How to Free Up Space and Delete Temporary Files in Windows 10 or 11

To delete temporary files in Windows 11, open Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files, review the categories, and select Remove files. Leave Downloads unchecked unless you intend to delete those personal files. Review Recycle Bin items before selecting that category, too.

This guide covers Windows 11 temporary-file cleanup, including some cached data and update leftovers. A cache stores information an app can reuse; Downloads and the Recycle Bin are not simply caches. This cleanup screen does not clear every browser or app cache, and freeing storage is not a guaranteed fix for crashes or slow performance.

The methods below follow Microsoft’s current documentation. Save your work and close apps before manual cleanup. These are documented instructions, not results from a hands-on cleanup test.

Before You Choose Files to Delete

Check each category’s description before proceeding. A category appearing in the list does not mean its contents are unimportant to you. Copy anything you want to keep out of Downloads first, and restore needed files from the Recycle Bin. Do not count on either category’s cleanup having an undo option.

Previous Windows Installation(s) removes Windows.old. If you upgraded recently and want the option to return to your previous Windows version, leave it unchecked. Microsoft warns that deleting the previous installation cannot be undone and removes that rollback option. Our Windows.old removal guide explains that decision.

Free Up Space With Files, Apps and Cloud Storage

First check File Explorer > This PC for the intended drive’s available space, then Settings > System > Storage for its largest categories. Use the Temporary files, Disk Cleanup and reviewed Storage Sense procedures below for those categories. For personal files, inspect Downloads and other large folders, preserve anything needed, and delete only identified unwanted items. Open Recycle Bin and restore needed files before choosing Empty Recycle Bin and confirming its permanent deletion. Clearing the bin has no normal undo. Microsoft’s drive-space guide explains these different cleanup choices; a rarely used document is not automatically disposable.

To remove unused software, open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10. Sort by size where offered, identify an app you no longer need, preserve its local work and check how to reinstall it, then choose its Uninstall command and review the confirmation. Windows 11 commonly puts the command in the app’s three-dot menu. Let its uninstaller finish and verify the app is gone. Leave unfamiliar drivers, system components and required work software alone; deleting an app’s folder is not a substitute for uninstalling it.

To keep large files elsewhere, copy them to the intended external drive, open important copies there to verify them, and only then remove the originals you intend to relocate. For OneDrive, wait for files to sync and verify them in your cloud account before right-clicking the selected OneDrive files in Explorer and choosing Free up space when Files On-Demand is available. This keeps the cloud files but makes them online-only; opening them again needs connectivity and room to download. Deleting a synced OneDrive file instead can delete its cloud copy too. Recheck the drive’s free space after each stage. Defragmenting or optimizing a drive is a different maintenance task; it is not a method of removing files or creating substantial free storage.

How to Delete Temp Files in Settings

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings. Select System, then Storage.
2. Open Temporary files. Let the scan finish so you can review the category names, descriptions, and estimated space.
3. Select only the categories you understand and want removed. The list can include temporary files, thumbnails, delivery files, or update cleanup; available items vary. Apply the Downloads, Recycle Bin, and previous-installation warnings above before choosing anything.
4. Select Remove files. Read any confirmation and choose Continue if offered and the selection is correct. Wait for cleanup to finish.
5. Return to Storage to check free space. The amount recovered depends on your selections and files Windows can remove; the scan estimate is not a promised performance gain.

If a category is absent, there may be no eligible files of that type. Do not search unrelated system folders for something to delete. Microsoft’s drive-space cleanup instructions describe the Windows 11 cleanup options.

Delete Temporary Files in Windows 10

For Windows 10, search Start for Disk Cleanup, open it, choose the intended drive and select OK. After the scan, select Temporary files and review the descriptions of any other selected categories. Keep needed Recycle Bin contents and the previous Windows installation if you still need rollback. Select OK, then Delete Files only after checking the selection; wait for completion and check the drive’s free space. Microsoft’s drive-space guide documents this Windows 10 route.

The optional %temp% procedure below also applies to Windows 10: save work, close apps, open only that user Temp folder, delete selected contents and skip files reported in use. Do not remove AppData itself or force deletion of protected files. A routine cleanup does not require erasing the PC.

Windows 10 Storage Settings and Storage Sense

On Windows 10, open Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files, wait for the scan, read each category and select only what you intend to remove. Choose Remove files, review any confirmation and check available space afterward. Keep needed Downloads, Recycle Bin contents and the previous installation when rollback matters. For automatic cleanup, return to Storage and choose Configure Storage Sense or run it now. Inspect its schedule, temporary-file rule and Recycle Bin/Downloads retention choices before enabling it. Use Clean now under Free up space now only to apply the reviewed rules. Our Windows cache and Storage Sense guide explains this older layout. Windows 11’s Cleanup recommendations and Run Storage Sense now labels are different. The app-removal, verified external-copy and OneDrive online-only methods above cover other storage categories.

Use Cleanup Recommendations for a Broader Review

Open Settings > System > Storage > Cleanup recommendations. Review each section, choose specific items, then use its Clean up button. In addition to temporary files, recommendations can include large or unused files, cloud-synced files, and unused apps. Those sections involve different decisions; a document you rarely open can still be valuable.

For example, if a recommendation lists an old installer and a personal spreadsheet, examine both instead of treating the entire section as disposable cache. Keep the spreadsheet if you need it, even when Windows identifies it as unused. Cancel the cleanup if you cannot identify what a selected item does.

Set Up Storage Sense Carefully

Microsoft’s Storage Sense documentation explains automatic cleanup and its limits. Review its rules before enabling it, particularly if you use Downloads for long-term storage or the Recycle Bin as a temporary holding area.

