After a period of use, garbage each version of Windows installation will take up space and waste resources. Most computer users forget about regular system maintenance, so the problem easily arises from old files and programs.

If you do not clean your computer, you will receive a warning about low disk space and the system running slower. This article will show you how to clean up Windows 10 with a variety of tools in different situations.

Step 1: Delete the temporary files

Windows 10 has a familiar pair of tools to remove old temporary files from the drive, meaning you don't need a professional cleaning app. This is what you need to do first on the "journey" of cleaning up Windows 10 .

Disk Cleanup

If you don't mind the outdated interface, the classic Disk Cleanup tool will help you complete the cleanup. Access it by typing Disk Cleanup in the Start Menu and selecting the drive you want to clean.

After a few moments, you will see a list of unnecessary files that Windows can delete. Assuming you are an administrator, click the Clean up system files button to scan for any other data.

Feel free to delete the many categories available here with only a few exceptions. Be careful with Downloads because Disk Cleanup will delete everything in this folder. You may also want to avoid cleaning up the Recycle Bin until you absolutely don't need to recover anything from it.

If you recently updated the latest major version of Windows 10, you'll see the Previous Windows installation section . Deleting it will remove the old Windows files within 10 days, allowing you to easily go back to the previous version. You should also avoid moving the Windows ESD installation files option because it is used to reset the PC via Settings.

Storage Sense

Windows 10 has many similar functions at Settings> System> Storage . You can use Storage Sense at the top of the window, to automatically clean up files when disk space is low.

In the list of space usage data on the computer, click Temporary files and you can delete the same data types as when using Disk Cleanup.

Step 2: Delete large files

You have deleted unnecessary files; The next step to clean Windows 10 is to find old data that takes up a lot of space on your computer. To do this, download TreeSize Free  which will scan memory and tell you where the largest file is located.

After installation, search for Tree Size on the Start Menu and open it with the link (Administrator) so you can scan anywhere on Windows 10. System To get started, select Select Directory in the top left corner, then select main storage disk.

Then you will see a detailed statistics table of computer memory with the largest file at the top. Click the dropdown arrow on any folder to bring it down one level.

The largest directories can be Users , Windows , Program Files (or Program Files (x86) ). There is not much you can do in the Windows directory without generating errors, so please be aware of the other items.

Uninstall big programs

In Program Files or Program Files (x86) on 64-bit Windows, you will find files for most installed applications. If you don't use any programs, go to Settings> Apps> Apps & features to uninstall them.

Delete large items from the user directory

Most large files are usually located in the account directory in the User , including documents, photos, videos ...

You can see that the AppData folder takes up a lot of space because it contains a lot of information and configuration about the app store, for example , Chrome cache , Spotify can weigh up to several GB. Take a look at these files and see if there is anything to remove. You can delete unused files or move some data to an external drive. If there are multiple files in Dropbox or other cloud storage, use their configuration tables to un-sync unnecessary files. You can always access them via the web interface.

You will probably see some other large files in TreeSize like WinSxS ... but not all of them can be moved safely. Therefore, choose carefully.

Step 3: Clean Bloatware Windows 10

Most store-bought computers contain manufacturer's useless bloatware, wasting space and duplicating features already in Windows. Besides, Windows 10 includes a number of junk applications that you may never use.

If bloatware has not been removed from the system, perform this task now. It is an important part of cleaning Windows 10 system.

Step 4: Clean the desktop

Even if you've cleaned your computer, cluttered desktops can be confusing and make it difficult to handle tasks efficiently. Most people use the desktop as a temporary storage space, so all kinds of files are scattered everywhere.

You should try resetting the desktop to make it more tidy. Start by moving the entire file from the desktop to another location. Next, you can create shortcuts for the files you need to use regularly on the screen.

If there are too many files that you think do not work this way, try Fences . It includes powerful tools, which allow you to automatically match similar icons on your computer screen, hide or display the entire icon with just a few clicks.

After you've cleaned up Windows 10 and your computer screen, you'll feel like you have a new computer.

If needed: Refresh Windows 10

When you find your PC is so cluttered that you don't want to bother cleaning it up, use the built-in option in Windows 10 to reinstall its new copy.

You probably already know how to Reset this PC in Recovery settings. However, using this feature will immediately restore the system to its original state, including bloatware of the manufacturer it has installed. To avoid this, you can use another option.

Go to Settings> Update & Security> Recovery and click Learn how to start fresh ... at the bottom of the page. This will open the Windows Security application and give you the option to start fresh . Use it to reinstall Windows 10 & update it to the latest version as well as remove all installed applications. Only personal files and some Windows settings are retained.

Although Windows promises to keep them safe, make sure you back up your files before doing this, in case something goes wrong. You should also make sure to write down the license key needed to reactivate the software after "refreshing".

Having to reinstall the entire program manually will take some time. But if your computer is cluttered, this is a good thing to have a clean Windows 10 system.

Above are the basic steps to clean Windows 10 but safely and effectively. All tools used are legitimate, so you can safely use them to clean your system periodically. Hope the article is helpful to you.

Disk cleanup in Windows 10

Windows 10

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To delete temporary files:

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup, and select Disk Cleanup from the list of results.

2. Select the drive you want to clean up, and then select OK.

3. Under Files to delete, select the file types to get rid of. To get a description of the file type, select it.

4. Select OK.

If you need to free up more space, you can also delete system files:

1. In Disk Cleanup, select Clean up system files.

2. Select the file types to get rid of. To get a description of the file type, select it.

3. Select OK.

Note: If you notice that the Temp folder fills up quickly after running Disk Cleanup, see Low Disk Space error due to a full Temp folder.