In the future, you can always re-enable Hibernation on Windows 11 with the same instructions, but on step No. Once you complete the steps, Hibernation will turn off, and during the process, the system will remove the hiberfil.sys file freeing up several gigabytes of space. Type the following command to disable Hibernation and press Enter: powercfg /hibernate off.Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
To disable Hibernation to free up space on Windows 11, use these steps: If you are running out of space, disabling Hibernation can help free up storage quickly. On Windows, Hibernation has been around for a long time, and it's a feature designed to save the data in memory onto the system drive before shutting down to preserve the current session the next time you turn on the computer.Īlthough it is a useful feature, it requires several gigabytes to save the memory contents into the hiberfil.sys file. If you don't need the feature anymore, you can revert the changes with the same instructions, but on step 4, make sure to clear the Compress this drive to save disk space option. Once you complete the steps, the compression process will begin, but if the drive already had content, the process could take some time. Select the Apply changes to drive (drive letter), subfolders, and files option.Right-click the folder and select the Properties option.To enable NTFS compression for a folder, use these steps: You should use this option only if you do not have another option and you are dealing with capable hardware. If you use data compression, consider that it can negatively impact system performance because it has to compress and decompress data on demand.
You can use this feature to compress files, folders, or the entire drive.
Windows 11 also comes with a built-in lightweight feature part of the NT File System (NTFS) to compress data maintaining their normal access without the need to zip your files. Otherwise, you won't be able to launch the apps or play those games in the new storage.Īfter you complete the steps, repeat the above instructions to move additional apps or games to the new location. The external drive always has to be connected to the device when using this feature. Select the drive to move the app or game.Quick note: If the option is not available, the feature is not available for that particular app. Click the Storage page on the right side.To delete temporary files manually, use these steps: Free up space deleting temporary filesĪs part of the storage tools available on Windows 11, you can also delete temporary files manually using the Storage settings.
Otherwise, the system will clean up the files as space is needed. Check the Delete previous versions of Windows option (if applicable).Īfter you complete the steps, if you click the run now button, Storage Sense will clear the files immediately.(Optional) Click the Run Storage Sense now button.Under the "Locally available cloud content" section, use the drop-down menu to specify how long OneDrive content synced to the device becomes online-only.The Downloads folder may contain important files, which means that it is recommended to backup those files manually before running Storage Sense. Quick tip: To delete the most files, use the 1-day option for the settings.