this program' are some examples of scams making bogus claims relating to devices. There are many scam models, which attempt to trick users in different ways. For example, users may be encouraged to: download/install and/or purchase nonoperational, untrusted or malicious software; reveal personal information (e.g. names, addresses, telephone numbers, emails, banking account and/or credit card details, etc.); make bogus payments (e.g. for 'services rendered', registration, subscription, shipping, etc.); call fraudulent and expensive tech support lines, and so on. Regardless of what these schemes claim, offer, request or demand, the purpose is identical: to generate revenue to the scammers/cyber criminals behind them.
How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?
Some PUAs have 'official' download web pages, which are commonly promoted by deceptive/scam sites. These apps are often downloaded/installed with other products. 'Bundling' is the term used to describe this deceptive marketing method of packing normal software with unwanted or malicious additions. Rushing downloads/installations (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps, etc.) increases the risk of inadvertent installation of bundled content. Intrusive ads proliferate this software as well. Once clicked, they can execute scripts designed to download/install PUAs without users' consent.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications
All products should be researched before download/installation or purchase. Download from official and verified sources. Untrusted download channels such as unofficial and free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders can offer dubious and bundled content. When downloading/installing, read the terms, explore all possible options, use the 'Custom/Advanced' settings and opt-out of supplementary applications, tools, features, etc. Intrusive ads may seem legitimate and harmless, however, they can redirect to dubious websites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others). If you encounter these advertisements/redirects, inspect the system and immediately remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Malwarebytes for Windows to automatically eliminate them.
Text presented in the 'Free up some memory urgently' pop-up:
Attention!
Free up some memory urgently, your computer is overloaded!
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/83.0.4103.116 Safari/537.36
Click 'Free memory' button and follow the instructions.
By clicking 'Free memory' you agree with the terms
Free memory
The appearance of 'Free up some memory urgently' pop-up scam (GIF):
Instant automatic malware removal:Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Malwarebytes is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD MalwarebytesBy downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Malwarebytes. 14 days free trial available.
Quick menu:
- STEP 1. Uninstall deceptive applications using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove rogue extensions from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Removal of potentially unwanted applications:
Windows 7 users:
Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.
Windows XP users:
Click Start, choose Settings and click Control Panel. Locate and click Add or Remove Programs.
Windows 10 and Windows 8 users:
Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.
Mac OSX users:
Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
In the uninstall programs window, look for any suspicious/recently-installed applications, select these entries and click 'Uninstall' or 'Remove'.
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted application, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Malwarebytes checks if your computer is infected with malware. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Malwarebytes. 14 days free trial available.
Remove rogue extensions from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:
Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:
Click the 'gear' icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select 'Manage Add-ons'. Look for any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select these entries and click 'Remove'.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the 'free up some memory urgently' pop-up, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.
Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.
In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.
Click the Reset button.
Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select 'More tools' and click 'Extensions'. Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons (such as 'Kalox APP') and remove them.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the 'free up some memory urgently' pop-up, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.
After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select 'Add-ons'. Click on 'Extensions', in the opened window remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with 'free up some memory urgently' pop-up removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.
Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.
Select Troubleshooting Information.
In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....
In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.
Optional method:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...
In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.
Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:
Click the Edge menu icon (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select 'Extensions'. Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click 'Remove' below their names.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the 'free up some memory urgently' pop-up, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.
In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
- If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.
Summary:
Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free. software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.
Removal assistance:
If you are experiencing problems while trying to remove 'free up some memory urgently' pop-up from your computer, please ask for assistance in our malware support forum.
How To Free Up Memory Space On My Laptop
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