1. Open Settings > System > Storage. Select Storage Sense to inspect its cleanup choices and turn it on if you want automatic cleanup.
2. Choose a suitable schedule under Run Storage Sense. Microsoft says the default schedule runs when disk space is low.
3. Review the temporary-file option and the Recycle Bin deletion period. Choose Never for Downloads if you want to manage downloaded files yourself.
4. Inspect any cloud-content setting separately. If enabled, it can make inactive downloaded cloud files online-only. They remain in the cloud, but opening them again requires connectivity and room to download them. Files marked Always keep on this device are exempt.
5. Use Run Storage Sense now if available when you want to apply the reviewed rules immediately. Recheck available space afterward.

Storage Sense operates on the Windows system drive, usually C:, and settings apply to your user account. Microsoft says it needs you signed in and online for more than ten minutes. Other users manage their own rules. To examine another drive, use Advanced storage settings > Storage used on other drives.

Optional: Clear Your User Temp Folder

Use Settings first. Microsoft’s temporary-files guide also documents manual cleanup. If you choose this method, save work, close apps, and confirm that you are working inside the Temp folder. Do not delete its parent AppData folder.

1. Press Windows key + R, enter %temp%, and press Enter. File Explorer opens the current user’s temporary-files location.
2. Select the contents you intend to remove. Ctrl + A selects all items in that folder; verify the location before doing so.
3. Press Delete and read any prompt. Avoid Shift + Delete if you want normal deletion rather than explicitly bypassing the Recycle Bin. A prompt may still describe permanent removal, so stop if you need to keep an item.
4. If Windows reports a file or folder in use, select Skip. Leave blocked items alone; removing every file is unnecessary. Do not force permissions or stop unfamiliar system processes to finish cleanup.

The separate C:\Windows\Temp folder can require elevated permissions. Beginners can use Windows’ cleanup tools instead of manually changing its access or deleting protected contents. For the surrounding folder’s purpose, see how to find AppData in Windows 11.

Use the Classic Disk Cleanup Tool

Search Start for Disk Cleanup and open it if available. Choose the drive when prompted, wait for its scan, and read each category’s description before checking it. Select OK and confirm deletion only after reviewing the selection. Clean up system files performs another scan for additional categories; review the new list again. The previous-installation and Recycle Bin warnings still apply.

If Space Fills Up Again

Temporary files can return as apps and Windows use them. Repeatedly deleting files does not identify the cause of unusually fast growth. Check the largest storage categories first using our guide to finding what takes up space.

Microsoft identifies Microsoft Store app-package files as one possible cause of a rapidly filling Temp folder. Its linked drive-space article includes Store troubleshooting and wsreset.exe for the Store cache. For that specific symptom, save work, press Windows + R, enter wsreset.exe, and press Enter. A blank command window can appear before the Store opens. This resets the Store cache; it is not a command to clear every Windows cache. Follow Microsoft’s further troubleshooting if the problem persists. Older Windows Store Apps troubleshooter menu paths may differ or be unavailable on your build.

Clear Browser Cache Separately

For a website showing stale content, Chrome’s cache is a separate cleanup. Open Chrome > More (three dots) > Delete browsing data, choose the time range, and select Cached images and files. Uncheck other categories for a cache-only deletion, review the selection, then select Delete data. Reload the affected page afterward. These steps follow Google’s computer instructions and also work on a Windows 11 laptop.

Cache, cookies, browsing history and passwords are different categories. Deleting cookies can sign you out of sites; deleting saved passwords or history is unnecessary for cache-only troubleshooting. For Edge’s own controls, see how to clear the cache in Microsoft Edge.

Thumbnails are also separate cached data. For missing or outdated previews, review Thumbnails in the Temporary files screen or Disk Cleanup above and choose that category only if you intend to rebuild its previews. Windows can create new thumbnails as you browse. Disk cleanup does not clear RAM or remove an app-specific Roblox or Discord cache.

Delete Reviewed User Temp Files With Command Prompt

Use the Settings or Disk Cleanup method above for routine cleanup. If you specifically need CMD, save work, close apps and open Command Prompt normally. Type echo %TEMP% and verify the expanded path is the intended current-user Temp folder. Stop if it is blank, unexpected, a drive root or a folder containing needed files.

Type dir "%TEMP%\*" and review the listed files before deleting anything. Microsoft’s del reference recommends inspecting the same wildcard with dir first. Preserve anything you need and leave unfamiliar contents alone.

To remove reviewed files in that folder, type del /p "%TEMP%\*". It asks about each file: choose Y only for an intended deletion, N to keep it, or Ctrl + C to stop. CMD deletion does not provide Recycle Bin recovery. This nonrecursive command leaves subfolders alone. Do not add /s, /q or /f for this procedure; leave files reported in use or denied access alone. Check the folder again afterward. It need not become completely empty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is everything on the Temporary files screen safe to delete?

No blanket answer applies to all categories. The screen can include personal downloads, discarded files you want back, and a previous Windows installation. Review your selections and keep anything needed. Files locked by running software should be skipped during manual cleanup.

Does clearing temp files make Windows faster?

Freeing a nearly full drive can help storage-related problems and leave room for updates. It does not establish that temporary files caused your particular slowdown, and there is no guaranteed speed increase. If free space is adequate, investigate the actual symptom instead of repeatedly clearing caches.

Do I need to restart after every cleanup?

A restart is not a required final step of the routine Settings procedure above. Follow a restart prompt or the requirements of a specific troubleshooting method. Save work before restarting.

Start with a small, understood selection in Settings, check the space recovered, and then decide whether automatic cleanup would suit your habits.