Why files in AppData directories not adding to space left on drive

Question

I have some backup files that get created from a game I play that are stored in the following directory:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\.gameiplay\backups

These backups can get relatively large in size, so over time I delete the older backups. When looking at how much space these were taking up on the C: drive, I noticed that the available drive space left on this drive does not change after I delete these backups (and then empty the Recycle Bin).

Is there any explanation for why files in this directory (and possibly other in AppData), are not being registered in the available space on the C: drive?

Running Windows 10 Pro

Answer 1

Emptying the Recycle bin does not always reclaim space.

(1) A much better tool to reclaim disk space is Disk Cleanup.

Run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr) and select Cleanup System files.

When the first scan is complete, select all categories for cleanup. Let it run and old files will be deleted, resulting in reclaimed disk space.

I have been running Disk Cleanup for years - Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 and it does work.

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(2) Manual Cleanup: It may be for the particular backups you have that you need to delete old backups manually. Indeed, most cleanups not handled by Disk Cleanup must be done manually or by methodologies handled by the App (like VMware cleanups).