While Windows 11 is definitely a big upgrade over Windows 10 in terms of performance, you still need to do some basic things on your PC to keep it running fast and smooth. So in this article, I will show you the 5 best ways to delete Temporary Files in Windows 11.
Delete Temporary File in Windows 11
All the ways below are completely safe and you won’t face any problem deleting temporary files and folders. I also recommend going through all the ways to gain deeper knowledge on how to clean junk files from your PC.
What is a temporary file (Temp) in Windows 11?
Temp or temp files in Windows 11 are basically data stored by apps and the operating system to give you a seamless experience. For example, when you download a file using IDM – a popular download manager for Windows, it stores file blocks in the Windows Temp folder. And when the download is complete, these files will be reconciled and moved to the Downloads folder.
Likewise, when you have not saved a Word or TXT document, those files are temporarily stored in the Temp folder. Temp folder is located at C:UsersYourUserNameAppDataLocalTemp.
In essence, Temp files are not bad for the system. It includes logs, system cache and other disposable data. Here is a brief list of the types of temporary files that you will find in the Temp folder on your Windows 11:
- Windows Update Cleanup
- Upgrade Log Files
- Windows ESD Installation Files
- Temporary Files
- Temporary Internet Files
- Device Driver Packages
- Thumbnails
- Downloads
- Microsoft Defender Antivirus
However, after long-term use of PC, Temporary Files start to accumulate huge amount and size of data. A third-party application that you no longer use may have stored GBs of data in the Temp folder. Or, a program may not clean up the Windows Temp folder after it’s done. In such cases, it is important to remove the Temp files from Windows 11.
5 Best Ways to Delete Temporary Files in Windows 11
Method 1: Delete Temporary File with Settings Windows 11
First, let’s see the easiest method to delete Temporary Files in Windows 11. You just need to select the different Temporary Files listed above in Windows 11 settings and delete them as you like.
1. Press the Windows key and search for “storage”. Now open “Storage settings” from the search results.
2. Here you need to open “Temporary files“.
3. Windows 11 will scan all temporary files and show removable files. I recommend choosing everything except “Downloads“. In case you don’t want to go back to Windows 10 from Windows 11, you can also choose “Windows Update Cleanup” and “Previous Windows Installation”. This will delete a significant amount of temporary update files.
4. Finally, click “Remove files“. Almost all Temporary Files will be deleted from your Windows 11 this way.
Method 2: Use Disk Cleanup in Windows 11
Although Windows 11 has integrated most of the Disk Cleanup options into Windows Settings, in case you want to delete all temporary files using Control Panel, here is how.
1. Press “Windows + R” to open Run. Next, type cleanmgr and press Enter or press OK.
2. Then, select the “C:” drive and click “OK”.
3. In the next window, click “Clean up system files“. It will scan all temporary files. You may have to select C drive again on the next prompt.
4. Now you can select the items below if you want to delete those files and click “OK”. Again, though, I recommend picking everything up. And that’s how you can delete temporary files through Disk Cleanup on Windows 11.
Method 3: Delete Temp file in Windows 11 manually
Now, if you are a longtime Windows user, you probably know how to access the Temp folder manually. However, if you’re new to Windows 11 and want to learn how to access Temp files, here’s how:
1. First, press the keyboard shortcut “Win + R” to open Run. Here, enter %temp% and press Enter.
2. It will open the Windows Temp folder.
3. Now select all the files with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + A and delete them. It’s another easy way to delete Temp files in Windows 11. You may get some errors that cannot delete some files. You can safely ignore such prompts. This error usually occurs when a program is still using that temporary file.
Method 4: Delete Temporary File from Windows 11 with Command Prompt
1. Another way to completely delete temporary files from Windows 11 is through Command Prompt. Press the Windows key and type “cmd” and open Command Prompt by clicking “Run as administrator” in the right menu of the search results.
2. Next, copy the command below and right click in the CMD window to paste the command.
del /q/f/s %TEMP%*
3. Now just press Enter and the whole pile of Temp files will be deleted from Windows 11.
Method 5: Automatically delete Windows 11 temporary files with the Storage Sense feature
In case you find the whole process above a bit boring, you can turn on a setting in Windows 11 to automatically clean up temporary files.
1. Press Windows key, type “storage sense” and open “Turn on Storage Sense“.
2. Next, turn on “Storage Sense”.
3. Then open the Storage Sense menu and here you can configure everything. You can choose when to run Storage Sense, configure it to not delete your downloaded files, and more. This way you don’t have to follow any of the manual methods listed above.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How to delete junk files in Windows 11?
There are several ways to delete junk files in Windows 11. Open the Storage menu in Windows Settings and delete Temporary Files. You can also run Disk Cleanup or use Command Prompt to remove all junk files with just one command.
Where is the temp folder located in Windows 11?
Temp folder is located at C:UsersYourUserNameAppDataLocalTemp. You can copy and paste this folder location directly into the File Explorer address bar. Or, you can use the Windows 11 shortcut Win + R to open Run and type %temp% to access this folder.
How to delete Microsoft Temporary Files in Windows 11?
Open Settings by pressing the shortcut “Windows + I” and then go to System -> Storage -> Temporary files. Here, you can delete Microsoft Temporary Files in Windows 11.
Is it safe to delete temporary files in Windows 11?
Yes. If the operating system needs the file, it will automatically prevent you from deleting it. Also, while deleting temporary files, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. For example, if you want to go back to an earlier version of Windows 11, don’t remove “Windows Update Cleanup” or “Previous Windows Installation”. You should uncheck the Downloads folder while deleting junk files.
How to perform a drive cleanup in Windows 11?
Press “Windows + R” to open Run. Here, type cleanmgr and press Enter. Select C drive and you can perform drive cleanup in Windows 11 easily.