How to Delete Temporary Files in Windows 11 (5 Methods)

If you want to squeeze every ounce of performance out of your computer, one of the things that you need to do is to clear all unwanted temporary files and add more room to your storage. Of course, you can just delete them to free up some space on our disk. But there is a slight catch! In Windows, there are multiple locations where temporary files are created and stored.

This guide will reveal to you the locations of temporary files in Windows 11 and help you get rid of them in multiple ways.

How to Delete Temporary Files in Windows 11

Temporary files can cause annoyance as most of the time, they might be useless and abandoned by the OS itself for no reason. To get rid of these unwanted files and clean up your storage, use these methods.

1. Delete Temporary Files via Settings

This is going to be your first instinct in case you are unaware of the advanced methods to clean up your temporary files. The built-in Settings app has made disk management much easier on Windows 11 by providing a plethora of tools. So let’s now see how to wipe your temporary files using the Settings app.

1. First off, open the Settings app using the shortcut Windows key + I.
2. Now, click on System on the left pane, and then click Storage. This will show you the OS partition and the memory space occupied by Apps and features, temporary files, etc.
3. Click on Temporary files.
4. Your system will now list out the type of files and the respective spaces occupied. Now, check all the files you need to remove and click the Remove files button right above the list.

2. Delete Temporary Files Using Disk Cleanup Utility

The Disk Cleanup app is one of the oldest utilities integrated into the Windows operating system for the sole purpose of cleaning the disk, partitions, junk files, and other temporary files. Although it seems to be a lightweight app with a simple UI, it’s pretty efficient in its job as well.

1. Firstly, click on the Search icon right on the taskbar and type “Disk cleanup”. Choose the app with the icon from the results.
2. A small intro window of the utility will now open and you need to choose the drive that you want to clean up.
3. It will now scan and show you the available temporary files with the individual and cumulative disk space they occupy.
4. Come all the way down in the list and check the files you want to delete, and press OK.
5. You can also make use of the Clean system files option to remove older unnecessary system restore points to make even more room in your disk.

Once you click OK, it will start removing all the files you selected and you will eventually free up some space on the disk. If prompted, confirm the deletion.

3. Delete Temp Folders in Windows 11

Temp folders are one of the things that eat your disk space without any appreciable advantage on your system. If you haven’t used this method since the OS install, then there should be junk of those files residing on your disk. To free up some more space on your disk, delete the temporary folders. Here is how to do this in a jiffy.

1. Open the Run dialog (Windows key + R), type temp and hit enter.
2. This will directly take you to the location where your temp folders are residing silently. In case you encounter any prompts that say no permission or something like that, just accept all those to get into the folder.
3. Now, press Ctrl + A to select all the folders and then delete them in a shot.

That’s it. It’s recommended to go with these methods only after all your works are saved and the apps are closed. Otherwise, you may see a warning that says “files in use”.

4. Remove Temporary Files Using Storage Sense

Storage Sense is a smart application that Windows offers to take care of your disk responsibly. It smartly runs the disk cleaning operation according to the options pre-defined by you. In short, it ensures the smooth operation of the OS by keeping an eye on the disk and cleans the temporary files when necessary.

To delete the temporary files on your system, you can refer to our guide to using Storage Sense on Windows 11.

5. Clean Temporary Files Using Command Prompt

If you like to play with codes and commands to control your system, this method is for you. Here we’ll make use of the command prompt window to issue some pieces of codes to delete the temp folders on your disk. Here is how to do that.

1. Open Search and type command prompt, and click on Run as administrator from the right pane.
2. In the command prompt window type del /q/f/s %TEMP%\* and hit enter.
3. It will start deleting your temporary folders and will be completed in a matter of seconds.

And that’s all about using the command prompt to clean your disk.

Wipe Out the Temporary Files to Free Up Storage

Now that you’re familiar with quite a few helpful methods to wipe out temporary files on Windows 11 PC. Applying these methods will not only free up your storage but also gives a push to your system performance.

Moreover, these methods can come in handy while you mess up with any minor glitches pertaining to the temporary files.