Windows 11: Free up disk space for upgrade

Windows 11 requires 65 GB of available disk space for the upgrade to complete successfully. Once the upgrade is complete, most of that space will be available to use again. To check how much is available, open the file explorer app and select My PC. Check the C drive and see how much space is available.

If you do not have enough available disk space, the steps below may help. If you require assistance, please contact DoTS.

Back up files to OneDrive

1. If you are not using OneDrive, reference these articles for how to sign in and turn on backups. Once complete, move onto the next step.
   • OneDrive Setup
   • OneDrive Important Folder Backups
2. Open your OneDrive folder.
3. Right Click on files or folders that you are not actively using and select Free up space
   • If you wish to free up space for all the files, right click the OneDrive folder itself and select Free up space
4. This removes the local copy of the files from your computer and stores them only in the cloud. If you access the file again, it will automatically be downloaded.
5. You can tell which files are stored locally based on the icon next to them. The blue cloud means it is in the cloud only and the green check mark means it is stored locally and in the cloud.

Check in Settings to find what is taking up space

1. Open the settings app and go to System>Storage

2. You can see how much space is available and what categories are taking up space.
3. Review these categories and identify items you no longer need.