How to Disable Low Disk Space Checks in Windows
Disabling low disk space checks in Windows is easy and usually takes less than a few minutes.
Open Registry Editor. The steps for opening Registry Editor are a little different in some versions of Windows, so follow that link above if you need specific help. However, no matter which version of Windows you’re using, this command, when used from the Run dialog box (WIN+R) or Command Prompt, will open it right up: regedit Locate the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder under Computer and select the expand sign (either (+) or (>) depending on your Windows version) to expand the folder. Continue to expand folders until you reach this registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion Expand CurrentVersion and select the Policies key located inside of it. Before moving on with the next step, expand the Policies key and see if there’s a subkey there called Explorer. It’s unlikely that there is, but if so, skip down to Step 7. Otherwise, you can continue with Step 5. From the Registry Editor menu, choose Edit, followed by New, followed finally by Key. After the key is created beneath Policies, it will initially be named New Key #1. Change the name of the key to Explorer by typing it exactly as shown and then hitting the Enter key. With the new key, Explorer, still selected, choose Edit, followed by New, followed finally by DWORD (32-bit) Value. After the DWORD is created beneath Explorer (and displayed on the right-hand side of Registry Editor), it will initially be named New Value #1. Change the name of the DWORD to NoLowDiskSpaceChecks by typing it exactly as shown, and then hitting the Enter key. Right-click the new NoLowDiskSpaceChecks DWORD you just created and choose Modify. In the Value data: field, replace the zero with the number 1. Select OK and close Registry Editor.
Windows will no longer warn you about low disk space on any of your hard drives.
The steps for opening Registry Editor are a little different in some versions of Windows, so follow that link above if you need specific help.
However, no matter which version of Windows you’re using, this command, when used from the Run dialog box (WIN+R) or Command Prompt, will open it right up:
Change the name of the DWORD to NoLowDiskSpaceChecks by typing it exactly as shown, and then hitting the Enter key.
Things You Can Do When There’s Low Disk Space
If you’re disabling the low disk space alerts but not doing anything to actually clean up, your storage device may very well fill up faster than you anticipate.
Here are some suggestions for when a hard drive is running low on disk space:
Delete temporary files in Windows. The operating system often creates files it needs for a specific task, but then it doesn’t get rid of them. These can accumulate and, over time, take up quite a bit of precious hard drive space. Uninstall programs you’re no longer using. See this list of free uninstaller tools to find a program that makes doing that easy. Some of them even tell you how much disk space the program is occupying, which can help you choose what to remove. What’s great about using some of those programs, such as IObit Uninstaller, is that they’ll not only delete the program files to clear up space but also clear out any residual registry items and caches for a full uninstallation. Use a free disk space analyzer or file search tool like Everything to find the files that are taking up the most space. You may not even need those files, in which case you can delete them, or you can move ones you do want to keep to a different hard drive. 6 Things That are Taking up Too Much Space on Your PC Use a backup tool to move the files off of the full hard drive. Local backup software is a great option if you have another hard drive with the available storage to hold your large files. An online backup service is another option where your data is stored online; some even have unlimited space options. If you don’t need your files backed up regularly, but instead just a handful of large items moved off of the full drive, consider a free cloud storage service. Installing another hard drive or using an external hard drive is a relatively cheap solution for drives with not a lot of disk space remaining. You can either start using the new hard drive for storing things, and leave the full one untouched, or simply split up your data between the two.
What’s great about using some of those programs, such as IObit Uninstaller, is that they’ll not only delete the program files to clear up space but also clear out any residual registry items and caches for a full uninstallation.
Local backup software is a great option if you have another hard drive with the available storage to hold your large files. An online backup service is another option where your data is stored online; some even have unlimited space options.
If you don’t need your files backed up regularly, but instead just a handful of large items moved off of the full drive, consider a free cloud storage service.
