To delete temporary files: In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup, and select Disk Cleanup from the list of results. Select the drive you want to clean up, and then select OK. Under Files to delete, select the file types to get rid of. To get a description of the file type, select it. Select OK. If you need to free up more space, you can also delete system files: In Disk Cleanup, select Clean up system files. Select the file types to get rid of. To get a description of the file type, select it. Select OK. Note: If you notice that the Temp folder fills up quickly after running Disk Cleanup, see Low Disk Space error due to a full Temp folder. For more on freeing up space on your PC, see Free up drive space in Windows. Need more help?Disk Cleanup helps free up space on your hard disk, creating improved system performance. Disk Cleanup searches your disk and then shows you temporary files, Internet cache files, and unnecessary program files that you can safely delete. You can direct Disk Cleanup to delete some or all of those files. This tool guides you through a series of tasks and systematic procedures to help you get back to work quickly. 1. Open File Explorer.  2. Right-click on the hard drive icon and select Properties. 3. On the General tab, click Disk Cleanup. 4. Disk Cleanup is going to take a few minutes calculating space to free up. Wait. 5. In the list of files you can remove, uncheck any you do not want removed. Click OK. 6. Click "Delete Files" to start the clean-up. 7. Wait for the Disk Cleanup to finish. Updated: 11/06/2021 by Disk Cleanup is a Microsoft software utility first introduced with Windows 98
and included in all subsequent releases of Windows. It allows users to remove files that are no longer needed or that can be safely deleted. Removing unnecessary files, including temporary files, helps speed up and improve the performance of the hard drive and computer. Running Disk Cleanup at least once a month is an excellent maintenance task and frequency. As the image shows, Disk Cleanup can delete temporary Internet files (associated with Internet Explorer), downloaded program files, and offline webpages. Disk Cleanup also lets you empty the Recycle Bin, delete temporary files, and delete thumbnails. How to open Microsoft Disk CleanupMicrosoft Disk Cleanup can be opened by following these steps. Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8
Windows 7 and earlier
or
What to do in Disk CleanupOnce Disk Cleanup opens, the initial window asks you which drive you want to clean up. Select the appropriate drive and click OK. In the next window that opens, check each of the boxes you want to clean up. To the right of each item is the disk drive space each of the items are taking up on the hard drive. Note We highly recommend users DO NOT check the option to Compress old files (if seen). Often this option causes more issues than the small amount of space it recovers is worth. Once each of the boxes is checked, click OK to start the cleanup process. BleachBit, Operating system terms, Registry cleaner, Utility |
