Over time, every Windows installation builds upwardly junk that takes up space and wastes resource. It'south easy to fail regular maintenance, and then oftentimes the problem comes from old files and programs.

If yous don't make clean your computer, earlier long you'll encounter low deejay space warnings and find it slowing down. Let'southward walk through how to clean Windows 10 using a variety of tools for unlike situations.

Stride ane: Erase Temporary Junk

Windows ten includes a pair of similar tools for clearing out old temporary files from your deejay, meaning you don't need a dedicated Windows cleaner app. They're a great first cease on your Windows 10 cleanup journeying.

Disk Cleanup

If y'all don't mind an old-school interface, the classic Disk Cleanup tool gets the cleaning job washed. Access information technology by typing Disk Cleanup into the Showtime menu and selecting the disk you want to make clean.

After a moment, you'll see a list of unnecessary files that Windows can clean upwardly. Assuming you're an administrator, yous should click the Clean upward system files button to scan again for additional types of information.

Feel gratuitous to delete pretty much every category of data available hither, with a few exceptions. On older versions of Windows ten, lookout man out for Downloads, which will delete everything in that folder. You may also want to avoid cleaning the Recycle Bin until you're sure that you don't need to restore anything from it.

If y'all've recently updated to a new major version of Windows x, you'll see a Previous Windows installation(southward) entry. Deleting this will remove the sometime files Windows keeps for ten days that allows y'all to hands go dorsum to an earlier version. You should also avoid removing the Windows ESD installation files option, every bit this is used for resetting your PC via Settings.

Check out Windows folders you tin can delete to salvage space for more than info on the specific items you can remove with disk Cleanup.

Storage Sense

Windows 10 includes much of this aforementioned functionality, with a nicer interface, at Settings > System > Storage. Yous can utilize Storage Sense to automatically make clean up files when your disk space is low, or every so often. Click Configure Storage Sense or run information technology now to change these options.

In the listing of what's using space on your PC, click Temporary files and you can delete the same types of information as in Disk Cleanup. Show more than categories provides more info near types of data that aren't using as much space.

Step ii: Delete Large Files

You've removed unnecessary files; the next footstep to clean upwards Windows 10 is to find old information taking upward a lot of space on your computer. To assistance with this, download TreeSize Free, which will scan your storage and prove you lot where the biggest files are.

In one case installed, search for TreeSize on the Start Menu and launch it using the (Administrator) link and so you lot tin can browse everywhere. To kickoff, cull Select Directory in the height-left and select your main storage disk.

Later on a few moments, you lot'll see a visual breakdown of your PC'due south storage with the largest files at the height. Click the dropdown pointer on any binder to motility down ane level.

The largest folders volition probably be Users, Windows, and Program Files (or Programme Files (x86)). There'southward not much you can do in the Windows directory without causing bug, and so let's look at the others.

Uninstall Big Programs

Nether Programme Files (and/or Program Files (x86) on 64-bit Windows), you lot'll find files for most of the apps you have installed. If yous don't use some of these anymore, head to Settings > Apps > Apps & features to uninstall them.

Eliminate Large Items From Your User Folder

The majority of space-hogging files volition likely be in your account binder nether Users. This contains your documents, pictures, videos, and like.

Y'all'll probably see a lot of space taken in the AppData folder, which is where many apps shop data and preferences. For instance, Chrome and Spotify's caches can take up several gigabytes hither.

Have a look at these files and see if anything is low-hanging fruit. You tin delete files you no longer employ, or motility some data to an external difficult drive. If you have lots of files in Dropbox or other cloud storage, use their preference panels to de-sync files you don't need. You lot tin always admission them through the web interface.

Y'all might see some other enormous files in TreeSize, such as WinSxS. See our guide to managing a large WinSxS binder if yous have this event.

Pace 3: Make clean Windows 10 Bloatware

Most store-bought computers come up loaded with worthless manufacturer bloatware that wastes infinite and duplicates functionality already in Windows. In improver, Windows ten itself includes some junk apps you lot probably never utilize.

If you haven't taken the fourth dimension to remove bloatware from your system, you should. It's an important function of Windows 10 cleanup. See our guide to removing bloatware from Windows 10 for instructions.

Pace 4: Tidy Your Desktop

Even later you've cleaned up your computer, a messy desktop can still confuse y'all and make it harder to work efficiently. Many people use their desktop as a temporary storage space, leading to all sorts of files getting scattered beyond it.

You should try "resetting" your desktop to a make clean state to make it neater. Offset by moving all the files from your desktop to some other location. Next, you tin create shortcuts to files you need all the time on your desktop.

If you have so many files that yous don't think this will work, the Fences app is definitely worth a look. It includes powerful tools that let you automatically combine similar desktop icons, hide or evidence all icons with a few clicks, and much more.

After you've cleaned upwardly Windows 10 and your desktop, you'll feel like you have a whole new machine. Nosotros have a deeper guide on cleaning up your Windows desktop if you're interested.

If Necessary: Refresh Windows 10

Perhaps you feel that your PC is such a mess that you don't desire to spend the effort to make clean up Windows x. In that case, you lot can use a built-in option to reinstall a fresh copy of Windows.

You might know about the Reset this PC option available in the Recovery settings. Still, using this with sure options volition restore your PC to how it was out of the box, including the preinstalled manufacturer bloatware. To avoid this, you tin use another method.

To utilize it, striking the same Get started button in the Recovery card. Pick Keep my files, choose whether to download or reinstall locally, pick settings, so brand sure you pick No for Restore preinstalled apps?.

This is equivalent to the Fresh Start option found in the Device functioning & health department of the Windows Security app in older Windows 10 versions. Information technology reinstalls Windows x and updates it to the latest version, likewise as removing all installed apps. Just your personal files and "some Windows settings" are kept.

Even though Windows promises to keep them rubber, make certain you support your files before doing this, in case something goes wrong. You should too make a annotation of any license keys you'll need to reactivate software afterward the refresh.

Having to reinstall all your programs past mitt volition accept some time. But if your computer is a mess, it might all the same exist worth information technology to become a make clean system.

Avoid Fake Cleaning Apps

While we're discussing Windows 10 cleanup, it bears mentioning that you should be careful what software you download. While the above tools are all legitimate ways to make clean your PC, you'll notice many scammy "PC cleaners" online that are totally worthless (such as the i in the in a higher place video).

These tools provide a "gratis scan" that finds thousands of "issues," which absurdly count every cookie on your computer as a "privacy run a risk." Then they demand you pay a good amount of money to actually "make clean" anything up.

Don't carp with this nonsense. The in a higher place tools should be plenty to clean upwards unnecessary files. If you feel the need to do more, follow our ultimate Windows cleaning checklist.

Now Windows 10 Is Cleaner Than Ever

Now you know the big steps to clean up large and unnecessary files in Windows ten. These methods should be sufficient to clean upward a good chunk of space on your calculator and make information technology feel fresh. Keep upwards with them every so often, and you shouldn't have to worry about disk space warnings any longer.

Just make certain you lot don't get overboard and make maintenance mistakes.

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About The Author

Ben Stegner (1794 Articles Published)

Ben is the Editor in Chief at MakeUseOf. He left his Information technology job to write full-time in 2022 and has never looked back. He'due south been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more as a professional person writer for over seven years.

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