The evolution of the Windows operating system has reached the latest version of Windows 11. If you’re still using Windows 10, you must be using an old computer. there are possibilities of performance issues on an old computer. There are a few inbuilt utilities that are helpful to free up disk space on Windows 10. If these utilities are not making any difference, you may need to use a third-party utility. Let’s explore the best ways to clean Windows 10.
Uninstall Unwanted Apps
The first step towards cleaning your Windows 10 is to eliminate and uninstall unwanted apps from your PC. These apps keep on accumulating a lot of space, creating unnecessary cache and cookies, and utilizing resources in installing updates.
Step 1. Press the Win + I key to get into Settings.
Step 2. Click on the Apps section and then click on Apps & Features in the left panel.
Step 3. You can sort apps by size if you want to identify heavy apps on the top.
Step 4. Click on the unwanted app and then click on the Uninstall button. Follow the uninstallation wizard to delete the app from your PC. Do the same with all the unwanted apps on your list.
Delete Junk Files & Temp Files
Junk files and temp files can take up humongous space in the storage. All the apps create a cache, cookies, junk files, temp files, logs, and other redundant files that need to be cleaned on a regular basis. There are different ways to clean Windows 10 junk files.
Use Disk Cleanup
Disk Cleanup is a Windows inbuilt utility to declutter all the junk files and temp files. you can delete user clutter as well as system clutter using this utility.
Step 1. Press the Win key and type Disk Cleanup. Select Disk Cleanup App from the search results.
Step 2. Select the C: Drive and click on the Ok button to scan the Windows drive for clutter.
Step 3. Select all the found clutter and click on the OK button to delete all of them.
Step 4. Come back to the same Window and click on the ‘Clean Up System Files’ button. This will bring up all the system clutter on the PC.
Step 5. Again, select all the found clutter and click on the OK button to delete junk and free up space on Windows 10.
Use Storage Sense
Storage Sense is another smart way to check for clutter on Windows and eliminate it. You can quickly scan and list out all the temp files, junk files, and other clutter from your PC.
Step 1. Access the Settings console with (Win + I) keys.
Step 2. Click on the System section and select Storage in the left panel.
Step 3. Toggle ON the Storage Sense on the right and let it scan for temp files.
Step 4. Scroll down and click on the Temporary Files section.
Step 5. Put a check on all the found temp files and click on the Remove Files button on the top. Let it clean up all the temp files before you check other files and folders under Storage Sense.
Declutter Large Files
Large files, movies, videos, and backup folders can take up a lot of space in the storage. You can quickly scan your storage for large files and declutter the unwanted ones to free up disk space on Windows 10.
Step 1. Press (Win + E) to access Windows Explorer.
Step 2. Go to the Videos folder in the library and click on the Size column to sort all the videos by size largest to smallest.
Step 3. Select the movies that you have already seen and don’t want to keep anymore.
Step 4. Press Shift + Delete to permanently delete these large files. Select all the videos that are large in size and you don’t care to keep them anymore. Delete all such large files from your storage.
Step 5. Get into different folders and subfolders to eliminate large files, backup folders, duplicate files, Downloads folders, Recycle Bin, or media files.
Perform Disk Defrag
Disk Defragmentation is an inbuilt utility to defragment the fragmented sectors from your hard drive. This process reorganizes the used and unused sectors to free up disk space on Windows 10. This is one of the best ways to clean Windows 10.
Step 1. Press the Window key and type Disk Defrag.
Step 2. Click on the Defragment and Optimize Drives app from the search results.
Step 3. Click on the Windows drive (Generally, C: Drive) and click on the Analyze button.
Step 4. Let it come up with scan results. If there is any fragmentation found in the results, click on the Optimize button to defrag the fragmentation.
Step 5. Follow the same steps for other hard drive partitions to regain access to humongous space.
Clean Up Desktop & Recycle Bin
Regular clean-up and optimization is necessary to free up disk space on Windows 10. Ensure you declutter the Desktop icons and remove large files from the desktop. The fewer items you will keep on the desktop, the better boot time you will be able to experience.
All the deleted files are moved to the Recycle Bin if you do not use the (Shift + Delete) key to permanently delete files from the storage. You can get into the Recycle Bin and Empty Recycle Bin to make more room for upcoming files.
Alternatively: Use the Best PC Cleaner
There are several other ways to clean Windows 10. You can run multiple manual checks at periodic intervals. Alternatively, you can make use of the Best PC Optimizer for Windows. We have compared multiple third-party utilities and ranked Advanced System Optimizer as one of the best optimizers in 2023. It has multiple inbuilt utilities to perform 360 degrees of optimization. You can perform clean-up, offer security, and boost the performance of the system.
Final Words
This article on the best ways to clean Windows 10 has the best manual tips and tricks to free up disk space on Windows 10. The manual methods may be time taking and tricky at times. You can use the best PC optimizer to automate the process. Keep your PC clean and clutter-free to make room for new files and enhance performance.