The idea of deleting files can feel risky, especially if you are worried about getting rid of something important by accident. This guide will help you approach it calmly and carefully, so you can free up space with confidence.
Before anything else, please remember: you are never obligated to delete anything you are not sure about. If you look at a file and think "I might need this someday," you can leave it alone and move on. The goal is to find the things you are clearly done with — not to remove everything.
Here are the types of files that are almost always safe to remove:
Files in your Downloads folder. This folder collects everything you have ever downloaded from the internet — installation files, PDFs, images, and so on. Most of these are no longer needed once they have been used. It is one of the best places to start.
Duplicate photos. Many people end up with multiple copies of the same photo without realising it. If you spot two identical or very similar photos, you can delete the extras.
Old documents you no longer need. Things like old shopping lists, draft letters you never sent, or records from many years ago that are no longer relevant.
Old programmes or apps you no longer use. If there is software on your computer that you installed years ago and have never opened since, it can be safely removed.
Temporary files. Your computer creates small temporary files as it works. Over time, these can accumulate and take up space. Windows has a built-in tool to clean these up safely — see the step below.
Open File Explorer (on Windows) by clicking the folder icon in your taskbar, or open Finder (on a Mac) from your dock.
Look for a folder called "Downloads" in the left-hand panel.
Click on it to open it and look through the files inside.
Delete anything you no longer need — old installation files, documents you have already saved elsewhere, images you downloaded for a specific purpose and no longer want.
Open your Documents folder and go through it section by section. Ask yourself, for each file:
Do I still use this?
Would I miss it if it was gone?
Is this saved somewhere else (like on a USB stick or in email)?
If the answer to all three is no, it is safe to delete.
Windows has a tool called Disk Cleanup that can automatically find and remove temporary files, old system files, and other items that are safe to delete. Here is how to use it:
Click the Start button and type "Disk Cleanup" into the search bar.
Click on the Disk Cleanup app that appears.
Wait a moment while it calculates how much space can be freed.
You will see a list of file types with tick boxes. It is safe to tick all of them.
Click OK, then confirm when asked.
This process can often free up a surprising amount of space with very little effort.
Once you have finished deleting files, do not forget to empty the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac). Until you do, the files are still technically there and still taking up space.
Windows: Right-click on the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select "Empty Recycle Bin."
Mac: Right-click on the Trash icon in your dock and select "Empty Trash."
If you accidentally delete a file, do not panic. It will be in your Recycle Bin or Trash first, which means you can get it back easily. Simply open the Recycle Bin or Trash, find the file, right-click on it, and select "Restore" (Windows) or "Put Back" (Mac).
If you have already emptied the bin, recovery becomes more difficult but may still be possible. Contact our support team as soon as possible if this happens.