How to Fix "Hard Disk Is Full but No Files in Windows 10"?

Hard disk full but no files

 

I have a desktop system, and when I open it, a pop-up window prompts that my C drive is almost full. Before I searched, I thought some programs or movies or other data took up space. But there was nothing, no movies, music, and pictures. There are no large files except Windows 10, Office. I have opened program files, temporary (empty), Windows, download files. Nothing looks big or inappropriate. Can anyone tell me what should I do? "

 

Why hard disk full but no files in Windows 10?

Just like the situation encountered by this user, when we are using the computer, we may encounter the system prompt "The capacity of the C drive is insufficient, please clean it up in time". But after searching, we may have this question, "why the hard drive full but can’t find files?" This is probably caused by the following reasons:

☛ The hard disk is infected with a virus:  The virus has the ability to replicate itself. Not only can it take up space and destroy data, but the user can't find it.
☛ There are many hidden files on the hard disk: This kind of file may be a backup automatically generated by some programs. These hidden files can also take up space, but the user cannot find out if the hidden files are set up.
☛ There may be a technical or logical system error: Caused by system errors, you can use CHKDSK to scan and automatically fix file system errors.
☛ The disk format must be set for each disk: Generally speaking, the most commonly used file system types are NTFS and FAT32. The FAT32 format theoretically supports partitions up to 32G, and the capacity of a single file cannot exceed 4G. If it exceeds 4G, it will be prompted that the disk space is insufficient. But NTFS supports up to 2T partitions, and the capacity of a single file can exceed 4G. So it is very likely that the file system of the partition is FAT32, which results in the hard disk being full but no specific files. You only need to convert FAT32 to NTFS to solve this problem.

Fix "hard disk is full but no files in Windows 10" step by step

After understanding the basic situation of hard disk full but no files, you may be eager to know how to solve this problem. Don't worry, I will introduce the solutions for you one by one below.

▏Use anti-virus software to check and kill viruses

You can use anti-virus software to perform a full scan on the hard disk. If you are encountering a virus or malware attack, please run a powerful anti-virus software, and then perform a thorough disk scan to clear all the chaos caused by it. After scanning, clean up all disks and then free up disk space.

▏Make hidden files show

Opening the system reminding you of the full disk in "My Computer", in the upper left "Tools", find the "File Options Folder", and then find the second option "View", in the advanced settings, find "Show hidden files, folders and drives", click "Apply". At this time, all hidden files have been displayed. Delete unnecessary files to free up space according to your own needs.

▏Use CHKDSK to check the error system

If there is a technical or logical system error, the CHKDSK utility can solve it. These system errors may cause the hard disk to malfunction and display the wrong disk space.

 Specific steps are as follows:

Step 1. Press the Windows + R keys at the same time. The dialog box, that is, the run dialog box, will appear on the screen. Type cmd inbox and click "OK" to continue.

Step 2. In the next Windows command prompt, enter chkdsk [drive letter]: / f / r / x. chkdsk /f shows the process of scanning the drive, chkdsk /r finds bad sectors and recovers data, and chkdsk /x means to force the volume to run.

▏Convert FAT32 to NTFS without data loss

If the above three methods still cannot solve the problem of "hard disk space is full but no files", then this method is strongly recommended for you.

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional(for Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista) is a powerful disk partition management software that does not carry any bundled programs and can convert between FAT32 and NTFS.

In addition, it can also provide merge partitions, format partitions, convert system disks between MBR and GPT, more advanced functions.

Tip：The Pro version requires a fee,  you can download the DEMO version to try it out first.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Right-click the disk you want to convert and go（takes “H” as example）to “Advanced” >“Convert to NTFS”.

Step 2. Select covert to NTFS and click “OK”.

Step 3. At this time, you can see that the H drive has been converted from FAT32 to NTFS, and don’t forget to click “Apply”.

PS.: If your operating system is Windows Server, it is recommended that you use AOMEI Partition Assistant Server to safely manage the hard disks and partitions on the server computer.

Conclusion

From what has been discussed above, I believe you have a certain understanding of hard disk is full but no files in Windows 10. You can choose the corresponding method according to your needs. Hope this article can help you.