Temporary files are meant to be transient — created for a task, then deleted. In practice, Windows and applications are sloppy about cleaning up after themselves. Over the lifetime of a PC, temp files can easily accumulate to 5–20 GB scattered across your drive.
Where Are Temp Files in Windows?
There are two primary temp folder locations:
1. User temp folder:
2. System temp folder:
Beyond these two, other locations include:
- Windows Update cache:
- Installer cache:
- App-specific caches: scattered under
1. User temp folder:
C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Local\Temp (shortcut: press Win+R, type %temp%, hit Enter)2. System temp folder:
C:\Windows\Temp (shortcut: press Win+R, type temp, hit Enter)Beyond these two, other locations include:
- Windows Update cache:
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download- Installer cache:
C:\Windows\Installer (be careful with this one)- App-specific caches: scattered under
AppData\Local and AppData\RoamingMethod 1: Delete Manually (Quickest)
1. Press Win+R, type
2. Press Ctrl+A to select all files
3. Press Delete — Windows will skip files currently in use (just click "Skip" when prompted)
4. Repeat with
This takes about 60 seconds and is completely safe. Files in use are automatically skipped.
%temp%, press Enter2. Press Ctrl+A to select all files
3. Press Delete — Windows will skip files currently in use (just click "Skip" when prompted)
4. Repeat with
temp (without the %) for the system temp folderThis takes about 60 seconds and is completely safe. Files in use are automatically skipped.
Method 2: Disk Cleanup (More Thorough)
1. Press Win+R, type
2. Select your C: drive and click OK
3. After the scan, check Temporary files, Temporary Internet files, and Thumbnails
4. Click "Clean up system files" for a deeper pass that also includes Windows Update leftovers
5. Click OK and confirm deletion
This reaches a few more locations than the manual method and typically frees more space.
cleanmgr, press Enter2. Select your C: drive and click OK
3. After the scan, check Temporary files, Temporary Internet files, and Thumbnails
4. Click "Clean up system files" for a deeper pass that also includes Windows Update leftovers
5. Click OK and confirm deletion
This reaches a few more locations than the manual method and typically frees more space.
Method 3: Settings → Storage Sense
Settings → System → Storage → Temporary files. Windows shows you a categorised breakdown of temp content:
- Windows temporary files
- Delivery Optimization Files (Windows Update)
- Recycle Bin
- Downloads folder (optional — be careful)
- Thumbnails
Check what you want to remove and click Remove files. This is the most informative of the three built-in methods.
- Windows temporary files
- Delivery Optimization Files (Windows Update)
- Recycle Bin
- Downloads folder (optional — be careful)
- Thumbnails
Check what you want to remove and click Remove files. This is the most informative of the three built-in methods.
Can Deleting Temp Files Cause Problems?
Almost never, with two caveats:
In-use files: If you delete a temp file that an app is currently using, that app may crash or lose work. All three methods above skip in-use files automatically — so just make sure you are not in the middle of something important before cleaning.
C:\Windows\Installer: This folder contains MSI caches used for repair and uninstall. Deleting from it can break the "Repair" and "Uninstall" options for some applications. Leave this one alone unless you know exactly what you are doing.
In-use files: If you delete a temp file that an app is currently using, that app may crash or lose work. All three methods above skip in-use files automatically — so just make sure you are not in the middle of something important before cleaning.
C:\Windows\Installer: This folder contains MSI caches used for repair and uninstall. Deleting from it can break the "Repair" and "Uninstall" options for some applications. Leave this one alone unless you know exactly what you are doing.
How Often Should You Clean Temp Files?
For most users, once a month is plenty. If you install and uninstall lots of software, or run creative tools that write large caches (video editors, 3D renderers), once a week makes sense.
Enabling Storage Sense (Method 3) automates this — set it to run monthly and forget about it.
Enabling Storage Sense (Method 3) automates this — set it to run monthly and forget about it.
More Details
This section adds more depth and examples to help you understand the topic better. This section adds more depth and examples to help you understand the topic better. This section adds more depth and examples to help you understand the topic better. This section adds more depth and examples to help you understand the topic better.
Automate the Cleanup with WhaleClean
WhaleClean scans all temp locations including app-specific caches that manual methods miss, and shows you the exact size of each category before deletion. Run a full clean in about 30 seconds.
Download WhaleClean Free