Credit: Matt L. Hall / MakeUseOf

A lack of storage space is one of those silent issues that can slow down any device, including your Windows PC. Beyond the space taken up by system files, Windows needs room to manage temporary files, updates, and other system processes efficiently. When your storage starts to fill up, your PC can struggle with all of this, even if it has plenty of RAM and processing power.

This was a constant struggle for me because my laptop only has 512GB of storage. Of that, roughly 474GB is actually usable, while another 75GB is reserved for system files and other essentials. To avoid the hassle of managing storage, I rely on Windows’ Storage Sense feature. It automatically clears unnecessary files, so I don’t have to watch my laptop slow down as it fills up.

Why low storage was a problem for me

When half a terabyte suddenly doesn’t feel like enough

My previous laptop only had 256GB of storage, so when I upgraded to a 512GB machine, it felt like I’d finally reached the promised land. Twice the space sounded like plenty, and half a terabyte seemed enormous. But the thing about storage is that it’s never enough. Within a few months, I realized that even 512GB can fill up surprisingly fast. With high-resolution photos, downloaded videos, and an ever-growing collection of apps, my laptop was constantly flirting with full capacity.

The real problem with this is how low storage impacts Windows performance. Even with a fast solid-state drive, my system began to slow down once space got tight. Simple things like opening programs or saving files became sluggish, to the point where it was genuinely frustrating. I tried freeing up space manually, deleting files here and there, but the relief was always temporary. Within a few weeks, the problem returned like clockwork.

Sure, getting an external drive or relying on cloud storage is an easy fix. But I wasn’t keen on either option. I wanted all my important files to be locally available without having to juggle multiple storage solutions or worry about syncing. Thankfully, I came across Windows’ Storage Sense feature, and it turned out to be exactly what I needed.

What Storage Sense is and how it works

The silent helper keeping my PC fast

At its core, Storage Sense automatically cleans up temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and even removes old files from the Downloads folder. It can also free up space by removing locally stored copies of cloud-backed files that haven’t been opened in a while.

The best thing about Storage Sense is that it doesn’t touch your personal files. It only targets the clutter that’s no longer necessary, so you don’t have to worry about losing anything important. And if you’d rather play it safe, you can customize its settings to exclude the Downloads folder and the Recycle Bin.

You can run Storage Sense manually anytime you need instant cleanup. For convenience, you can also schedule it to run automatically—daily, weekly, or only when storage space runs low. Personally, I opted for the last option, and it works perfectly. This way, I rarely have to think about managing storage anymore because Storage Sense quietly handles it in the background.

Setting up Storage Sense is a one-time fix

Set it and forget it

Storage Sense isn’t enabled by default on Windows, and understandably so. That said, Windows can run it automatically to clean up certain temporary files and alert you. But instead of waiting for that to happen, it’s best to set it up ahead of time.

To get started, head to Settings > System and turn on the Storage Sense toggle. Then, click it to customize how it works. First, tick the Keep Windows running smoothly checkbox and turn on Automatic User content cleanup.

Next, use the Run Storage Sense drop-down menu to choose how often you want it to clean up your PC. You can select options like daily, weekly, or only when your storage starts to get low. After that, decide which areas you want Storage Sense to target. You can enable cleanup for the Recycle Bin, Downloads folder, and even files that are already backed up to the cloud.

Optionally, you can click the Run Storage Sense now button for an immediate cleanup, or let it run automatically on its schedule. I no longer have to manually hunt for temporary files or worry about my laptop slowing down as storage fills up.

Storage Sense operates only on your system drive, usually the C: drive where Windows is installed.

Storage Sense may not be useful for everyone, but it solves one of my biggest problems. What used to be a constant battle with low storage is now a thing of the past. Of course, I still need to be mindful of not filling my drive with massive personal files, but it’s reassuring to know that Windows quietly handles the clutter on its own.