How to Clean Up Your Hard Drive with Disk Cleanup in Windows 11

Downloading third-party programs to optimize a Windows 11 PC is an almost obsolete practice. Microsoft itself has different free and very effective tools to maintain your operating system. In this post we will see how to clean up your hard drive with Disk Cleanup in Windows 11.

El Disk Cleanup is a native Microsoft feature available for Windows 10 and Windows 11. It allows you to delete several gigabytes in one go, without deleting system files or personal data. This tool often goes unnoticed, so here we explain how to use it to free up space on your disk.

What is Disk Cleanup in Windows?

It is normal for the computer's storage unit to fill up as we use it. And if we are not careful, we may suddenly see a warning that it is full. There is no space available to install an application. Of course, you don't have to go to this extreme to clean up your hard drive with Disk Cleanup in Windows.

As we said, Disk Cleanup is a integrated tool in the Microsoft operating system. This means that it does not need to be downloaded, as is the case with other native tools from the company, such as Microsoft PC ManagerUnlike this one, Disk Cleanup comes by default for Windows 10 and Windows 11. It's always been there, only it has not received the recognition it deserves.

As the name suggests, it is designed for Delete unnecessary or temporary files that take up space on the hard drive. In this way, you can free up storage space and, consequently, optimize the performance of the entire system. With it It is possible to wipe several gigabytes in one go, which is very useful if you don't have a lot of space.

What types of files does it delete?

Whenever we are going to delete files from the computer, there is a fear of deleting personal or system files by mistake. But with Disk Cleanup there is nothing to worry about. The tool is designed to delete files from the computer. only unnecessary files or those that have been previously deleted by the user.

In addition, this function allows you to select file categories before cleaning them. This way, the process is controlled by the user and there is no risk of deleting important data that could harm the system's performance. The categories of files that you can delete with Disk Cleanup in Windows 11 are:

• Temporary internet files, such as browser cache (Edge, Chrome).
• System Temporary Files, that is, those created by applications or Windows and that are no longer useful.
• Miniatures, that is, the cache of thumbnail images of folders and files.
• All files sent to the Recycle Bin.
• remains of previous updates Windows that are no longer needed.
• Data generated by system failures, such as bug reports y diagnostic records.
• Old Windows installation files, used by the system to perform restores to previous dates, but they take up a lot of space.

When you run it, The tool displays the total amount of bytes it can removeIf you have installed several applications or are a heavy user of your computer, you may be surprised by all the junk that accumulates. The good news is that in just a couple of clicks, you will have freed up all that space and optimized your computer.

How to Clean Up Your Hard Drive with Disk Cleanup in Windows 11

To clean up your hard drive with Disk Cleanup in Windows 11, Click the Start button and type Disk Cleanup. Select the tool from the results to run it, and wait while it performs the scan. If you have more than one storage drive installed, you must first choose the one you want to clean.

Once the scan is complete, you will see the total bytes that can be cleaned without compromising your personal data. Just below are the file categories to delete, along with a check box. By default, the Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, and Thumbnails categories are checked.

Check the categories of files you want to clean. For a full sweep, it is best to select all the boxes.. As you do so, you can see the total disk space that will be recovered increasing. Once all file categories are selected, click OK to run the disk cleanup. Confirm the action and wait for Disk Cleanup to do its job. Once it finishes, the tool closes automatically.

Advanced features

But there is more. Disk Cleanup has a couple of advanced features that you can take advantage of to recover more storage space. These options allow you to delete other less important files, as well as schedule periodic disk cleanups. Let's see how to use them.

After opening Disk Cleanup, you can see the button "Clean system files"By clicking on it, you can delete larger items such as old Windows update packages (Windows.old) and Microsoft Defender Antivirus files, among others. The tool runs a deeper scan to identify these and other files, and then adds them to the file categories you can choose to delete.

If you click on the “More options” tab You will see two more options to recover disk space. With the first one you can delete those applications that receive little use. The second one is called System Restore and Shadow Copies, and allows you to remove all restore points except the most recent one.

Finally, it is advisable to activate the Storage Sensor option to automatically free up space and delete temporary files. To do this, go to Settings System Apps, and turn on the switch under the Storage Management section. This way, you won't need to perform manual cleanups as often, as the system will do it automatically.

Ultimately, cleaning up your hard drive with Disk Cleanup in Windows 11 is an efficient way to optimize your computer. No third-party programs will be needed, and you have the entire process under control to ensure the safety of important files. Don't leave aside this native Windows tool and learn how to make the most of it!