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How to Check Hard Drive Space Windows 7

  • You can check your Windows computer's storage space through the "This PC" menu in your File Explorer.
  • You can also open Windows' Settings app, which lets you see your available storage, as well as how your storage is currently being used.
  • Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

No matter what kind of Windows computer you have — a desktop, laptop, or tablet — it has at least one hard drive that stores your programs, settings, and data.

It doesn't matter whether that drive is a traditional spinning platter or a more modern solid-state drive ( SSD ); either way, Windows gives you two easy ways to check your storage, and you can use whichever method is more convenient for you.

Here's how to do both.

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How to check your Windows storage space using File Explorer

This is a fast and easy way to see how much storage space you have left, and only takes a few clicks.

1. Open any folder to launch the File Explorer.

2. In the navigation pane on the left side of the folder, click "This PC." You can also simply type "This PC" in the text box at the top of the folder.

3. You should see all your hard drives displayed, with the available storage space displayed under each drive.

When you choose "This PC," you can see a snapshot of your computer's storage usage.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider

How to check your Windows storage using Settings

This is an alternate way to see how much storage space Windows has. It has the advantage of providing additional information.

1. Click the Start button and then click the Settings icon, which looks like a gear.

2. Click "System," and then, in the pane on the left, click "Storage."

3. You should see details about your primary hard drive, called "C:." Here, Windows will show you the remaining storage space, as well as how your drive is currently being used. If you click any category, you'll see additional options for managing this storage space.

The Storage option in Settings shows you how your hard drive's storage space is being used.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider

4. To see the storage space remaining on any other drives on your PC, scroll down and click "View storage usage on other drives."

5. You can click other drives to see a similar breakdown by category.

Click a drive to see details about that drive and to take action to manage your storage, if needed.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider

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  • How to create a guest account on your Windows 10 computer in 6 steps

  • How to find screenshots on a Windows 10 computer and change where they're saved to by default

  • How to copy your screen on a Windows computer in 2 ways, to take a full or partial screenshot

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.

Insider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links.

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How to Check Hard Drive Space Windows 7

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-check-windows-storage