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Windows storage guide

Docker or WSL Taking Disk Space on Windows

Understand why Docker Desktop and WSL can consume C drive space and how to clean images, containers, and virtual disks safely.

Quick answer: Docker and WSL can store images, containers, packages, and virtual disk files. Clean through Docker or WSL commands, not by deleting random folders.

Why this uses C drive space

Developer tools can quietly use a lot of C drive space. Docker images and WSL distributions often live under the user profile.

Safe cleanup steps

  1. Check Docker Desktop storage usage.
  2. Remove unused containers and images through Docker.
  3. Clean package caches inside WSL distributions.
  4. Export or move distributions if needed.
  5. Compact WSL virtual disks only after proper cleanup.

What to avoid

Do not delete WSL ext4 virtual disk files manually unless you have exported or removed the distribution safely.

How DiskTidy helps

DiskTidy can help you review temporary files, browser cache, cleanup candidates, and large files before deleting anything. It is designed for local, review-first cleanup instead of blind one-click deletion.