Chromebooks are famous for their simplicity and versatility, especially after gaining support for Android and Linux apps. However, one common issue is their limited storage compared to traditional Windows laptops.
This can make it difficult to manage storage space, especially in conditions where you’re using the Linux container or installing many Android apps.
If you’re running out of storage on your Chromebook and you want some more space. There are several effective ways to free up space and keep your device running smoothly.
In this article, we’ll tell you some of the eight best and practical methods that help you to manage storage and free up storage in Chromebook. So let’s get started…
Table of Contents
How To Check Your Chromebook’s Storage
To manage storage on your Chromebook, checking what uses the most space is helpful. You can do this by accessing the Storage Management section in your settings. Here’s how to check:
Step 1: Open the “Settings” on your Chromebook.
Step 2: Go to “System Preferences.”
Step 3: Click on “Storage Management.”
That’s it; Here, you’ll see how your Chromebook’s storage is divided between apps, files, and other data. This breakdown helps you understand what is using the most space.
You can then start freeing up storage by deleting or moving unnecessary items, focusing on the areas that take up the most room, such as unused apps or large files.
The Methods On How To Free Up Storage In Chromebook
If you’re running out of space on your Chromebook, the following methods can help you clear some of them out so that you can go back to using ChromeOS like before.
Method 1: Deleting Chrome and Android Apps
To free up storage in Chromebook, delete the Chrome and Android apps, especially if you have a lot of apps and games installed.
Although these apps don’t usually take up as much space as Linux apps, they can still fill up your storage over time. To remove unwanted apps, follow the steps given below:
Step 1: Open “Settings” on your Chromebook.
Step 2: Go to “Apps” and select “Manage your apps.”
Step 3: Choose the app you want to delete.
Step 4: Click “Uninstall” in the top-right corner of the screen to remove it.
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Method 2: Deleting Files To Free Up Storage
One of the best methods on how you can free up space in Chromebook is by deleting the unwanted files and folders of your Chromebook:
Step 1: Open the “Files” app and go to the “Downloads” section.
Step 2: Right-click on the file you want to delete and choose “Move to Trash.”
Step 3: If you want to select more than one file, hold the Shift key and press the Down arrow, or use Ctrl + Left-click to pick multiple files.
Step 4: To delete the selected files, press Alt + Backspace (since Chromebooks don’t have a Delete key).
Step 5: After that, go to the “Trash” folder and click “Empty trash now” to permanently remove the files.
Important Note: Just remember, once you delete the files, you won’t be able to get them back. You can also explore other methods for deleting files on your Chromebook.
Method 3: Deleting Browsing Cache
When you browse the internet, your Chromebook saves some data in the form of a cache to help websites load faster on future visits. However, this can take up space over time.
To clear the cache and free up storage without affecting your Chromebook, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Chrome and type “chrome://settings” in the address bar, then hit Enter.
Step 2: Go to “Privacy and security” and choose “Clear browsing data”.
Step 3: Deselect the options for “Browsing history” and “Cookies and other site data”.
Step 4: Set the “Time range” to “All time”, then click “Clear data” to finish.
That’s all; once you finish the process, the cache files will be removed.
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Method 4: Delete Or Repartition Linux Storage
One simple way to free up storage on a Chromebook is by resizing or removing the Linux container.
Step 1: To do this, go to “Settings” and click on “About ChromeOS.”
Step 2: Then, choose “Linux development environment.”
Step 3: To reduce the Linux storage, click “Change” under the “Disk size” section and move the slider to the left.
Step 4: Once you’ve set the size, click “Resize” to confirm.
Step 5: If you no longer need Linux, simply click “Remove” under the “Remove Linux development environment” section.
That’s all; This will completely remove Linux and free up the space on your Chromebook.
Method 5: Clear Local Data Using Drive Internals
Here’s a simple method to free up storage in Chromebook: clearing local data stored in the offline folder. Follow these steps:
Step 1: First, open Chrome and type “chrome://drive-internals” in the address bar, then press Enter.
Step 2: This will take you to the “Drive Internals” page.
Step 3: From here, click on the “Clear local data” button.
That’s all; This action will remove files stored locally on your device but already backed up to the cloud, freeing up storage space on your Chromebook.
Method 6: Transferring Files To Google Drive
ChromeOS is designed to work well with Google Drive, making it easy to move files between your Chromebook and your Drive. This is a valuable way to save space on your device.
Step 1: To start, open the Files app on your Chromebook and select the files you want to transfer.
Step 2: Simply drag the chosen files over to the “Google Drive” section in the sidebar.
Step 3: When you hover over it, you’ll see all your folders.
Step 4: Drop the files into a folder to complete the transfer.
That’s all. Additionally, you can use Google’s Quick Share feature to quickly send files from your Chromebook to your Android device.
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Method 7: Delete accounts to free up storage in Chromebook
To free up space on your Chromebook, consider deleting accounts that are no longer needed. Such as those of friends or family members who only used the device temporarily.
Extra user accounts can take up a lot of storage. Only the Chromebook’s owner—the first person who signed in—can remove other users. To delete the owner’s account, you’ll need to reset or “powerwash” the Chromebook.
For other accounts, go to the login screen, click the arrow next to the account name, and choose “Remove account.” This simple step can help free up valuable storage on your device.
Method 8: Powerwash Your Chromebook
If you’ve tried everything to free up space on your Chromebook and nothing has worked, the final option is to perform a Powerwash.
This is the same as doing a factory reset and will return your Chromebook to its original settings. However, be aware that it will erase everything stored on the device, so make sure to back up any important files before starting.
To Powerwash your Chromebook, go to Settings, click on Advanced, then Reset Settings, and finally click Reset. Your Chromebook will restart and reset to its factory state.
Conclusion
Clearing space on your Chromebook can be useful, especially if you want to play games from Steam. In this article, we have told you about some of the best methods to help you free up storage in Chromebooks. Hope you liked this post; follow for more such guides.
