How to Delete/Clean Temporary Files in Windows 11? (5 Ways)

On your Windows 11 PC, there may be many temporary files from application data, error logs and data, browsing data, window updates, installation files, and more. These files occupy a lot of space on the hard drive, having an influence on the computer performance. Clearing them periodically can guarantee the system’s efficient functioning.

Related article: What Are Temporary Files and How to Delete?

A Simple List of Temporary File Types in Windows 11

• Downloads
• Windows Update Cleanup
• Windows Upgrade Log Files
• Windows ESD Installation Files
• Temporary Files
• Temporary Internet Files
• Thumbnails
• Microsoft Defender Antivirus
• Device Driver Packages

If a file type is not displayed on your Windows 11 computer, perhaps it doesn’t exist. Well then, is it safe to delete temp files? Just as its name implies, temporary files only contain information for temporary use and you can delete them, which won’t affect the original file. In the following part, we will show you how to delete temporary files in Windows 11.

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How to Clean Temporary Files in Windows 11

There are multiple ways to delete temp files in Windows 11 and now let’s get started.

Remove Windows 11 Temporary Files via Settings

1. Click the Start button from Taskbar and choose Settings. Or you can directly open the Windows Settings app by pressing Win + I.

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2. On the System page, go to Storage, wait for a while and click Temporary files.

3. You can see the temporary file types on your computer. Just check the box of the files that you want to delete and uncheck the ones that you want to keep, then click Remove files to delete them.

Delete Temp Files Windows 11 via Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup is a utility in Windows that is designed to free up the disk space of your computer. It can search and analyze the hard drive for files that are out of use and then delete these unnecessary files.

Here is how to delete temporary files in Windows 11 using Disk Cleanup:

1. Type disk cleanup to the search box of Windows 11 and run it.
2. Select a drive that you want to clean up and click OK to continue.
3. After finishing the scan, this program lists the files that can be deleted. Tick the box of files that you want to delete and click OK.

If you find this only frees up a bit of space, you can use Disk Cleanup to delete system files. Just click Clean up system files, select a drive, check the boxes of files to be deleted, then click OK and choose Delete Files.

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Clean Temporary Files in Windows 11 via Command Prompt

If you are a terminal enthusiast, you may use Command Prompt to delete temporary files on your computer.

1. Open Command Prompt or CMD in Windows 11 with administrative privileges.
2. Paste and copy the command – del /q/f/s %TEMP%\* to the CMD window and press Enter. The temporary files will be removed from your computer.

Delete Temporary Files via File Explorer

You can manually delete Windows 11 temporary files in File Explorer. These files go to Recycle Bin and you can recover them if needed.

1. Press Win + R to get the Run window, type %temp% and click OK to open the Temp folder in File Explorer.
2. Press Ctrl + A to select all the files in this folder, right-click on them and choose Delete from the context menu to delete them.

Use Storage Sense to Automatically Delete Temporary Files

In addition to deleting temporary files manually, you can configure Storage Sense in Windows 11 as per your requirement to automatically clean these files.

1. Open Windows 11 Settings and go to System > Storage > Storage Sense.
2. Turn the toggle of this feature to On.
3. Click on the Storage Sense section and then configure various options under Configure cleanup schedules. Also, make sure the box under Cleanup of temporary files is checked. It will automatically delete temporary files on your system depending on your settings.

Those are all the ways to delete temporary files in Windows 11. This can free up some disk space but this is not enough. To get more space, you can also try other methods in this post – 10 Ways to Free up Disk Space in Windows 11/10.