Your Windows operating system and many third-party applications create hundreds of Temporary files on your system in a single day. Normally, these files are not a problem, but when they grow exponentially in number, they tie up valuable hard drive space and degrade your overall system performance.
By deleting all those cache files, you can free up a lot of disk space and keep your machine running at peak efficiency. There are many ways to delete temporary files on Windows 10. Read on to know them.
Temporary files are created by both the operating system and the software running on your computer system. Temporary files are designated by a file type of .tmp or preceded by a tilde (~). Generally, temporary files are created in the Dossier Windows Temp and are used for many reasons, including the following:
- Operating system requirements, such as providing space for virtual memory.
- Backup files created for ongoing work like MS Office creates for its open documents.
- Working files for applications that contain data while the program is running.
There are two main reasons for clearing temporary files in Windows 10 or any other version of Windows. These include reclaiming storage space and improving computer performance. For these reasons, it is advisable to periodically delete temporary files.
This file is located at c:/Windows/Temp and mainly used by the operating system to store temporary files. You can press Win + R key type ‘temp’ and press ‘Walk in’ to access this folder.
Used by currently logged in user:
This folder is linked to the user who logs into the system. You can use the Windows Start menu search field to locate this temporary folder. Click open start menu and type %temp% and select the best result from the option.
Ways to Delete Temporary Files in Windows 11/10
Here is the guide that will walk you through the steps of deleting temporary files. Some of these methods are:
- Using Windows Settings
- Using File Explorer (Manual Method)
- Use “Storage sense” to automatically delete temporary files
- Create a BAT file
- Using the Command Prompt
- Using Disk Cleanup
- Use third-party disk cleanup software.
Let’s look at each of these methods in more detail.
1]Using Windows Settings
Windows allows you to use its Settings app to delete temporary files. Here is how you can use this app:
1]Open the The start menu and select the Settings shortcut appearing in the left sidebar. Once you select the small gear icon, the Windows settings page will open in front of you.
2]In the new windows, navigate to the System section.
3]From the options on the left, select Storage
4]You will see your disk option in the right section, select your disk and click on the Temporary files option.
5]Windows will now scan the temporary files folder; once the process is complete, you can select the files you want to delete.
6]To delete, check the boxes then click on Delete files to confirm your action.
Fact! Once you successfully complete the above steps, unnecessary files will be removed from your system.
2]Using File Explorer (Manual Method)
Windows File Explorer is another easy way to delete temporary files in Windows 10. Follow these steps:
1]Press Win + R keys to open the Course dialogue.
2]Type the command %temp% and press Walk in to open the temporary files folder on your system.
3]Use shortcut Ctrl + A to select all files inside the folder. Once the files have been selected, right click and select the To delete context menu option.
Please note – you will need an administrator account to perform this action. In addition, once the temporary files are deleted, these are moved to the Basket therefore, restoring them is possible.
3]Use Storage sense to automatically delete temporary files
A user can use Storage Sense to automatically delete system temporary files. Here is how you can use:
1]Go to Settings application.
2]Click the System option and select Storage in the left panel options.
3]In the Storage section, turn the toggle named Meaning of storage ON.
Once you enable Storage sense on your system, it will delete temporary files, including those that have been in the Recycle Bin for more than 30 days. This was the default configuration, but the user can still configure the default Storage Sense settings.
To do this, click the Change how we automatically free up space tab and adjust the cleanup settings or run Storage Sense on demand.
4]Create a BAT file
In this method, you need to create a BAT file. Once this file is created, it can be used repeatedly to delete temporary files on Windows 10. This very simple option works quickly. To create a BAT file, follow these steps:
1]From the Start menu, open the Bloc-notes
2]In the Notepad application, copy the following:
del C:Users%username%AppDataLocalTemp /f /s /q rd C:Users%username%AppDataLocalTemp /s /q del c:WindowsTemp /f /s /q rd c:WindowsTemp /s /q pause
3]Save this file to your desktop using the .bat. Here the file is named as clean temperature.
4]When finished, a BAT file will be created on your desktop.
5]Now whenever you want to delete temporary files on Windows 10, right click on that file and select option Execute as administrator.
Fact!
5]Using Command Prompt
Temporary files on Windows 10 can also be deleted by running certain commands in Command Prompt. Follow these steps:
1]Open the The start menu and type cmd.
2]In the search results, right click and click on the Execute as administrator option.
3]Once the command prompt window is open with administrative rights, copy the following command:
cleanmgr /d
Don’t forget to change the in the command and remove the square brackets.
4]Now execute the command by pressing the Enter key.
Wait for the process to complete.
6]Use Disk Cleanup
The Disk Cleanup utility is another easy and effective way to clean up temporary files in Windows 10. Read our guide to Delete temporary files using the Disk Cleanup tool.
7]Use Third-Party Disk Cleanup Software
You can also use free junk and disk cleaner software to remove your junk files.
We hope this guide helped you delete temporary files on Windows 10 and you managed to make room to store new files. If you have any similar tips for doing this process, share them with us in the comments section below.
