Running out of space on your Windows 11 PC? You’re not alone! Whether it’s a forgotten movie download, an old backup, or a massive game installation, large files can quietly eat up your storage and slow down your system. The good news? Windows 11 makes it easier than ever to track down these space hogs and reclaim your disk space.
1. Methods to Find Large Files on Windows 11
In this section, we have listed the top 3 easy methods to help you find large files on your Windows system. So keep reading the guide to find the best one.
1.1. Method 1: How to Find Large Files on Windows 11 Using File Explorer
Step 1: Open Windows File Explorer
- Open File Explorer by pressing (Windows Key + E).
Step 2: Go to the Drive
- Navigate to the drive you want to search (e.g., C:).
Step 3: Search by Size
- In the search bar, type size:Large (128MB-1GB), size:Huge (1GB-4GB), or size:Giganti c (>4GB).
Step 4: Sort the Files
- Sort by size ( View > Sort by > Size ) to see the biggest offenders first.
2. How to Find Large Files in Windows 11 by File Type
Step 1: Open File Explorer
- Open File Explorer (Windows Key + E).
Step 2: Go to Drive
- Navigate to the drive you want to search (e.g., C:).
Step 3: Search for File
- In search bar, Type kind:video size:Large. This will show you all the video files that are larger than 128 MB.
Tip: Use file types for targeted searches: type *.iso for ISOs , * .mp4 for videos , etc.
3. How to Use the Hidden Files Feature?
Click on the View tab, select Show from the dropdown menu and ensure that Hidden items is checked.
1.2. Method 2: How to Find Large Files on Windows 11 Using PowerShell
Step 1: Open PowerShell in WIndows
- Press Win + S then on search bar type "Windows PowerShell"
Step 2: Use Sort Command
- Type this command
gci -r| sort -descending -property length | select -first 20 name, length
Command displays the 20 top files in descending order, replace 20 with the number of files to see.
To find by length use this command:
- Type Get-ChildItem-Recurse | Where-Object { $_.Length -ge 1073741824 } | Select-Object -ExpandProperty FullName to find files over 1GB .
- Adjust the 1073741824 value ( 1GB in bytes) to your desired size threshold.
1.3. Method 3: How to Find Large Files on Windows 11 Using Command Prompt
Step 1: Opne CMD
- Press Win + S then on search bar type " Command Prompt "
Step 2: Use FortFile Command
- Type this command
forfiles /S /M * /C "cmd /c if @fsize GEQ 1073741824 echo @path > LgFiles.txt
Replace size(bytes) with your desired size threshold in bytes (e.g., 1073741824 for 1GB).
Step 3: Check Large File
- Check the "LgFiles.txt" file for your identified large files.