How do I check how much free space you have?

Click the File Explorer icon in your taskbar (it looks like a folder), then click "This PC" in the left panel. You will see your drives listed with a colored bar showing how full each one is. If your C: drive bar is almost entirely full (colored red or nearly full), cleaning up files should be a priority.

How do I run disk cleanup?

Click the Start button and type "Disk Cleanup." Press Enter to open it. Windows will ask which drive to clean — select C: (your main drive) and click OK. It takes a moment to calculate how much space can be freed. You will see a list of file types with checkboxes. Common safe items to check include: Temporary Internet Files, Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Files, and Recycle Bin.

How do I delete selected files?

After checking the categories you want to clean, click OK and then "Delete Files" when Windows asks you to confirm. The cleanup runs and files are removed. This process usually takes 1–5 minutes depending on how many files are being deleted.

How do I set up storage sense for automatic cleanup?

Go to Settings > System > Storage. You will see your storage usage broken down by category. Click "Storage Sense" to open its settings. Toggle it on, then set it to run "Every month" or "Every week." You can also configure it to automatically empty the Recycle Bin and clear temporary files from the Downloads folder on a schedule.

How do I use "recommendations" for additional cleanup?

In the same Settings > System > Storage page, click "Cleanup recommendations." Windows will show you large files, rarely used apps, and other items that may be safe to delete. Review each suggestion carefully before deleting — this section sometimes suggests removing content you might still want, so read each item before clicking Remove.

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Over time, your Windows PC builds up a collection of files you no longer need: temporary files created by programs that were never deleted, old Windows Update files, items that have been in the Recycle Bin for months, and cached data from web browsers. These files take up storage space without giving you anything useful in return. On some computers, cleaning them up can free several gigabytes — enough to noticeably speed up a nearly full hard drive.

Windows has two built-in tools for this job. The first is Disk Cleanup, a classic utility that has been part of Windows for years and works well for a targeted one-time cleanup. The second is Storage Sense, a newer feature in Windows 10 and 11 that can run automatically on a schedule to keep your drive from filling up over time.

A gigabyte (abbreviated GB) is a unit of storage space. To give you a sense of scale, a typical document or spreadsheet is less than 1 megabyte (MB), and there are 1,000 megabytes in a gigabyte. A full-length movie is usually 4–8 gigabytes. Temporary and junk files on an average PC often total between 2 and 10 gigabytes, though on some computers they accumulate to much more.

If your computer's hard drive is almost full — shown as a nearly full bar when you open File Explorer and look at your C: drive — cleaning up unnecessary files is one of the first things you should do. A drive that is more than 90% full can noticeably slow down a Windows PC.

Running these cleanup tools will not delete your personal files, photos, or documents. They target only system-generated temporary files and cached data that Windows or your programs created and no longer need.

Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense: Free Up Gigabytes of Space on Your Windows PC

Check how much free space you have

Run Disk Cleanup

Delete selected files

Set up Storage Sense for automatic cleanup

Use "Recommendations" for additional cleanup

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