When purchasing a laptop, it's generally a good idea to go with an SSD instead of a traditional hard drive. SSDs are faster, more durable, and run silently. That said, since SSDs tend to cost more than HDDs, laptops that use them often come with less storage space, with many Windows laptops and MacBooks offering just 256 GB. And even if you opt for a model with 1TB or more, you may still run out of space in a few years, especially if you store everything locally.

The good news is you don't have to keep looking for ways to free up storage space on your laptop. There are several effective ways to increase your laptop's storage capacity. You could upgrade the internal drive, plug in an external storage device, or even turn to cloud storage to add a few gigabytes without much hassle. Each option differs in terms of cost, convenience, and storage capacity. Below, we'll walk you through them all so you can figure out what fits your needs best.

Upgrading your laptop's internal drive to a higher-capacity SSD is a great way to increase storage space. It's a one-time upgrade that gives you fast, offline storage without relying on external devices. Upgrading the internal drive also makes a lot of sense if you plan to store games or edit videos. Plus, it's often cheaper than buying an external SSD with the same capacity.