Dragging a game from Installed apps only removes the main install folder. Shader caches, save data, DLC packs, and launcher-specific files frequently survive — a "removed" 120 GB game can leave 15 GB of leftovers behind.

Short answer: uninstall from the game's own launcher (Steam, Epic, Battle.net), then manually delete leftover folders in %localappdata%, Documents, and the launcher's shader cache directory.

Uninstall from inside the launcher

Never uninstall a launcher-managed game from Windows Settings > Installed apps. That approach leaves the launcher convinced the game is still installed and strands the side files.

Steam

  1. open Steam > Library
  2. right-click the game > Manage > Uninstall
  3. confirm

Epic Games Launcher

  1. open Epic Games Launcher > Library
  2. click the ⋯ on the game > Uninstall
  3. confirm

Battle.net, EA App, Ubisoft Connect

Same pattern — uninstall from the launcher's library view, never through Windows Apps.

Remove launcher-cache leftovers

After the official uninstall, two places commonly hold multi-GB leftovers:

  1. Shader cache —
    • Steam: %localappdata%\NVIDIA\DXCache and %localappdata%\NVIDIA\GLCache (safe to empty — they regenerate for other games)
    • Epic: %localappdata%\UnrealEngine\Common\DerivedDataCache
  2. Save data and settings — check both:
    • %appdata%\<GameName>
    • Documents\My Games\<GameName>
    • %localappdata%\<GameName>

Delete these only if you do not plan to reinstall the game and keep your saves. Many games store cloud-synced saves separately in the launcher, so deleting the local save folder is usually non-destructive — but verify in the launcher's cloud-save settings before wiping.

Remove DLC and additional content

Heavy-DLC games (Flight Simulator, The Sims, Forza) store additional content outside the main install folder. Check inside the launcher for "Content" / "Add-ons" / "Manage Content" and remove what you do not use before uninstalling.

Better next routes

For a quick way to verify you actually recovered the space, continue with How to Find the Largest Files on Windows 11 Without Third-Party Apps.

For the broader Windows cleanup, read How to Free Up Space on C Drive Windows 11 Natively.