January is “Clean Up Your Computer” month — in the spirit of this celebration, we’ve decided to share our best tips for keeping your digital space spotless.
Remove Unused Software
One of the easiest ways to free up some space on your hard drive is to uninstall applications that you don’t use anymore.
On Windows 10, you can do this by right-clicking the Windows button and selecting “Apps and Features.”
Once this is open, you can navigate through your applications and uninstall the ones you no longer use.
Delete/ZIP Large Files
In today’s media-dominated world, video reigns supreme. Because of this, many educators have started using video files to supplement material.
These files are often pretty large and can add up quickly, occupying all of your storage space.
There are two ways to manage this resource issue: 1. deleting large files once you’re finished with them or 2. compressing these files until you need to use them again.
Clear Out Downloads Folder
Your Downloads folder is usually a good indicator of what you’re working on — it fills up with old project files and images that you haven’t looked at in months.
A good way to free up some space on your hard drive is to periodically clear out this folder, getting rid of materials that you forgot you were hoarding in your Downloads folder.
Empty Recycle Bin
The Recycle Bin is the last stop for files on the chopping block. Because of this, it can house a host of materials that you thought were already deleted from your machine — you can right-click the Recycle Bin and select “Empty Recycle Bin” to get rid of these files.
Use Box
As a member of the UAMS team, you have access to the cloud storage service Box. One of the easiest ways to free up space on your computer is to utilize Box as much as possible.
Box is capable of storing all file types and, at the time of writing, has an unlimited amount of storage space. It is the best way to keep your computer clean and running smoothly.