Why Does SSD Keeps Filling Up?

by Paul | Last Updated: July 5, 2022

Solid State Drives have advantages over hard disk drives (HDD), one of which is the speed. The price of SSDs makes purchasing disks with higher storage a tough task for your pocket. So, before you make a purchase let look at a few options that cost little to nothing.

Why Does SSD Keeps Filling Up?

SSD keeps filling up because there are files that are taking up space, it might also be a virus. When you first install windows, there is a size allocated to it but as you upgrade your windows, the size of this operating system increases on the disk. This is also applicable to all apps you use, for files like music, movies, books, and others.

SSD Keeps Filling Up- Basic Steps

Uninstall Files

The first thing to do is uninstall applications that you do not and depending on the severity of the case, you might have to uninstall even apps that you use but you are willing to sacrifice. If all apps feel necessary, then you should try the next steps.

SSD Keeps Filling Up- Removing Temporary Files for General Use

You should also check your temp files. There are downloads that never completed, were corrupt or for any reason never made their way to your downloads or a folder dedicated for them. Usually, these files make up what your PC recognises as temporary files.

It keeps storing these files there and this takes up disk space. Other types of files that fall in this category include programs that require a huge amount of space to store data like software for design, graphics, media, and video editing. Apps with little space requirement like Microsoft word also fall in this category.

For apps that require huge space for data, they create temp files to complete certain tasks and after these tasks have completed, these files stay on your PC For apps like word, these files created for backup purposes to serve as a safety net for recovering your files if your device or application shuts down abruptly.

This obviously serves a good purpose but affects your disk space eventually. It would be great if these files automatically deleted once you have saved the file, but it is designed to be manually deleted. To delete this type of file:

• Go to your primary storage disk, which is drive name then a column in front e.g., C:
• Navigate and click the “Users” folder
• Look for the “username” folder then click it
• There you will see the “App Data” folder, open it
• Proceed to the “Local” folder, once opened you will see a Temp folder
• In the Temp folder, scan through and delete unnecessary file

These steps are simple and once you follow them, you should see a significant increase in the space available on your disk. If you do not see the folders in the navigation guide above, that means these folders are hidden in your PC. To unhide them, take the following steps:

• Open your file explorer
• Click the view tab
• There is the “hidden items” option with a check box beside it
• Check it and all the folders will be visible

SSD Keeps Filling Up- Removing Temporary Files for your OS

As pointed out earlier, there are temporary files created by your operating system, we would not advise you delete them but if you are sure, you can distinguish the necessary from the unnecessary then take these steps:

• Go to your primary storage disk, which is drive name then a column in front e.g., C:
• Navigate and click the “Windows” folder
• Look for the “Temp” folder then click it
• There you will see files, make your desired changes.

SSD Keeps Filling Up- Removing Temporary Files for your Applications

To delete temporary files for programs installed on your PC, you can do in two ways. The first is through the local folder which you can complete with the following steps:

• Go to your primary storage disk, which is drive name then a column in front e.g., C:
• Navigate and click the “Users” folder
• Look for the “username” folder then click it
• There you will see the “App Data” folder, open it
• Proceed to the “Local” folder, once opened you will see different folders for apps
• Delete unnecessary files and residual ones from uninstalled apps.

The second method is to go through the Program Files folder, to do this, take the following steps:

• Go to your primary storage disk, which is drive name then a column in front e.g., C:
• Navigate and click the “Program Files” folder
• Look for uninstalled apps that still have a folder there
• Then make your desired changes
• Repeat steps 1-4 for “Program Files (x86)”

SSD Keeps Filling Up- Removing Temporary Files using a Third-Party Tool

There are other places that temporary files may be “hiding,” and it is impossible to get them all manually, it might even be a headache. To resolve this, you can use a third-party tool, EaseUs is a popular one that can resolve this, just install it, and use it accordingly.

Please note: The manual method and the automated method of removing files are not necessarily interchangeable as it is better to use the manual method to see if you are satisfied with the results before using an app that will still take up space.

SSD Keeps Filling Up- Virus Check

Virus has been and will always be a headache, they do not only infect files, but they also duplicate them or just create unnecessarily big files that do not even serve any purpose just to take up disc space. To resolve this, tun an antivirus check and remove every trace of this disgusting software.

The windows security is strong and can resolve this issue, you can just run it and remove them all. If you are not confident in this default antivirus, you can get a trusted popular software like Bitdefender. For Mac users, the likelihood of having a virus is low but if you do, you can use Bitdefender.

SSD Keeps Filling Up- Other Checks

Other steps you can take include the removal of junk files, this removal can manual or done using a third-party tool like EaseUs. Another option is to delete the hibernation file, you can do this by following these steps:

• Type “cmd” in the search box
• Run the command prompt as an administrator
• Insert this “powercfg-h off” in the cmd the tap the enter button

That turns off your hibernation file and makes more space available on your disk.

Related Question

If I have tried all the steps above and my SSD keeps filling, what can I do?

You should consider upgrading the size of your SSD, if that option is above your budget, you should add an HDD to your PC to increase the space. Using both disks mean you can separate tasks or files into both disks, giving your PC more space.