In today’s world, a typical Windows 10 or 11 system disk can house more than 250,000 files and 90,000 folders for a clean setup. For a more complex system with numerous applications, the file count can range from half a million to a million. For instance, my Windows 10 PC has over 2.9 million files and 750,000 folders, while my new Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x Copilot+ PC has 250,000 files and 55,000 folders. That’s quite a lot!
However, not all these files need to stick around forever. It’s essential to maintain regular disk hygiene, which is precisely what we’ll delve into here. This guide provides detailed explanations, examples, and screenshots to help you clean up your system. The best part is that the tools required for this cleanup won’t cost you a penny.
Step 1: Utilize Windows’ Built-in Disk Cleanup Tools
Windows has long included a disk space cleanup utility called Disk Cleanup or cleanmgr.exe. In Windows 10 and 11, users also have the option of using the “Storage Sense” feature within Settings to optimize storage and free up disk space.
While there have been talks of Disk Cleanup being phased out in favor of Settings, it remains functional in Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 24H2. Both Disk Cleanup and Settings offer effective ways to remove unnecessary Windows files across various versions of Windows 10 and 11.
Option A: Run Disk Cleanup
2. The Disk Cleanup app should appear at the top of the search results. If possible, choose “Run as administrator” to enable the removal of redundant OS files and other Windows leftovers.
3. Select the drive letter you want to clean (usually starting with the C: drive) and click OK to initiate the cleanup process.
2024-08-10 09:15:02
Article from www.computerworld.com