Deleting files but not freeing space Windows 10? This guide explains why removing files doesn’t always free up space in Windows 10, 8.1, 8, or 7. It also offers seven practical solutions to resolve the issue without risking your data.
If you’re deleting files but not seeing free space increase on Windows 10, several reasons could be behind the issue:
◆ Files still in Recycle Bin: Deleted files often remain in the Recycle Bin, still consuming disk space until permanently emptied.
◆ Temporary files: Windows creates various temporary files that might accumulate over time. Deleting user files doesn’t remove these.
◆ System restore and shadow copies: Old restore points or shadow copies can consume significant space in the background.
◆ File system errors: Disk errors or corrupted file systems can prevent accurate reporting of free space.
◆ Hidden or protected system files: Some files are hidden by default and won’t show up in normal file explorer views, yet still occupy space.
◆ Storage cache or reserved storage: Windows 10 reserves space for updates and system functions, which might not be released after file deletion.
◆ Page file or hibernation file: These system-managed files can be large and aren’t affected when deleting personal files.
When you delete files from your computer’s internal hard drive, they aren’t erased immediately. Instead, they’re moved to the Recycle Bin, where they continue to occupy space on your drive. This is why deleting files doesn’t instantly free up storage.
The Recycle Bin acts as a safety net, allowing you to recover files if you delete something by mistake. However, if you're sure you no longer need those files, clearing the Recycle Bin will permanently remove them and release storage space.
How to empty the Recycle Bin in Windows:
👉 Method 1: Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select Empty Recycle Bin.
👉 Method 2: Open the Recycle Bin window, then click Empty Recycle Bin from the top menu bar.
After completing either method, your hard drive will have more free space available.
If deleting files doesn’t free up space on your Windows 10 drive, disk errors might be the culprit. Running CHKDSK can help resolve the problem.
Step 1. Press the Windows key and type cmd in the search bar.
Step 2. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
Step 3. Type the following command, replacing F with your drive’s actual letter:
chkdsk F: /f /r /x
To free up disk space more efficiently, you can permanently delete files without sending them to the Recycle Bin. The process is simple:
Step 1. Select the file or files you want to remove.
Step 2. Right-click the selected items.
Step 3. Hold the Shift key and click Delete from the context menu.
Step 4. A confirmation message will appear asking, “Are you sure you want to permanently delete these items?” Click Yes to proceed.
By using this method, the files are permanently removed, bypassing the Recycle Bin, and your drive will instantly gain more available space.
If your computer is running out of storage space, AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup offers a practical solution through its cleanup features. This professional disk cleaning tool includes several cleanup functions designed to help you free up valuable disk space efficiently and safely.
💥 Clean Junk Files: Scans and removes junk files, system cache, and temporary files to release disk space in just a few clicks.
💥 Delete Large File: Helps locate and delete large unnecessary files that occupy significant space on your hard drive.
💥 Find Duplicate Files: Identifies and removes duplicate files to optimize storage usage.
Let’s take a look at how to use this PC cleaner to delete useless files to clean up the disk space:
Free Up Disk Space To Keep Your PC Running Smoothly and Efficiently
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup. Click the "Clean Junk Files" tab.
Step 2. Click the "Scan Now" button to start the process of scanning junk files.
Step 3. After the scan process is finished. All system junk files (including recycle bin files, temporary files, log files, invalid shortcuts, and so on) and registry junk files (including DLL registry, system registry, and program registry) will be displayed.
You can also click the button behind to view the junk files details.
Step 4. And, you can click the button behind to locate the file.
By default, the program will select some junk files to clean up, for example, temporary files, log files, and so on. You can also manually check to select more or uncheck to deselect fewer listed junk files. Or, click "Select All" to select all junk files to clean up if you need to clean up all.
Step 5. After selecting junk files that are not needed anymore, you can click the "Clean Now"button to start the cleanup.
The process of the cleanup might take time, and the selected files will be cleaned up. After the process is finished, you will get a cleanup completed window displaying how many files you have cleaned and not yet cleaned.
To prevent accidental data loss when clearing space from your devices, it’s wise to back up essential files or move them to another location. You can manually transfer data from your disk or partition to an external drive, or opt for professional backup software. AOMEI Partition Assistant makes it simple to back up your operating system, personal files, entire partitions, or even full disks. Follow the steps below to securely save your files to an external device.
Step 1. Open the installed AOMEI Partition Assistant, click "Clone" in the main interface, and select "Clone Disk".
Step 2. Choose the hard disk that you need to clone as the source disk like SSD and click "Next".
Step 3. Select the destination disk to store the data on the source disk, and then click "Next".
Step 4. Then, you can check the source and destination disk in the next window or change to "Sector to Sector clone", and click the "Confirm" button to continue if there is no problem.
Step 4. After returning to the main interface, check the pending operation and click "Apply" and "Proceed" to commit the operation.
Once your data is safely backed up, you can attempt to format the drive showing incorrect free space. Windows 10 includes a built-in tool—Disk Management—that lets you format, create, delete, extend, or shrink partitions easily. Follow these steps to format your drive using Disk Management:
Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon and choose Disk Management.
Step 2. Locate the target drive or partition, right-click it, and select Format.
Step 3. Choose the desired file system and set the cluster size as needed.
Step 4. Click OK to begin formatting the drive.
If the problem persists, wiping the disk may resolve the “deleting files doesn’t free up space” issue. AOMEI Partition Assistant allows you to permanently erase all data from your disk or partitions. In addition to wiping, this tool lets you delete partitions, merge them, and format drives effortlessly. Use the following steps to securely wipe your hard drive.
Step 1. Install and open AOMEI Partition Assistant and right-click the hard drive you decide to wipe, and select "Wipe Hard Drive".
Step 2. Select "Fill sectors with Zero" and then click "OK".
Step 3. Click "Apply" in the top left of the interface to execute the operation.
When removing files, right-click the item and select Delete. Keep in mind that deleted files are first sent to the Recycle Bin. To actually free up space, you need to empty the Recycle Bin after deletion. If you’ve already done this but your storage space hasn’t increased, try the solutions outlined in this guide to resolve the issue.
