What to Do If OneDrive Is Filling up C Drive on Windows 10/11

Why OneDrive Keeps Filling up C Drive

OneDrive is a file sync and backup service released by Microsoft to sync/back up personal files, such as documents, pictures, and so on. It also allows users to sync system settings, themes, browsing history, visual customizations, and even passwords on Windows.

The OneDrive folder is located in the C drive by default. That’s why many users find OneDrive is filling up C drive as time goes by.  Besides, some factors like the sync and backup settings, temporary cache, and hidden files are also responsible for the problem.

What to Do If OneDrive Is Filling up C Drive on Windows 10/11

Here I summarize 7 proven methods to solve the OneDrive taking up space on C drive issue. Let’s try them one by one until the issue gets fixed on Windows 10/11.

Solution 1. Free up Disk Space on OneDrive

OneDrive provides the “File On-Demand” feature to free up disk space. If OneDrive keeps filling up C drive, you can use the feature to clean up unnecessary files.

Step 1. Click on the OneDrive icon at the bottom of your screen, tap the Gear-shape icon, and select Settings.

Step 2. Select Sync and backup from the left side, scroll down the right sidebar to expand Advanced settings, and click on Free up disk space > Continue under File On-Demand. Then it will automatically open the personal OneDrive folder in File Explorer.

Step 3. Now, you can manually view the unneeded files in the OneDrive folder and delete them. Alternatively, you can right-click the OneDrive – Personal folder, select Free up space, and wait for the process to complete.

Solution 2. Clear OneDrive Cache

Sometimes piled-up cache can cause the OneDrive taking up disk space issue. In this case, you can follow the steps below to clear the OneDrive cache.

Step 1. Open the OneDrive Settings window again as we just explained above.

Step 2. Select Account from the left side and click on Unlink this PC > Unlink account.

Step 3. Once unlinked, press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box, type the following command and press Enter to open the OneDrive cache folder. Then delete all items inside the folder.

%localappdata%\OneDrive\

Step 4. Run the %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\ command again and delete all files in the folder.

Step 5. Restart your computer and sign into the OneDrive account to see if OneDrive is filling up C drive.

Solution 3. Empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin

It’s possible that you delete some files from your computer but they are still located in the OneDrive Recycle Bin. Here you can empty the Recycle Bin to fix the OneDrive filling up C drive space issue.

To do that, click the OneDrive icon from the system taskbar, select Recycle bin, select all unneeded files, and click on Delete to empty the OneDrive Recycle Bin.

Solution 4. Hide Somes Folders in OneDrive

Another possible reason for OneDrive taking up disk space issues is related to many unhidden files. OneDrive enables you to hide some files in the OneDrive folder and make them not to occupy your disk space.

Step 1. Open the OneDrive Settings window, navigate to Account, and click Choose folders.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, uncheck the boxes of the folder you want to hide and click OK to save the change. Then these folders won’t show up on this PC and any contents in them will be deleted.

Solution 5. Run Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup is the Windows files cleaner that can delete unnecessary files and temporary cache. If OneDrive keeps filling up C drive, you can try using Disk Cleanup. For that:

Step 1. Type cleanup in the Windows search box and select Disk Cleanup.

Step 2. Select the C drive from the drop-down menu and click on OK.

Step 3. After the calculating process is complete, check the boxes beside all unnecessary files and click OK > Delete files.

Solution 6. Use Storage Sense to Clean up OneDrive

Storage Sense is also a useful tool that can automatically free up disk space for OneDrive. Here you can use the tool to fix OneDrive filling up C drive space.

Step 1. Press the Win + I keys to open the Settings window, select Storage from the left panel, and click on Configure Storage Sense or run it now.

Step 2. Scroll down to the OneDrive – Personal section and select how long time the OneDrive items will be deleted if not opened for more than.

Step 3. Click on Clean now. After that, the infrequently opened OneDrive files will be automatically deleted, which can fix the OneDrive filling up C drive space.

