How to Clear Temporary Files & Updates in Windows 10/11 (Disk Cleanup)

If your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer is running out of storage, you may notice slow performance and issues when installing updates or programs. The good news is, you don’t need any third-party tools to fix this problem. You can free up disk space using the built-in Disk Cleanup tool in Windows.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to clear temporary files, delete old Windows update files, and find large files taking up space on your computer.

Free Up Disk Space with Disk Cleanup

Windows comes with a tool called Disk Cleanup, which makes it easy to delete unnecessary files. Here’s how to use it:

Click the Start button and type Disk Cleanup.
Right-click Disk Cleanup, and choose Run as administrator.
Select the C: drive (this is where Windows stores temporary files and update files).
Select the files you want to remove and click OK.

Usually, Windows Update Cleanup and Temporary Files are the ones that will reclaim the most disk space.

Disk Cleanup Windows — Windows Disk Cleanup Tool

Delete Large and Duplicate Files

If you want to go further, check your hard drive for large files and duplicate files. For this, you can use free tools like WizTree and WinDirStat.

It helps you analyze your storage and see which files are using the most space, so you can decide what to delete.

Find Duplicate Files — Duplicate Files Find for Windows

Final Thoughts

The important thing is, you don’t need extra software to keep your PC clean. By using Disk Cleanup and checking for large files, you can easily free up disk space in Windows 10 and Windows 11. This will keep your computer fast, smooth, and ready for updates.