Running out of space on 32GB laptop

[OM2]

I tried to upgrade... I had a LOT of space - like maybe 15GB... free... I can't remember exactly.
It was big.

Upgrade kept on failing saying that 20GB or something was needed.

NOW... I am running out of space!!

I have Dropbox with 2GB allocated - 80% used.
And have Chrome and Notepad++.
NOTHING ELSE!!

I tried clearing temp files. Released 1GB or something.
BUT I'm STILL short of space - I get warning bubbles.

What's happening?

Thanks.

 

[Triple6]

A 32GB storage device is really small, devices that sell with these should be banned and consumers shouldn't buy them.

You may need to get rid of DropBox, and move off any personal files to get above that 20GB mark.

When running Disk Cleanup be sure to check the box that says "Clean Up System Files" as well then check every item in the list and clean again. Reboot after running it.

You can also try running Patch Cleaner: https://sourceforge.net/projects/patchcleaner/

And then use something like TreeSize to show you any other large folders: https://www.jam-software.com/treesize_free/
Be sure to right click on TreeSize and choose to run it as Administrator to show some hidden folders that may not normally show up.

 

[Couriant]

What is this? A Chromebook or something? Details on the machine please!

 

[Lanctus]

I assume by "upgrade" you mean upgrading to Windows 10? If that is the case, the specs Win 10 needs to run may be what is causing your issue.
Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC.
RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit.
Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS.

If you only had 15 GB free, this would be a big indicator why it's not working. 32 GB once was a lot of data, but these days it is easily passed by beefier machines and more complex apps. If possible, I would recommend getting a better machine. If not, you may need to downgrade your OS.