How to remove temporary files on Windows 10

On Windows 10, temporary files are those app files stored on your computer to hold information for a short period. In addition, the system has many different temporary file types, including those leftover files after installing a new version, upgrade logs, error reporting, temporary Windows installation files, and more.

Typically, 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 the operating system, 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.

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

• Delete temporary files on Windows 10 from Settings
• Delete temporary files on Windows 10 from Disk Cleanup
• Delete temporary files on Windows 10 from Temp folder

Delete temporary files on Windows 10 from Settings

To remove temporary files on Windows 10, 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.

   

5. Select the temporary files you want to remove.

6. Click the Remove files button.

   

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

Delete temporary files automatically

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, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Click on Storage.

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

   

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

   

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

Delete temporary files on Windows 10 from 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 from Disk Cleanup, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.

2. Click on This PC from the left navigation pane.

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

   

4. Click the Disk Cleanup button.

   

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.

   

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.

Delete temporary files on Windows 10 from Temp folder

To clear the temporary files from the Temp folder to free up space, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.

2. Type the following path in the address bar and press Enter:

   %temp%

3. Click the Select all button from the Home tab.

4. Click the Delete button from the Home tab.

   

5. Click the Yes button to confirm.

After you complete the steps, Windows 10 will delete the files from the Temp folder, freeing up storage space on your computer.