Delete Temp Files in Windows: Are you constantly running out of space on your system? Did you know that every application you use on your system creates some form of temporary files on your Windows system which take up valuable disk space? Do you want a way to safely delete temp files in Windows and regain all of your lost disk space? If you answered Yes to any of my questions above then today’s guide, where we will take a look at how to delete temporary files in Windows 10, is what you need to read and follow. So without further ado, let’s get right into it.
You may have read that temporary files are among one of the major causes of system slowdowns but do you know what temporary files are? No? Fret now, let’s understand what they are
What is Temp Files in Windows 10
As the name suggests, temporary files are files that the system creates to temporarily store data so you can access things even when parameters have changed. Some examples of temporary files are –
- Any application when uses more RAM than what is physically available on your system creates temporary files which are dumped in the virtual RAM Windows creates for the application for faster access to data.
- While printing a file, a temporary spool job is created which is stored in temporary memory
- Browser cache is another temporary file which windows and other applications create in order to load web pages faster.
- MS office cache such as Word or Excel which allow you to undo and redo actions also store temporary files on your system.
In most cases, these temporary files are deleted once the application is closed or the system is rebooted. However, sometimes they stay in the memory eating up precious disk space and to delete temporary files in Windows 10 follow the method mentioned below.
How to Delete Temporary Files in Windows 10
Method 1: The Easy Way
Step 1: Open the Taskbar and Tap the Settings Gear
Step 2: In Settings, Tap on System
Step 3: Once the menu opens, Tap Storage
Step 4: Select the drive where your Windows is Installed (Usually C Drive) you will notice a small Windows logo on the drive where Windows installation is present
Step 5: Once you tap the drive, a new menu will appear. This page is the storage usage page which will show you all the information about that drive.
Step 6: Tap Temporary files and it will start calculating all the Temp files on your system. You will be able to select from what kinds of files you want to remove and what to ignore. This will include previous windows updates, any pending update or delivery optimization files, recycle bin et al.
Step 7: Ensure the Temporary files and Temporary Internet files are checked and additionally choose anything else you may wish to remove, we recommend checking the Windows update Clean-up box as well.
Step 8: Check every box you want to delete, tap on remove files and Windows will do its thing in the background and notify you once the files are gone.
Method 2: The Traditional Way
Step 1: Press Windows key + R to open the Run command box.
Step 2: Copy or type %temp% in the box and hit enter
Step 3: A window shall open, Select all the files or hit Control + A to select all
Step 4: Tap Delete. (I recommend you don’t permanently delete everything with Shift + Delete but instead let the files sit in recycle bin for a couple of days before you clear it just to be safe and to ensure that windows doesn’t pose any errors)
Method 3: Using Third Party Softwares
Step 1: Download any temporary file cleaner software like CCleaner or CleanMyPC
Step 2: Install and follow the instructions mentioned in the software.
Why You Should Delete Temporary Files in Windows
The clue is in the name. Temporary files are temporary and should not be stored on your system for an extended period of time. They end up eating unnecessary disk space.
Temporary files don’t harm your system in any way. If you have space on your system you can leave them as is. These files, however, tend to get rather large with the passage of time and no one likes to waste disk space. It’s generally a good practice to clean your system once every 6 months or so.
We hope our guide here helped you in learning how you can delete temp files in Windows. If you have any more questions or want us to help you with any other tech problems. Feel free to drop them in the comments below.
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