How to Search for Large Files in Windows 11 to Save Space 

Ah, disk space. No matter how much there is, we never seem to have enough. If you’re in this predicament and want to clear away large files in a hurry, or just want to be more economical with your storage, then this article is for you.

We’ll be looking at a few ways to search for large files in Windows 11.

How to Search for Large Files in Windows 11

Available drive space affects not only your storage, but also keeps your system performance smooth and allows Windows 11 to download and install updates without any trouble. If you need to make space quickly, you’ll want to get rid of large files. Below, we’ve compiled the best ways to find them:

Using File Explorer

File Explorer is a quick and handy way to view files. What you might not know, though, is that the Search box can be used to intelligently search for files – and for our purposes, according to size – with the right command. Here’s what to do:

Step 1. Open an Explorer window (Win + E) and locate the folder or entire drive you want to search.

Step 2. In the Search box at the top-right of the window, type any of the following commands. They will search according to a certain size:

• “Size:large” – For files between 128MB to 1GB
• “Size:huge” – For files 1GB to 4GB
• “Size:gigantic” – The really big files over 4GB

Step 3. Explorer will show all files that meet the requirement. Hover your mouse over them to check the individual size or sort the list by file size for a quicker idea of the biggest ones.

If you want to get more specific, then the good news is Explorer allows you to search by file type too:

• Start your search with “kind:picture,” “kind:document,” “kind:video” to search for a category. You can still follow this up with a “size:” command afterwards.
• For specific file types, use the format “ext:.” when you search, e.g., “ext:.jpg” for all files with the JPEG format.

Use PowerShell

If you’re looking for a more advanced way to check for file sizes, you can use the PowerShell utility. This tool will check your entire drive and list the top 20 biggest files and their sizes (listed as “Length”). Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Search for PowerShell and right-click the icon to run as Administrator.

Step 2. In the PowerShell window, type the following command: “gci -r| sort -descending -property length | select -first 20 name, length” and press “Enter.”

Step 3. Let the utility run. It’ll show you your biggest files sorted according to size. Depending on the size of your drive, this may take a while.

Use Apps in Settings

Apps and programs are also big offenders (if not bigger) in taking up drive space. A quick way to check app disk usage is through Settings. Here’s what to do:

Step 1. Open Settings (Win + I) and click “Apps” in the sidebar.

Step 2. Wait for all your currently installed apps to load. You’ll see them appear and can sort by their size.

Step 3. Click on the apps you don’t need anymore and then hit the “Uninstall” button to remove them from your PC.