Disk cleanup what should i delete

Before we look at Windows files and folders you can safely remove, you should know that manually deleting them isn't usually the best way to go about it. Aside from wasting time doing this yourself when you could automate the process, it's safer to let the Disk Cleanup tool do these cleanings for you.

This avoids accidentally deleting files that you need, or messing with the wrong folders. The Windows Disk Cleanup tool helps you reclaim disk space on your computer and is simple to use. You can open it by searching for Disk Cleanup in the Start menu and selecting a drive. Let it scan, and you'll see several categories of files you can erase.

For more options, choose Clean up system files with administrator permissions. Click Temporary files in the list of options, then you'll see a list populate that's similar to what Disk Cleanup has. This isn't a full guide to the Disk Cleanup tool, so we're not going to look at every option it offers.

However, the following several options are low-hanging fruit make sure to select Clean up system files first to see them all :. Hibernation mode on your PC is similar to sleep mode, except the system saves all your open work to the storage drive and then shuts down. You can remove the battery from your laptop and stay in hibernation for a week, then start back up and pick up right where you left off.

Of course, this takes up space, which is what the hibernation file is for. Depending on your hard drive size, the hibernation file is likely several gigabytes or more.

If you don't use hibernation and want to disable it, you can easily do so via the Command Prompt. Note that you shouldn't just delete hiberfil. Type the following command to disable hibernation:. That's all it takes to disable hibernation. Windows should delete hiberfil. Note that disabling hibernate mode will also prevent your computer from using fast startup in Windows However, this isn't much of a loss, as this feature is known to cause slow boot times and other problems.

These files stay there for quite some time if in case you wish to recover them back to its original place. Windows Update Files are residuals files that are a copy of your older version of Windows. Windows Defender files are just temporary files that are stored by Windows Defender.

These are non-critical files that can be removed while performing Disk Cleanup utility on Windows 10 and older versions of Windows. Device Driver Packages are old device driver files that were previously installed on your computer before Windows updates. Deleting these files will delete old driver version of files from your computer. If new driver files are working properly on your computer then you can definitely delete these files.

Previous Windows Installation Files live on your computer when you install or upgrade a new version of Windows. Windows operating system automatically deletes these files after 10 days of an upgrade however if you want to delete these files then and there, you can use disk cleanup utility to delete them from the computer.

Apart from these important segments, there are other file types that can be deleted using Disk Cleanup utility. You can go ahead and remove these files without thinking. Disk Cleanup on Windows 10 is one of the greatest tools that Microsoft can offer to regularly clean your computer and keep it clutter-free.

You should regularly scan your computer using this tool and remove unwanted files to keep your computer as good as new. Posts by contributors. You can send in a post to be reviewed and published to info techbooky. TechBooky is a social Tech blog with a special focus on the budding African Technology sector. For the most part, the items in Disk Cleanup are safe to delete. Here are the Windows files and folders that can be safely deleted to free up disk space.

Right-click your main hard drive usually the C: drive and select Properties. For even more options, click Clean up system files. Deleting it will free up a great number of hard drive spaces.

But, you should never clear it in that it is very important. Best eReaders. Best Gaming Monitors. Best Android Phones. Browse All News Articles. Prey Predator Prequel Hulu. Window 11 SE Downgrade. Disney Plu TikTok. Windows 11 Default Browser Block. Teams in Windows 11 Taskbar. Smart TVs Ads. Team Comes to Workplace by Meta. Block People Spotify.

Verizon Selling PS5. Windows 11 SE Explained. Find Downloaded Files on an iPhone. Use Your iPhone as a Webcam. Hide Private Photos on iPhone.

Take Screenshot by Tapping Back of iPhone. Should You Upgrade to Windows 11?