Is the section of Apps & features taking up huge disk space in Windows 11/10? There are many complaints about this issue in forums. If you are in the same boat, read this tutorial and you can learn how to fix this problem and how to stop Apps & features from hogging more storage space.

Apps & Features Taking up Huge Disk Space

In Windows 11 and 10, there is a feature called Storage Sense that manages your disk space by deleting temporary files, emptying the Recycle Bin, and more. It allows you to check each drive and see what is taking up storage space.

If you check the C drive, you can find that your space is used by system & reserved, apps & features, temporary files, and other categories. Just click each category to know the details and manage the space.

However, you may find a weird situation: Apps & features taking up huge disk space. It uses more space than the total of all your apps. In forums like Microsoft or Reddit, you can find many threads about this issue.

Apps & features taking up huge disk space

Here comes a question: why does Apps & features take up so much disk space? There are several reasons behind this issue, as shown:

  • The installed apps, such as video editing and games, take up a mass of space.
  • Temporary files and cache data created by apps accumulate, consuming a significant amount of space.
  • The AppData folder, hidden in the C drive, contains a lot of data used by apps, such as settings, preferences, and cached files.
  • At times, Apps & features doesn’t accurately reflect the actual space used by applications due to a bug in Storage Sense.

Then, how can you fix Apps & features taking up huge disk space?

#1. Uninstall Apps via Settings

The simplest way is to find the applications that use a lot of storage space and uninstall them if you don’t use them anymore. To do that, take these steps:

Step 1: Hit the Apps & features section to know how much space each app uses.

Step 2: Select Size from the Sort by drop-down menu.

Step 3: Choose the unused or undesired app and then click Uninstall to remove it from your Windows 10 computer. In Windows 11, choose three dots next to the app and then click Uninstall.

uninstall apps under Apps & features
Tips:
If you don’t want to uninstall the app, resetting it will do the trick. That way, the app data is deleted. Just click Advanced options (if there is such an option in addition to Uninstall) and hit Reset to reset the program. See! You may have reduced the app’s footprint.

#2. Run MiniTool System Booster

As stated above, the accumulated temporary files can trigger Apps & features taking up huge disk space. To remove them, we recommend the disk cleaner, MiniTool System Booster. It features PC cleanup, app uninstallation, RAM/CPU optimization, and more so that you can enjoy peak performance.

In terms of computer cleanup, MiniTool System Booster offers the Deepclean tool to delete Internet temporary files, Windows temporary files, and other junk files, defragment your hard drive, free up RAM, and more.

Via its Advanced Uninstaller and Deceptive Programs, you can easily uninstall unwanted applications and remove harmful software to free up a lot of disk space.

Give it a try now!

MiniTool System Booster TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: Open MiniTool System Booster and then head to Deepclean > START CLEAN to begin the cleanup process. Implement each cleanup task by following the on-screen instructions. Don’t skip Internet Cleanup (remove Internet junk files) and Windows Cleanup (delete Windows junk files).

Deepclean in MiniTool System Booster
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Step 2: Head to Toolbox, click Advanced Uninstaller, and then tap UNINSTALL to uninstall the unwanted programs one by one. Besides, click Deceptive Programs to find and remove harmful apps.

uninstall applications with MiniTool System Booster

After those steps, a lot of storage space is released, and you should solve the issue of Apps & features taking up huge disk space.

#3. Run Disk Cleanup

When Apps & features takes up much disk space, running Disk Cleanup does the trick. Sometimes, you can get additional free space up to several GB. This helps you to empty the Recycle Bin and delete downloaded program files, temporary Internet files, temporary files, thumbnails, & others.

Here is how you can do it:

Step 1: Open Disk Cleanup via the Search box.

Step 2: Choose the C drive to clean up.

Step 3: Check the files you want to delete and click OK > Delete Files.

Windows 10 Disk Cleanup

Step 4: Moreover, click Clean up system files, choose C, tick files to delete, and begin the cleanup task.

#4. Check What Is Using Disk Space

It is smart to check what is using your disk space if you are suffering from the issue of Apps & features taking up huge storage space. For this purpose, some forum users recommend using the free disk space manager, TreeSize. It gives a visual picture of what’s eating up drive space, and then you can perform the cleanup task as per your situation.

In addition, MiniTool Partition Wizard, a free partition manager, comes with the Space Analyzer feature that enables you to analyze the disk space usage and delete unnecessary files permanently. Get this tool to try.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

MiniTool Partition Wizard Space Analyzer

How to Stop Apps & Features from Taking up Disk Space

To avoid encountering this issue again, we list several steps you can take.

  • Move Apps to Another Drive: If another drive has enough space, make sure you install new apps on it. Also, move the old programs to that drive.
  • Extend the Drive Where Apps Are Installed: Run MiniTool Partition Wizard to extend the partition on which you install many apps. Then, you will have enough space to store your apps.
  • Delete Temp Files: Press Win + R, type %temp% and click OK to open the Temp folder. Delete those temporary files regularly to free space.
  • Run MiniTool System Booster for Automated PC Care: This PC tune-up software comes with the ActiveCare feature to automatically scan your computer and perform PC care for peak performance. You can enable it.

MiniTool System Booster TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Final Words

Why is Apps & features taking up huge disk space? How to fix this issue? Now you have a clear understanding of the reasons and solutions from this post. Follow the instructions, and you should get rid of the issue.

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