How Much Disk Space Does Windows 10 Occupy [Complete Explanation]

Updated by

Sherly 

Written by

Cici 

Updated on April 26, 2024

Managing space on a Windows 10 computer can sometimes be challenging. The operating system may end up occupying as much as 30 GB of storage, even though it initially needed less space. In this article, we will discuss some of the primary reasons behind Windows consuming so much disk space. Furthermore, you will find some guidance on how to manage your disk space effectively.

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How much disk space does Windows 10 take up?

Are you still wondering how much space Windows 10 takes up? Your PC's disk driver regularly creates restore points, saves temporary files, and stores old Windows data, which all contribute to the overall space required to run Windows 10.

For a 64-bit operating system, installing the Windows 10 operating system typically requires 20 GB of free storage. And if you are using a 32-bit operating system, it only requires 16 GB of free storage.

Therefore, after a clean installation of Windows 10, you can anticipate having approximately 30 GB of free storage. With the more frequent use of Windows 10, it regularly creates restore points, saves temporary files, and retains older Windows data. Consequently, all these elements contribute to the overall space required to run Windows 10 efficiently.

Therefore, you can analyze disk space on your Windows PC using the free disk space analyzer: tools Partition Master. The free version of tools Partition Master is an excellent disk management tool. It offers a Space Analyzer feature to examine disk space usage. It comes with an improved integrated user interface and provides users with various options, including:

1. Determining the size of the hidden space
2. Searching for duplicate files
3. Directly deletes files
4. Displays the proportion of occupied space

Here's how to utilize this tool to check the amount of disk space taken by Windows 10:

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant and go to Tools. Download and run the Space Analyzer under Frequently Used Tools.

Step 2. In the Space Analyzer pop-up window, select the target disk to be analyzed and click Analyze in the upper right corner.

Step 3. Wait a moment, and you'll see the detailed data. You can click on Folder/File to view different data categories, and click on the small folder icon to see more details within the file.

Tools Partition Master is also one of the top Windows 10 disk space analyzers. After examining the Windows 10 disk space, you can perform actions such as changing or removing partitions.

What Is the Ideal Disk Space for Windows 10?

If you're uncertain about how much space Windows takes up, bear in mind that it largely depends on the user's activities. A 500 GB HDD would function perfectly well for Windows 10. It's the ideal choice for the vast majority of users who intend to use their Windows PC for general purposes, which includes running office applications, web browsing, and even playing casual games. However, if you engage in resource-intensive tasks such as 4K video editing or need to store multiple game titles, a minimum of 1 TB HDD becomes a necessity.

In the following section, we will delve into how to free up disk space on your Windows 10 computer. If you find this content helpful, feel free to click on the social buttons below to share it with others who might be in need.

How to Free Up Disk Space in Windows 10?

As time progresses, Windows 10 will unavoidably become larger in size. Therefore, we will provide some practical tips to minimize the amount of hard disk space it occupies. Below are solutions to either expand or free up disk space:

Expand System Partition

Extending the system partition, as the name suggests, involves expanding the entire system. However, this process requires an unallocated storage space on the hard disk drive for it to be executed effectively. It's crucial to note that the unallocated space should be adjacent to the partition you wish to expand. To efficiently extend the partition, follow the steps outlined below. In this case, we will be utilizing the Partition Master tool.

Option 1. Extend the System C drive with unallocated space

1. Right-click on the System C: drive and select "Resize/Move." 2. Drag the system partition end into the unallocated space to add it to the C: drive, then click "OK." 3. Click "Execute Task" and "Apply" to execute the operations and extend the C drive.

Option 2. Extend System C drive without unallocated space This option refers to expanding the System C drive even if there is no unallocated space available. In this scenario, you would need to resize or move other partitions to create room for extending the C drive. This typically involves using a disk management tool that allows you to adjust partition sizes and reallocate space.

1. Right-click on a large partition with sufficient free space on the system disk, and select "Allocate Space." 2. At the "Allocate Space From (*) To" section, select the system drive, then drag the end of the System C drive into the unallocated space. Click "OK" to confirm. 3. Click "Execute Task." This will display the pending operations. Click "Apply" to save the changes and proceed with extending the C drive.

