Introduction
Having enough storage space for regular backups is crucial to protect my data and ensure I don’t lose important files. However, as digital data continues to grow, storage space always seems limited. In this article, I will share some clever tips and tricks I’ve learned to maximise storage and clear space for backups.
Identify and Remove Unnecessary Files
The first step is to identify files and data that are no longer needed. Here are some things I do to clear out unnecessary files:
- Clean up downloads folder: Downloaded installers, programs, zip files that have already been extracted or are no longer needed take up space. I sort through and delete ones I don’t need anymore.
- Remove duplicate files: I use tools like VisiPics to identify and remove duplicate photos, videos, documents that waste space.
- Delete unused programs: Uninstall software, apps, and games that I haven’t used in a long time and are just taking up room.
- Clear browser caches: Browser caches can build up over time and take up GBs of space. I clear these out regularly.
Removing unnecessary files frees up a lot of storage space for backups.
Use Storage Optimisation Tools
There are various utilities that help identify and recover wasted space on my hard drive:
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Disk cleanup: The built-in disk cleanup utility in Windows allows me to delete system files, temporary files, and other items that are safe to remove.
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CCleaner: This utility cleans out junk files, unused registry entries, browser caches, download histories, and other data that builds up over time.
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WinDirStat: This is a disk usage statistics program that provides a visual map of what is taking up space on my drives. It helps me identify and target large files and directories to delete.
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Puran Disk Space Recovery: This tool scans the disk and finds folders and files that have been deleted but still occupy space and allows me to fully wipe them to recover storage.
Store Data in the Cloud
Storing files in cloud storage rather than locally can help maximise limited disk space. Services like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud provide abundant cheap online storage.
I regularly move large files like photos, videos, music, and backups to the cloud. This also has the benefit of making them accessible from anywhere.
Use Compression
Compressing files reduces their size which then takes up less disk space. Some ways I use compression:
- Zip files: I zip folders containing many files, like old projects or big downloads folders, to compress their size and then back them up.
- Compressed backups: Backing up to compressed image formats like .7zip instead of uncompressed files saves a lot of space.
- Compress drives: I use Drive Compression software to transparently compress my entire drives to make room for more data.
Delete System Restore Points
Windows automatically creates restore points on a schedule to use for system restore. But these can gradually build up and occupy a large amount of drive space.
I regularly check my system protection settings and delete older restore points I no longer need. Recovering that space gives me room for backups.
Upgrade Storage
If I still need additional space after trying the above methods, upgrading my storage is the final option. Some ways I can expand capacity:
- Add an external USB hard drive for backups and extra storage.
- Upgrade to a new internal hard drive with higher capacity.
- On laptops, replace the existing drive with a larger one.
- Expand with cloud storage subscriptions if internet speed permits online backups.
Taking the time to regularly follow the strategies outlined above has helped me reclaim a lot of wasted disk space and ensure I have plenty of room set aside for consistent backups. Keeping backups current provides peace of mind that my important files are always protected.
