Advanced Disk Cleanup in Windows

Over time, a Windows computer accumulates unnecessary files like temporary data, browser cache, old system updates, and other digital clutter. This can significantly slow down the system and take up valuable disk space. In this guide, we'll explore how to perform an advanced disk cleanup in Windows to free up space and boost performance.

Step 1: Using the Built-in Disk Cleanup Tool

The first step is to use Windows' standard utility — Disk Cleanup. To do this:

  1. Press Win + S and type Disk Cleanup.
  2. Select the drive you want to clean (usually the C: drive).
  3. Wait for the analysis to complete, check the files you want to delete, and click “OK”.

Additional Cleanup of System Files

To delete more unnecessary data, use the “Clean up system files” feature:

  1. After launching the utility, click on “Clean up system files”.
  2. Select the drive for analysis and wait for it to finish.
  3. Check options like “Windows Update Cleanup” and “System log files” — these are old files that often occupy a lot of space.
  4. Click “OK” to remove the selected items.

Step 2: Removing Temporary Files Using the Run Command

To manually delete temporary files, use the Run command:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type %temp% and press Enter.
  3. Select all files and folders, then delete them (use Shift + Delete).
  4. Repeat the process using temp and prefetch in the Run command.

Step 3: Advanced Cleanup Using Command Prompt

For a more thorough cleanup, you can use Command Prompt:

  1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator (Win + X → Command Prompt (Admin)).
  2. Enter the command cleanmgr /sageset:1 and press Enter. Choose cleanup options and click “OK”.
  3. To run the cleanup in advanced mode, enter cleanmgr /sagerun:1 and press Enter.

Step 4: Deleting Old Windows Updates

Old Windows updates can occupy several gigabytes of disk space. To remove them:

  1. Go to Settings → Update & Security → Disk Cleanup.
  2. Select “Windows Update Cleanup” and click “Delete”.

Step 5: Using Third-Party Cleanup Tools

For deeper cleaning, you can use third-party utilities like CCleaner, BleachBit. These programs offer additional features such as:

  • Cleaning browser cache and other app data.
  • Registry cleanup.
  • Removing duplicate files.
  • Optimizing startup items.