A Solid State Drive (SSD) is a storage device consisting of non-volatile flash memory. It is used in computers in place of a hard disk to improve computer speed. However, once you have invested in an SSD you might notice that the computer keeps reporting a full SSD even if you have not apparently stored much in it. This article will help you troubleshoot an extra-full SSD. So Let’s learn about ‘SSD Keeps Filling Up’.
SSD Keeps Filling Up
Your SSD might seem full because of potentially unnecessary or hidden files and programs, or the storage occupied by your Operating System(OS)’s files. Additionally, an SSD that has not been through a clean-up for a long time can also seem unexpectedly full. Large backups, multiple restore points, offline files, corrupted software, and malware or virus invasion can lead to a cluttered SSD.
Many of these issues are easy to solve so you should work through this list of possible problems and their solutions and see what works
1. Restart
If this issue rarely happens, you can first try restarting your computer in the hope that the alert was because of a glitch (it could happen!).
Before You Start: Create a backup for your most important files to ensure you do not accidentally delete something while you play with the storage device. However, you might want to create a backup obtaining only 100% virus/malware-free files for a potential complete restore.
2. Remove Hidden or Unnecessary files and programs
When you install an operating system or are looking for the right program, you might get your SSD filled with programs you do not need to use. Consider deleting these. The method for uninstalling programs and finding and deleting hidden files can differ for each OS, but you can usually right-click on a program or file to find an option to uninstall it. You must be careful with hidden files because they might contain something important you do not want to delete accidentally. Remove any temporary downloads or cache files.
An often-overlooked place to find unwanted storage occupants is wherever the deleted files are stored (Recycle Bin, Trash, et cetera). Delete items in this folder permanently to free storage. For programs, you will need to delete related cache files.
3. Manage Restore Points and Backups
Backups are copies of your files that are stored by the computer so that you have access to older versions of your files if the original copy is lost or corrupted. Restore points (in Timeshift, System Restore, Time Machine, et cetera) are essential details about your computer stored at a point in time when everything was working properly. If the computer is corrupted or gets infected with a virus and you want to restore it to a time before the corruption, the computer can restore everything based on one of these points. However, if your SSD is limited you can disable automatic backups and restore points and delete old ones to free space. You can manually back up the most important files, and create restore points before making significant changes to your computer. However, keep one restore point from before the SSD started acting up, just in case.
4. Keep it Online
Nowadays, you can easily store files and backups on the cloud using multiple options that give you free virtual space to store data. You can also buy extra space at reasonable prices. If you keep files there, they will not clutter your SSD. Moreover, some online sites will allow you to make files available offline. Do not choose this option if it means having it on the SSD because it would be another unnecessary copy that fills valuable SSD space. Possible options are Google Drive, iCloud, and many others that you can find with a simple search.
5. Remove the Hibernate file
A Hibernate file stores the state of the computer just before it goes into low-power mode so the computer can restore its state when you need it again. It takes roughly the same amount of space as the amount of RAM you have. If you are desperate for space and do not need the computer’s Power Saving option, you can delete the hibernate file to free extra space if your OS allows it.
6. Delete unused OS
If you installed your latest OS alongside your previous one to try it out, ensure that you delete the older one once you do not need it. For example, if you installed a version of Linux and decided to keep Windows around just in case you need to go back. Sometimes, you might upgrade your version of Windows, for example, and the older version is still cluttering your SSD. Nevertheless, OS files take up a lot of space, and you do not want to waste space on an OS you no longer need.
7. Clean out your Disk
Many OS come with utility software that can clean up your disk to identify potentially unnecessary files or programs, especially after an update that would add some new files to replace older ones. Using this software regularly can help keep the SSD storage more efficient, but be careful the default settings do not delete things you might want to keep.
A disk analyzer tool can help look for directories/files/partitions that are taking up more space so you can manually search for large-sized files that you can safely delete to free SSD space.
If you use Windows, you might want to clean or compress the OS/WinSxS folder because too many installations/uninstallations can mess up this folder.
8. Check for corrupted software, a virus, or malware
Sometimes, a virus or malware invasion can lead to extra files being created in your SSD, or your storage otherwise being occupied. Corrupted software can likewise generate unnecessary log files. Keep the pre-installed antivirus software from your OS – if it has one – or a third-party antivirus program and a log monitoring program to check for corrupted software in the background to look for suspicious files on your SSD and protect you from further attack.
9. Allocate more space
For some OS, you might be able to change the amount of storage space allocated to different partitions. The files you save mostly belong in the C Drive. If you allocate more space to this one, you might find that your SSD does not complain of being full. However, this method would assume you have extra space in the other partitions, and you might need third-party partition manager software to do it. Alternatively, you can add another SSD or replace the original one with another that has a larger capacity. You can do so without having to reinstall the whole system, and it can give you more freedom to how many files you may store.
10. Worst-Case Scenario: Start Over
If all else fails, you can either attempt to go back to one of the Restore Points from before the SSD issue, or manually backup files you can completely trust, wipe off everything and reinstall the OS and programs. However, do this only as a last resort because rewriting all the files too many times can shorten your SSD’s lifespan.
Advice: Do Not Defragment Your SSD
Disk Defragmentation is a tool used to make Hard Disks more efficient by rewriting files so that related file data is stored in sequence in the disk and this might spare some space. However, with an SSD the extra writing operations can reduce the lifespan of your storage device and lead to poorer performance in the longer run.
Disclaimer: Program names differ for different OS, and so do methods for implementing the possible solutions. Research the appropriate method and software for your OS and its version thoroughly before trying the tips. All possible problems and solutions are not common to all OS.
Conclusion
Technical issues can become very irritating, especially with newer technologies that we are not completely familiar with, so if you have issues with your SSD, you are not alone! The possible solutions outlined above should give you a list of things to try out, starting dom the easiest – hope and restart – and ending with perhaps the hardest – reset and restart the whole system. See what works best for you!
FAQs
- Q: Why do I need more space on my SSD?
A: If you do not have sufficient free SSD space, it can start to run slower and even hang. You will not be able to get cache files or updates where needed, and this can cause programs to crash, although this might not be the case if the OS files are not on the SSD. You may also have trouble downloading or installing files.
- Q: How much free space do I need on my SSD?
A: On an old SSD, you might need up to 20-25% free space, but modern SSDs have a different configuration because they might have more space than they show, so you can get optimal performance with 10% free space.
- Q: When do I need to replace my SSD?
A: SSDs can last around 5 to over 10 years; it depends on what your usage is like. SSDs have a limited total number of read-write operations they can perform, but because they are relatively new technology there is no specific time range for it. Software available online and perhaps in some OS can help you check your SSD’s health.
