Welcome — good details, thanks. Let’s fix this without nuking something important.
Short plan (do these in order):
1) Get a quick inventory so we know what’s using space (post this back if you want help).
2) Run the safe, one‑click cleanups (temp files, recycle bin, Disk Cleanup).
3) Identify the big folders/apps with a visual tool and remove or move the safe candidates (or move them to an external drive).
4) If Stardew/SMAPI still complains, verify where the game and Steam are installed and check Steam’s download/cache.
Step‑by‑step (with what each step does and what to watch for)
1) Quick check — how much and where
- Open File Explorer → This PC and tell us the free space shown for C:. If you prefer a command: open PowerShell (Admin) and run: wmic logicaldisk get caption,filesystem,freespace,size — paste the C: row back here. This tells us how low we really are so we can recommend targets. (If you post a screenshot of Settings → System → Storage even better.)
2) Fast, safe cleanups (do these now)
- Empty Recycle Bin (right‑click → Empty).
- Settings → System → Storage → Cleanup recommendations (pick Temporary files, Delivery Optimization, Thumbnails, Downloads if you don’t need them). This is the safest first pass.
- Run Disk Cleanup → select C: → “Clean up system files” (this can remove Windows Update leftovers and previous Windows installation files).
3) Clear app/temp caches that often balloon
- Delete Temp files: Win+R then type %localappdata%\Temp → Select All → Delete (skip files “in use”). Then empty Recycle Bin. AppData/temp bloat is a very common culprit.
- If you use browsers a lot, clear browser cache in each browser (Chrome/Edge/Firefox) or check the Storage page for “Apps & features” and browser caches.
4) Find the real disk hogs (visual map)
- Install and run WinDirStat or WizTree (free). They show the biggest folders/files with a treemap so you can target the few GB offenders instead of guessing. Once you see the map, you’ll usually find either a giant app cache, VM images, videos, ISOs, or backup files. Move large personal files (videos/ISOs) to an external drive or cloud.
5) Uninstall big apps — but be cautious
- Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Sort by Size and uninstall apps you 100% don’t use. Don’t remove things you don’t recognize without asking — avoid uninstalling Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, .NET frameworks, GPU drivers, or anything identified as a driver or OEM system utility unless you know what it is. Community guidance: start with obvious bloatware (trial antivirus, manufacturer trial apps) first.
6) Extra space wins (if still tight)
- If you don’t use Hibernate, run (Admin) powercfg -h off to remove hiberfil.sys (frees several GB).
- Remove old Restore points or reduce System Protection size (Start → “Create a restore point” → System Protection → Configure).
7) About Stardew/SMAPI “not enough disk space”
- SMAPI (or Steam) will check the free space on the drive where the game is installed. Make sure Stardew/Steam is installed to C: (or check that the actual game folder’s drive has free space). If the game is on C: and C: is nearly full, free space using the steps above and then try again. If the game is on another drive, post which drive and free space. If it’s Steam, also try Steam → Settings → Downloads → Clear Download Cache. If SMAPI still flags it, paste the exact error text or a screenshot and we’ll dig deeper.
If you want me to pick the safe apps to remove
- Post a screenshot (or paste) of Settings → System → Storage (the breakdown) and/or Settings → Apps → Installed apps sorted by Size.
- Or run WinDirStat, take a screenshot of the largest folders, and post that. With that I’ll mark exactly which folders/files are safe to delete or move and which apps are safe to uninstall.
A couple of reassurances
- The majority of space reclamation comes from temp files, browser caches, large media files, installer ISOs, and big game folders — not from Windows system files you shouldn’t touch. The recommended built‑ins (Cleanup recommendations, Disk Cleanup, Storage Sense) do the least risky work first.
Tell me which of the cleanup steps you’ve already tried and paste the C: free space (or a screenshot). I’ll tell you exactly which big folders/apps to remove or move so Stardew/SMAPI can stop throwing a tantrum.