0:00-0:26 Extend the System Drive with Unallocated Space; 0:27-0:58 Extend the System Drive without Unallocated Space.

AOMEI Partition Assistant is a comprehensive tool for managing disks and partitions. It offers various features, including repartitioning hard drives. Additionally, it also provides other functionalities:

• Delete/resize/shrink partitions
• Check hard drive health
• Optimize hard drives' performance
• Format hard drive that is not visible

Whatever your needs may be, you can utilize the tool Partition Master to assist you. Download it and give it a try for free:

Turn off Hibernation

Here's how to disable hibernation through the Windows Terminal:

Step 1. Open Windows Terminal with administrator privileges.

Step 2. To exit hibernation, copy and paste the command below, then press Enter:

Turn off System Restore

Here's how you turn off System Restore:

Step 1. Open File Explorer, right-click, and choose the Properties option from the context menu.

Step 2. Scroll down and click on the System Protection link under Related Links.

Step 3. Click the Local Disk (C:) (System) option and the Configure button in the System Properties window that appears.

Step 4. In the next window, click the radio button next to Disable system protection. Click Apply, and then OK to turn off System Restore.

Reduce Virtual Memory Size

You can decrease the virtual memory size to free up space on your PC's hard drive. Here's how to do it:

Step 1. Right-click on This PC > Properties > Advanced system settings.

Step 2. From the Performance section, select the Settings button. In the Performance Options box, click the Advanced tab, and then click the Change button next to Virtual Memory.

Step 3. In the Virtual Memory window, click the radio button next to Automatically manage paging file size for all drives to disable it. You can make any desired changes and click OK to save the modifications.

Delete Temporary Files and Windows.old Folder

When the system is updated, Windows automatically saves information from the previous system in a folder named Windows.old. If you don't need to access this folder and your Windows 10 requires more space, you can delete the Windows.old folder to free up space. Furthermore, Windows sometimes loads temporary files automatically. By eliminating these unnecessary files, Windows will return to its normal operation.

Important: After ten days, the Windows.old folder is automatically deleted. Now, let's proceed with how to delete temporary files.

Step 1. Open Settings > Storage > Temporary files.

Step 2. Click the Remove Files button to delete the temporary files.

Conclusion

How much storage does Windows 10 require? In this guide, you can learn how to analyze disk space in Windows 10. If you plan to upgrade to Windows 10 Version 1903, which requires more space than Version 1809, you can utilize the methods mentioned earlier to expand the system partition. Unfortunately, there is no indication that this size constraint will change anytime soon. Moreover, even if your device has more storage, you may still encounter issues saving beyond 4GB, despite uninstalling more applications, removing bloatware, and cleaning temporary files, etc.

Thus, you now know how to resize a partition in Windows 10. If you're just starting out, Partition Master is your best option. You can use the Partition Master tool to check hard disk space and extend hard drive capacity.

Frequently Asked Questions About How Much Disk Space Windows 10 Takes

Do you have more questions about how much storage space Windows 10 requires? Check out the following frequently asked questions and their corresponding answers:

< strong >1. Is 256GB SSD storage sufficient for Windows 10?

A 256GB SSD usually suffices for housing your essential applications and daily data. However, if you plan to use the 256GB SSD laptop for demanding tasks such as gaming, photo or video editing, or any other heavy workloads, this amount of storage may not be sufficient.

**2. How much storage space does Windows 11 occupy on an SSD?**

To install or upgrade to Windows 11, devices must meet the following minimum hardware specifications: Processor: A System on a Chip (SoC) or a processor that operates at one gigahertz (GHz) or faster, with two or more cores. Memory: At least 4 GB of RAM is required. Storage: 64 GB of free disk space or more is necessary.

3. How do I check how much hard drive space I have?

Follow the steps below to check the amount of hard drive space on your Windows 10 PC:

Step 1. Open File Explorer.

Step 2. Click on This PC in the left pane.

Step 3. You can locate the free space on your hard drive under Devices and Drives.