This article is about how to fix Windows C drive full no reason? On Windows systems, everything is stored by default on the C drive. This has been the case for a long time. You may create extra drives by partitioning the C drive, but the operating system and most apps are stored on the C drive.
How do you empty the C drive? What happens when your C drive displays as complete even though you believe there should be space or that it should be empty? It results in a sluggish, slow, and problematic experience that no one wants. Let’s look at how we can free up space on the C drive while improving Windows speed and efficiency.
Why does C Drive appear to be full?
Are there too many apps? Is there too much data on the C drive? The local C drive might be full for various reasons, some of which are beyond your control, such as mistakes or defects. It might be a virus taking space but not showing in the search for drive space to fix C drive full no reason read the full article and follow the instructions.
We shall investigate every possibility to determine why the C drive is full even though you have ensured that there are no data or files.
Why Is C Drive Necessary?
On all Windows PCs, the C drive is the default drive. This is because drives A and B are allocated for the two floppy discs. This was the situation in the past, and while floppy discs are no longer in use, the practice lives on. The Windows operating system is installed on the C drive and requires some space to function. The same is true for all system applications. Transferring apps from C drive to D or some other drive may be a headache, and there is no method to relocate apps installed through the Microsoft Store. By default, they are installed on the default drive.
What Happens If Your C Drive Is Full?
When the C drive becomes corrupted for any reason, it might cause the operating system to fail. Other drawbacks include reduced read/write rates, which cause delays and poor performance. The C drive also holds essential data such as boot sectors utilized when launching your computer. Because the C drive full no reason, software and apps installed on the drive cannot be updated, and there is no storage space available to install new apps.
Before We Start
We’re presuming you’ve previously attempted to free up space on the C drive by removing superfluous apps and software and relocating downloaded and other files that may be stored elsewhere. Other actions include removing temporary files, emptying the Recycle Bin, and running the Disk Cleanup utility. This advice is for individuals who don’t know what’s taking up so much space on the C drive – unaccounted for data or files.
Emptying the C drive while it is showing as full for no apparent reason
1. Perform a thorough virus scan
What exactly do I mean? We described how a virus or malware installed the C drive, making it seem full. Let’s see if we can get rid of it.
First, perform a full scan using your antivirus app. I use the one with Windows because it is comparable to the finest antivirus apps available. To find and run Microsoft Defender, use the Start menu or Cortana. It is now part of a more extensive set of apps known as Windows Security.
Then go ahead and download and install Malwarebytes. The free version is adequate, but we recommend upgrading to the premium version, which is considerably better. Why use Malwarebytes? Because a virus is not the same as malware, we want to be specific because the issue appears to be widespread.
Finally, download and run Microsoft Security Scanner to fix C drive full no reason. Because this app is constantly updated, you will need to download a new copy each time you run it. The updates are not downloaded to your computer. It is a free utility for detecting and removing viruses from PCs.
2. Show Hidden Files and Folders
Perhaps there are some large hidden folders or files. It’s possible you concealed something and forgot about it, or there’s another issue.
1. Go to the Start menu, then search for and open the Control Panel.
2. Navigate to Appearance and Personalization and click File Explorer Options, which will open a pop-up window.
3. On the View tab, select the box next to Show hidden files, folders, and drives, and then click Apply to save your changes.
Now examine the folder structure to check if any files or folders should not be there.
3. Check the Disk for Errors
It’s conceivable that the hard drive has a technical or logical problem. Fortunately, there is a quick and easy way to find out and to fix C drive full no reason.
1. Open the Start menu by pressing the Windows icon on your keyboard, then search for CMD and open the Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
2. run the command below and wait for it to give.
chkdsk c: /f /r /x
This is the check disc command, which will scan the disc for errors.
4. Remove backups and restore points from the system
If this option is set, your Windows 10 or 11 computer will build system restore points automatically if it detects a significant change on the C drive. For example, this may be the installation or uninstalling of an app. There may be 2-4 restore points in the storage at any given time. These backup files are stored on the C drive and take up a lot of space, but they do not appear in File Explorer.
Check the website mentioned above to discover how to enable, deactivate, and manage system restore points. To customize the amount of space you wish to devote to system restore points, click the Configure button in System Properties and move the arrow next to Max Usage.
We recommend anything in the range of 2-5 percent, which should be plenty, but a lot will depend on your HDD/SSD size.
5. Locate and Delete Large and Junk Files
Here’s a cool trick that doesn’t require installing any fancy third-party apps.
Press Windows key+E and go to the C drive to open the File Explorer. Now put size:gigantic into the search bar.
Windows will now search for files greater than 128MB. This may take a few minutes, but you can sort the results in ascending or descending order once completed. Other information includes the date, the amount of space utilized, the view, the details, and so on.
Tip: If you can’t see the Details column, go to the View tab and enable it.
Several free third-party apps are available to find huge files and comprehend the tree structure. The first is WinDirStat, while the second is WizTree.
6. Delete the Hibernation File
When you close the lid on your computer, does it go into hibernation? While it is convenient since you don’t have to restart the computer, it produces a hibernation file to store the system state, up to 10GB or even more. This might account for part of the unexplained space. The hibernation file is hidden, and only the root user has access to it.
To open hibernation, give Command Prompt with administrative privileges and enter the following command to fix C drive full no reason:
powercfg.exe -hibernate off
This will also automatically delete the hibernation file (hiberfil. sys) because it is no longer required. To reactivate it, replace the term off with on in the command above. Reboot the computer once more and see whether there is any difference in the C drive space.
7. Delete the Page File
Consider a page file to be an additional RAM or virtual RAM management system for PCs running Windows 10 or later. Depending on your computer’s settings, the pagefile.sys file might be 30-40GBs or much more significant. While it allows you to run more apps than your RAM can manage, it is occasionally a good idea to delete the file to make space for new apps.
You may also manually control the space assigned to Page File, as mentioned in the linked article. However, if you have a secondary drive, the pagefile.sys may be transferred without affecting system speed.
1. To turn off paging entirely, navigate to Options > About > Advanced system settings > Advanced tab > Performance Settings.
2. In the resulting pop-up, under the Advanced tab, click Change.
3. In the resulting pop-up, uncheck the Automatically manage paging option at the top, select C drive below that, and then select No paging file. All modifications should be saved.
Microsoft has created a thorough article that includes a lot of modest but essential recommendations on how to free up drive space on your Windows computer or to fix C drive full no reason.
We trust the matter is now rectified. Check to see if you can install a new HDD or an SSD on your computer. Replace the old one with a larger drive if possible. Another option is to free up space by installing new apps on a separate drive and offloading data to the cloud.
