Temporary files are meant for disposable purposes. They should last a few days or weeks until they are not needed. But sometimes, these files stick around for months or years. And when that happens, they eat up your storage and adversely affect your PC’s performance.
If you use your PC for daily work, it’s a good habit to wipe out temporary files. If you don’t do it and your storage becomes full, some programs may not work correctly or start crashing with errors. This article will discuss how to prevent using the in-house Disk CleanUp utility in Windows 11.
Disk CleanUp
Disk CleanUp has a simple interface. Even non-tech-savvy people can find it easy to use. Here are the key benefits of using it:
Key Benefits of Using Disk CleanUp
- Privacy: Disk CleanUp deletes your temporary files, browser cache, cookies, and other files downloaded while using the Internet. By deleting these files, your Internet history is kept private and untrackable.
- Security Benefits: Many people are not aware of the security benefits of deleting temporary Internet files, browser cache, and cookies. Did you know that hackers often target your Internet cookies that might contain sensitive data stored during your Web session? For example, if you’ve recently logged in to your e-banking portal, your cookies may contain some sensitive information. By deleting such data regularly, you can protect your confidential information from going into the wrong hands.
- Left-behind, Obsolete Data & Program Malfunction: Sometimes, old temporary files could cause conflicts with your programs, especially when you uninstall and reinstall them. Whenever you uninstall a program, it deletes the program files, Registry entries, and any other shared files you may have installed. If the temporary files are stored in the application data directory, they are usually left behind. Whenever you reinstall the same program, such old temporary files may cause them to load obsolete data and unexpected behavior.
Using Disk CleanUp in Windows 11
1. Open Disk CleanUp.
Using Start Menu:
- Open the Start Menu.
- Type “Disk CleanUp,” and open Disk CleanUp from the results.
- Select the drive you want to clean up and then click on OK.
Using Run Dialog:
- Press Windows Key + R.
- Type in “c:\windows\SYSTEM32\cleanmgr.exe /<drive letter>.” For example, to clean temporary files from the “D:\” drive, use the following command: c:\windows\SYSTEM32\cleanmgr.exe /d
- Click OK twice.
2. Disk CleanUp will start analyzing your temporary files. Once the results are accumulated, your files will be categorized into different types.
3. Check the file type categories you want to delete. For example, to delete offline stored copies of your webpages, check the “Offline web pages” category. You may select multiple categories.
4. To clean-up system temporary files, click the “Clean up system files” button, followed by “OK.”
5. Check any other categories you want to delete, and then click on OK to start deletion.
Using Storage Settings Page
The Storage Settings page in your system settings allows you to view information about various temporary files and delete them at once.
1. Click Start and then the Settings icon.
2. Click the System tab on the left.
3. Click Storage, followed by Temporary Files.
4. Now, you will be able to see various categories of temporary files occupying space on your PC. Select the ones you want to delete.
5. Click the “Remove files” button to start deletion.
Best Alternative: Clone Files Checker
Disk CleanUp is undoubtedly a useful tool for most Windows users. But there is one limitation. Disk CleanUp doesn’t have any mechanism to find identical versions of your files and remove them.
1. Download Clone Files Checker.
2. Click System Scan > File Search.
3. Click Add, and select the drive/ folder containing your duplicate files.
4. Click Start Search.
5. Wait for the scan process to finish. It may take a longer time if you’ve a lot of files to scan.
6. Once the scan is finished, you will be able to review and fix duplicates.
7. Clone Files Checker makes the reviewing process very easier. With just one click, you can automatically select hundreds of thousands of files of any pattern of your choice. Click the “Select Duplicates” button, and choose your selection pattern.
8. Finally, click “Select Action,” and choose whether you want to move duplicates to another folder or delete them permanently.
