How to Delete Temporary Files in Windows

Need to delete some temporary files on Windows? Those stored in the temp folder are not needed and can be deleted. This is the way to do it.

How to clean trash files on laptops and computers without software

One very easy way to free up disk space on Windows is to delete temporary files, sometimes referred to as temp files. Temp files are what they might sound like: files that only needed your operating system temporarily to use, but are now just wasting space.

Most of the temporary files are stored in what is called Windows Temp folders, different locations from computer to computer, and from user to user. The steps for that are below.

Manually cleaning the Temp folder in Windows usually takes less than a minute, but it can take longer depending on how large the temporary file collection is.

You can delete temp files in the manner outlined below in any version of Windows, including Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.

How to Delete Temporary Files in Windows

Step 1

1. Windows 10: Click or tap in the Cortana search box to the right of the Start button in the taskbar.

Windows 8.1: Right-click or tap and hold on the Start button and then select Run.

Windows 8.0: The easiest way to access Run is from the Apps screen. In previous versions of Windows, click on Start to open the search box or search for Run.

Another way to open the Run dialog box is to enter Windows Key + R keyboard shortcuts.

Follow these simple steps to temporarily delete Windows files:

Step 2

In the Run window or search box, type the following instructions exactly:

% Temp%

This command, which is technically one of the many environment variables in Windows, will open the folder that Windows has designated as your Temp folder, possibly C: Users [username] AppData Local Temp.

Step 3

Select all the files and folders in the Temp folder you want to delete. Unless you have a reason to the contrary, choose them all.

If you're using a keyboard or mouse, click on an item and then use the Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut to select each item in the folder. If you only use the touch interface, select Select All from the Home menu at the top of the folder.

You do not need to know what temp file you are going to delete, or what or how many files are included in any subfolder you select. Windows will not allow you to delete any files or folders that are still in use. More is a little bit.

Step 4

Delete all the temporary files and folders you have selected, either using the Delete key on your keyboard or Delete button from the Home menu.

Depending on your version of Windows, and how your computer is configured, you may be asked to confirm that you want to Delete Multiple Items. You may need to click Yes on something special Confirm Delete Multiple Files window that appears. Handles any messages about hidden files in this folder in a way that removes them.

Step 5

Tap or click Skip if you are presented with File Usage or a Folder In Use warning during the temporary file removal process.

This is Windows that tells you that the file or folder you are trying to delete is locked and still in use by the program, or possibly Windows itself. Skipping this allows deletion to continue with the remaining data.
If you get a lot of these messages, check to Do this for all items during the checkbox and then tap or click Skip again. You need to do it once for the message file and again for the folder, but the warning should stop thereafter.

Rarely do you see a message like Error Deleting a File or Folder that will stop the process from deleting the process completely? If this happens, restart your computer and try again. Even if that doesn't work, try starting Windows in Safe Mode and repeating the steps above.

Step 6

Wait while all temp files are deleted, which can take anywhere from a few seconds if you only have a few files in this folder, and up to a few minutes if you have lots and lots of them.

You will not be asked when the process is complete. Instead, the progress indicator disappears and you will see an empty folder, or almost empty, temp, on the screen. Don't miss this window.

If you dump so much data that not all of it can be sent to the Recycle Bin, you will be notified that it will be permanently deleted.

Step 7

Finally, find the Recycle Bin on your Desktop, Right-click or tap and hold the icon, and then select Empty Recycle Bin.
Confirm that you want to delete items, which will permanently delete these temporary files from your computer.

You now have, in the short term, an empty temporary file section.

Delete Temporary Files using Using Command Line Command

he steps shown above are a common way of deleting temporary files, but you'll need to do this manually. If you prefer, you can create your own mini-program that can automatically delete temp files by double-clicking / taping a simple BAT file.

Doing this requires the rd (move directory) Prompt command to delete the entire folder and all subfolders.

Type the following command into Notepad or some other text editor, and save it with a BAT file extension:

rd% temp% / s / q

The "q" parameter presses the authentication command to delete files and folders, and "s" is to delete all subfolders and files in the temp folder. If% temp% of environment variables are for some reason not working, feel free to change the actual folder location mentioned in Step 2 above, but make sure you type the correct folder path.

You now have, in the short term, an empty temporary file section.

Other Temporary File Types on Windows

Windows Temp folders are not the only place that temporary files, and other groups of files that are no longer needed, are stored on Windows computers.

The Temp folder you find in Step 2 above is where you will find some temporary files created by the operating system on Windows but the C: Windows Temp folder contains some additional files that you do not need to save anymore.

Feel free to open the Temp folder and delete anything you find there.

Your browser also saves files temporarily, usually in an attempt to speed up your browsing by loading the cached version of the website when you revisit it. See How to Clear your Browser Cache to help delete these temporary file types.

Other, more difficult locations to find also contain temporary files. Disk Cleanup, a utility that includes all versions of Windows, can help you automatically remove the contents of some other temporary folders for you. You can open it in the Run dialog box ( Windows Key + R ) via the command cleanmgr.

"Dedicated system cleaners" like the free CCleaner program can do this, and similar jobs, very easily. There are many free computer cleaning programs available to choose from, including Wise Disk Cleaner and Baidu PC Faster.

Check how much free space your hard drive has, before and after you delete temporary files, to see how much space you have cured

SHARE