Clear up disk space for QuickBooks Desktop

QuickBooksHelp · ‎December 10, 2018

Learn what to do if you see errors or messages about not enough disk space on your hard drive.

You might see messages about needing more hard drive space to finish what you're doing in QuickBooks Desktop.

There is not enough space on drive C:\ to extract this package
Free some hard drive space. QuickBooks is running slowly
Error: There is not enough free space

If you see one of these messages, don't worry. All you need to do is make some space on your computer. Here are a few recommendations.

Step 1: Check your hard drive

Before you make any changes, check how much free space you currently have. QuickBooks needs at least 1 GB of space to run the install process and 2.5 GB to work at peak performance.

Select the Windows Start menu.
Type “File Explorer” into the search and open File Explorer.
Select My Computer from the navigation bar. This is sometimes called "This PC”.
Right-click the icon for your hard drive. This is usually your C: drive.
Select Properties. You'll see how much free space you have in the window.

Step 2: Make space on your hard drive

Use any of the following solutions to free up hard drive space. Once you have enough space, you can go back to your original task. Remember, it's best to have at least 2.5 GB free for QuickBooks to run optimally.

Clean up your disk

If you have lots of files in your downloads folder or recycling bin, follow these steps to run disc clean up.

Clear your Temp folder

You can delete the files in your Temp folder to free up some hard drive space. Before you start, make sure you sign in to Windows as an admin.

Remove programs you don't use

Before deleting more files, see if you can uninstall programs you don't need or don't use anymore.

Clean up your photos and documents

If you already removed temporary files and unused programs and still need space, consider moving photos and documents to an external hard drive. Photo and media files tend to take up a lot of space.

Important: Don't move any of your QuickBooks files. Keep them on your local hard drive. QuickBooks can't access files on external hard drives.

Follow the steps in the "Delete personal files or move them to an external storage device" section of the Microsoft guide.

Refresh your install file

If you're trying to install QuickBooks and still see an error after freeing up space, use the QuickBooks Tool Hub. Go to the Install Issues section and follow the steps. Then start the install over again.

If you need some more help, Microsoft has several more suggestions for how to free up hard drive space.

Next Steps: Consider upgrading

If you tried all the solutions and you still need hard drive space, it may be time to upgrade. You have a few options:

If you have QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, consider a cloud hosting service.
If you plan to upgrade your computer, make sure you're ready to move QuickBooks to your new computer.