Solution 7. Use an Expert File Cleaner

Suppose you don’t know what large files are causing the “OneDrive taking up space on C drive” issue. In that case, I strongly recommend you use a professional disk analyzer – MiniTool Partition Wizard to analyze your disk space usage. It’s also a file deleter that can find the OneDrive files via the file name and delete them permanently.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Launch the MiniTool software to get its main interface and click Space Analyzer from the top toolbar.

Step 2. Select the C drive from the drop-down menu and click on Scan.

Step 3. Wait for the scanning process to complete. Go to the File View tab, type OneDrive in the search box, and click on Apply. Then click the Size column to sort out the files in size order. Right-click the large file and click Delete (permanently).

MiniTool Partition Wizard is also a disk partition program that can partition hard drives, convert MBR to GPT without data loss, migrate Windows to SSD, change cluster size, rebuild MBR, etc. If you don’t want to delete any OneDrive files or move them to another location, you can extend the C drive on Windows.

MiniTool Partition Wizard DemoClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Now, I believe you have fixed the “OneDrive is filling up C drive” issue on Windows 10/11. Let’s keep reading to learn how to prevent the problem later.

How to Prevent OneDrive Taking up Space on C Drive on Windows 10/11

It’s important to prevent it if OneDrive keeps filling up C drive frequently on Windows 10/11. Here I summarize 5 useful tips to avoid the problem.

Tip 1. Move the OneDrive Folder to Another Drive

The most effective way is to move the OneDrive folder to another drive in which there is enough space. Here’s a full guide for you.

Step 1. On the OneDrive Settings window, navigate to Settings > Unlink this PC > Unlink account.

Step 2. Restart OneDrive and follow the on-screen prompts to sign in to your account until you get the Your OneDrive folder screen.

Step 3. Click on Change location and select another drive like D, then click Next and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

Tip 2. Manage Sync and Backup Settings

In addition, you need to change the sync and backup settings to avoid the
synchronous and backup of unnecessary files.

Step 1. Select Sync and backup in the Settings window and click Manage backup.

Step 2. Toggle off the switches next to the categories that you don’t want to back up and click Save changes.

Step 3. Then you can turn off other sync settings, such as “Save photos and videos from device”, “Save screenshots I capture to OneDrive”, etc.

Tip 3. Disable the “Always Keep on This Device” Feature

Normally, all OneDrive files won’t take up space on your disk if you haven’t enabled the “Always keep on this device” feature. Once enabled, however, the OneDrive app will automatically download these files from the cloud to your computer after opening them offline.

To prevent the “OneDrive taking up disk space” issue, you’d better disable the feature. Open the File Explorer window, right-click the OneDrive folder, and unselect the Always keep on this device option. Then wait for the process to complete.

Tip 4. Pause Sync

If you are always troubled by the “OneDrive taking up disk space” issue, you may consider pausing the sync of your files. To do that, click the OneDrive icon, click the Gear-shaped icon at the upper left corner, and select Quit OneDrive or another time from the Pause syncing drop-down menu.

Tip 5. Uninstall OneDrive

The last but not least tip is to uninstall OneDrive, which can avoid OneDrive filling up C drive space fundamentally. Here are the detailed steps.

Step 1. Right-click the Start button and select Apps & features.

Step 2. Scroll down the list of options to Microsoft OneDrive, and click on Uninstall, then confirm the uninstallation.

Recently, I found my OneDrive is filling up C drive and keeps back even deleting some files. I was so lucky that I found this post. It helped me fix the problem and shared extra useful tips to prevent it from happening in the future.Click to Tweet

To Sum Up

Here comes the end of this post. Now, I believe you have solved the OneDrive taking up disk space problem after trying all the above methods. It’s also important to take extra tips in the article if you don’t want to experience the issue later.

If you have any suggestions or confusion about MiniTool Partition Wizard, feel free to contact us via [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also share this tool with your friends to manage disks and partitions effectively.