Deleting Temp Files ?

[StymiedMike]

I want to delete temp files & usually go to the C: drive > Properties > General > Disk Cleanup and select Temporary files, Temporary Internet files, and whatever else I want.

Windows10 also has Windows Settings > Storage > Temporary files. This lets you delete Temporary files, Temporary Internet files, and several other groups of files. It also has a few more categories than Disk Cleanup.

A lot of categories show the same space used with either of these methods. However the Temporary Files and Windows error reports are a lot different.

Disk Cleanup shows 2.46 MB of temp files and Settings > Storage > Temporary files shows 8.59 MB of temp files. I realize not all temp files can be removed because some may be in use, but that’s a big difference. Is one not deleting enough files or is the other deleting too many? Which Windows app are you suppose to follow?

 

[Corday]

Most folks just put a disc cleanup icon on their desktop and whatever it doesn't delete should be assumed shouldn't be currently deleted using the default and neither adding to it or removing any checkmarks. Alternative is CMD %windir%\system32\cleanmgr.exe. From time to time also use the Cleanup System Files feature which will take quite a bit of time.

 

[x BlueRobot]

The only reason why I think there would be a discrepancy between the two is because Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) is a hold over from previous operating systems.

 

[StymiedMike]

The only reason why I think there would be a discrepancy between the two is because Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) is a hold over from previous operating systems.

I'd presume the newest process, Settings > Storage > Temporary files, would be the most accurate. But thought it best to get an expert opinion. My Windows\Temp folder is 11.8MB so it's not going to have much impact on storage space whether 2.46MB or 8.59MB gets deleted. I just don't want Windows removing something that's needed.

What I find odd is that Disk Cleanup, or another included Windows app, does not have an option to delete what's in C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Temp.
That has the most temp files from all the examples I've seen. Mine has 240MB of temp files. I would think Windows would emphasize cleaning up that location.

 

[Corday]

This article explains a lot: Can I Delete AppData Local temp Windows Files ?.

 

[Digerati]

Disk Cleanup shows 2.46 MB of temp files and Settings > Storage > Temporary files shows 8.59 MB of temp files.
...that’s a big difference.

Umm no, that is NOT a big difference. If it said 2.46GB vs 8.59GB, that would be a pretty big difference. But 6MB is nothing. That could easily be 1 file.

I would think Windows would emphasize cleaning up that location.

No. Actually Windows' own cleanup program is pretty conservative - and that's a good thing.

It seems to me you are fussing over a "drop" of spilt milk. And unless you are critically low on free disk space, I say don't worry about it.

If, on the other hand, you are critically low on free disk space, then freeing up a few megabytes of disk space is not the solution. You need to delete the contents of your Downloads folder. Then uninstall programs you downloaded and installed that you don't use. Then consider moving your Documents and Downloads folders to a different drive.

To move your Documents folder to another drive, D drive in this example, do the following:

1. Create a new Documents folder on the D drive,
2. Right-click on the new folder and click Include in Library > Documents,
3. Click Start > Documents,
4. Double-click Documents to open and reveal its contents,
5. Drag and drop (or cut and paste) to move the files to the new folder,
6. Right-click in a blank area then click on Refresh, or press F5 to refresh the view,
7. Under Documents Library, click locations,
8. Right-click the new folder and click Set as default save location.

9. [Optional] Click the old Documents folder and click Remove.​

Then do the same for the Downloads folder.

For programs you downloaded, installed and still use, consider uninstalling them from this drive and reinstalling them on a secondary drive. You cannot simply move most programs to a secondary drive as they will not be "installed" - that is, the operating system will not know how to find them. So, after moving the Downloads folder, download your favorite programs again (to ensure you have the latest) version, then install them again - only this time (and from now on ALWAYS) select the Custom install option so you can (1) choose the secondary drive and desired folder and (2) so you can opt out of any extra stuff the developers want to foist on your system.

Also unless you already have it installed, after you have freed up space, I recommend using CCleaner for you disk cleanup chores. What I really like about CCleaner is you can tell it to keep the cookies for the legitimate sites you regularly visit. This is really convenient. HOWEVER I do NOT recommend using CCleaner's Registry Cleaner feature unless you truly are an advanced Windows user, know exactly what you are doing, AND you have a current backup of all your data. And I don't recommend using the "Performance Optimizer" feature regardless your level of expertise.

Last, if you have done all of the above and still do not have at least 20 - 30 Gigabytes of free disk space, you need to buy more space.