How Do I Clean Up My Disk Space on a Windows Server?

Scenarios

When the EVS disk space on a server is insufficient, the server running speed will be affected, which will further affect user experience. You can clean up the disk space using either of the following methods:

• Cleaning Up Disk Space Using the System Built-in Cleanup Tool
• Uninstalling Unnecessary Programs on Control Panel

The following example uses a Windows Server 2016 server to illustrate how to clean up disk space on a server. In addition, you are advised to do the following to save disk space:

• Periodically compress and save the files that are not frequently used.
• Periodically use the disk cleanup tool to clean up disk space, delete unnecessary files, and clean up the recycle bin.
• Uninstall unnecessary programs to release disk space.

Cleaning Up Disk Space Using the System Built-in Cleanup Tool

1. On the server desktop, click the start icon in the lower left corner.

   The start menu is displayed.

2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Windows Administrative Tools > Disk Cleanup.

   The Disk Cleanup: Drive Selection window is displayed.

   Figure 1 Disk Cleanup: Drive Selection
   

3. Select the target disk from the drop-down list. In this example, disk (C:) is selected.

   The Disk Cleanup window is displayed, and the system automatically calculates the space that can be freed on disk (C:).

   Figure 2 Disk Cleanup
   

4. After the automatic calculation is complete, select the files to be deleted on the displayed window and click OK.

   A confirmation dialog box is displayed.

   Figure 3 Deletion confirmation
   

5. Click Delete Files to clean up the disk space.

Uninstalling Unnecessary Programs on Control Panel

1. On the server desktop, click the start icon in the lower left corner.

   The start menu is displayed.

2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Windows System > Control Panel.

   The All Control Panel Items window is displayed.

   Figure 4 All Control Panel Items
   

3. In the list, select Programs and Features.

   The Programs and Features window is displayed.

   Figure 5 Programs and Features
   

4. In the program list, right-click the program to be uninstalled and choose Uninstall from the shortcut menu.

   A confirmation dialog box is displayed.

   Figure 6 Uninstallation confirmation
   

5. Click Yes to uninstall the program.