Free Up Your Windows C Drive Without Breaking Anything
May 3, 2026Move big folders off your C drive without breaking your apps — a free tool and a clever Windows trick that takes two clicks.
Your Windows C drive is constantly filling up. You've cleaned temp files, moved your desktop folders, and emptied the Recycle Bin. Yet somehow it's still running out of space, just like me currently.
The problem is usually the big folders that programs force onto C. Things like app caches, game installs, browser data — you can't just move or delete them because the programs expect them at their original location.
There's a trick that solves this.
How It Works
Windows has a feature called a Junction (also called a folder redirect). It makes one folder silently point to another location on your disk. To Windows and your apps, the folder looks like it's still on its original location — but the actual files live on another location.
A program accessing C:\Users\You\AppData\Roaming\SomeApp through a junction has no idea the files are really on D:\Data\SomeApp. Everything just works.
The Tool
The command line tool to create junctions is already built into Windows (mklink /J), but using the command line is annoying. Link Shell Extension is a free tool that adds a right-click menu in File Explorer. You can create junctions in two clicks.
Things to Know Before You Start
- Back up your data. Junctions are safe, but always have a backup just in case.
- Don't delete the junction by mistake. If you delete the junction, you only remove the shortcut — your actual files on the other drive stay safe.
- Stick to user folders. Don't move system folders like
Windows,Program Files, orProgramData. Focus on folders likeAppData, game installs, download folders, and temporary files.
Step-by-Step
Let's say C:\Users\You\AppData\Local\SomeApp is the folder taking up gigabytes on your C drive. Here's how to move it.
Step 1: Move the folder to another drive
Cut (Ctrl+X) this folder and paste it to your other drive (for example D:\Data\SomeApp). Make sure no program is currently using it.
Step 2: Pick Link Source
Right-click the folder on your other drive and select Pick Link Source.
Step 3: Drop As Junction
Go back to the original location (C:\Users\You\AppData\Local\) on C drive (the folder should be gone now). Right-click empty space in the File Explorer window and select Drop As... > Junction.
That's it. A junction appears at the original path. Your C drive just got all that space back, and everything still works.
What Else You Can Move
The same trick works for any space-hogging folder on your C drive:
C:\Users\You\AppData\Local\Temp— move it to another drive- Game installations from launchers that won't let you choose the install path
- Big project folders with heavy dependencies
This little Windows feature doesn't get enough attention. It's built right into the OS, it's free, and with Link Shell Extension it couldn't be easier to use.