How to delete temporary files on laptop

Temporary files refer to those files that apps store on your computer to hold information for a short period of time. However, Windows 10 has many other temporary file types, including those leftover files after installing a new version, upgrade logs, error reporting, temporary Windows installation files, and more.

Usually, these files won’t cause any issues. However, they can grow quickly using valuable space on the hard drive, which can be the reason preventing you from installing a new version of Windows 10, or they can be the reason you are running out of space on your computer. If you use Windows 10, you have a few ways to safely remove temporary files using the Settings app and the Disk Cleanup tool.

In this guide, you will learn how to quickly delete temporary files on Windows 10 to free up space or reclaim storage space after installing a feature update.

• Remove temporary files on Windows 10 using Settings
• Remove temporary files on Windows 10 using Disk Cleanup

Remove temporary files on Windows 10 using Settings

On Windows 10, you can use the Settings app to remove temporary files manually or automatically. However, the steps will be slightly different depending on the release you have installed on the computer.

Delete temporary files on version 1903 and higher

To remove temporary files on Windows 10 21H2, 21H1, 20H2, and 2004, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

2. Click on System.

3. Click on Storage.

4. Under the “Local Disk” section, click the Temporary files option.

   
   Storage Settings (20H2)

5. Select the temporary files you want to remove.

6. Click the Remove files button.

   
   Remove temporary files options

After you complete the steps, junk files will be removed from your computer, freeing up space for more important files.

Delete temporary files on version 1809 and earlier

To manually remove temporary files using the Settings app on version 1809 and older releases, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Click on Storage.

4. Click the Free up space now option.

   
   Storage settings on Windows 10

5. Select the files you want to delete, including: 

   • Windows upgrade log files.
   • System created Windows Error Reporting files.
   • Windows Defender Antivirus.
   • Windows Update Cleanup.
   • Thumbnails.
   • Temporary files.
   • Recycle Bin.
   • Temporary Internet Files.
   • Delivery Optimization Files.
   • DirectX Shader Cache.
   • Previous Windows Installation(s).

6. Click the Remove files button.

   
   Delete temporary files on Windows 10

Once you complete the steps, those selected files will be permanently deleted from your computer freeing up space for more valuable files.

If you choose to delete the files from a previous version of Windows 10, consider that you won’t be able to roll back to the earlier version without these files. However, after a feature update installs on your device, the operating system automatically removes these files anyway after ten days.

Automatically delete temporary files on version 1903 or higher

Alternatively, you can use “Storage sense” to automatically free up space by removing those temporary files and content from the recycle bin.

To delete files wasting space automatically using Storage Sense on Windows 10 1903 or higher, including versions 21H2, 20H2, and 2004, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Click on Storage.

4. Under the “Storage” section, turn on the toggle switch.

   
   Storage Sense enable option (20H2)

5. (Optional) Click the “Configure Storage Sense or run it now” option to adjust the cleanup settings or run Storage Sense on-demand.

   
   Storage Sense settings (20H2)

After you complete the steps, Storage sense will delete most temporary files and those files that have been in the recycle bin for more than 30 days. 

Automatically delete temporary files on version 1809 or earlier 

To delete files wasting space automatically using Storage Sense on Windows 10 1809 or earlier releases:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Click on Storage.

4. Turn on the Storage sense toggle switch.

   
   Enable Storage sense on Windows 10

5. (Optional) Click the “Change how we free up space” option to schedule automatic cleanup or run Storage sense on-demand to free up space on Windows 10. 

   
   Storage sense settings on Windows 10

After completing the steps, Windows 10 will automatically delete temporary files and those files that have been in the recycle bin for over 30 days.

Remove temporary files on Windows 10 using Disk Cleanup

If you are getting a message about your device running out of space, you can also use the Disk Cleanup tool to delete temporary files to free up space on your device.

To remove Windows 10 temporary files using Disk Cleanup, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer on Windows 10.

2. Click on This PC.

3. Right-click the drive with the Windows 10 installation and select the Properties option.

4. Click the Disk Cleanup button.

   
   Windows 10 hard drive properties

5. Click the “Clean up system files” button.

6. Check the items you want to delete. For example, Temporary Windows Installation Files, Windows upgrade log files, Recycle Bin, Temporary Files, and System created Windows Error Reporting.

   
   Disk cleanup system files

7. Click the OK button.

8. Click the Delete Files button.

Once you complete the steps, temporary files will permanently be deleted from your computer, making room for new files.

Update January 27, 2022: Originally published in 2017, this guide has been updated to reflect the new changes available on Windows 10.

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