How to Run Disk Cleanup in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Aseem Kishore
·
4 min read

Help Desk Geek is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Learn more.

A man in a hoodie sits at a wooden desk, smiling at a laptop displaying a disk cleanup window and a notebook with tech tips nearby.

Your C: drive is running low and you want to clear out junk files without installing a third-party cleaner, Disk Cleanup is still the built-in tool for manual cleanup, and it’s worth a look. Storage Sense is Microsoft’s newer automatic option, but Disk Cleanup gives you precise control over every category.

How to Open Disk Cleanup

Method #1: Start Search

This is the fastest way to get there.

  1. Press the Windows key and type Disk Cleanup.
  2. Click Disk Cleanup in the results; it appears at the top of the list.
Windows 11 Start menu with "Disk Cleanup" typed in the search bar and the Disk Cleanup app highlighted as the top result

Method #2: Run Dialog

  1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type cleanmgr and press Enter.
Windows Run dialog with "cleanmgr" typed in the Open field

Method #3: File Explorer Drive Properties

  1. Open File Explorer and click This PC in the left panel.
  2. Right-click your C: drive and select Properties.
  3. On the General tab, click the Disk Cleanup button.
Windows 11 File Explorer showing the C: drive Properties dialog with the Disk Cleanup button highlighted on the General tab

How to Run Disk Cleanup

Once Disk Cleanup is open, the actual cleanup process works the same regardless of how you launched it.

  1. When prompted to select a drive, choose C: and click OK.
  2. Wait a few seconds while Windows scans for files it can remove.
  3. Check the boxes next to the categories you want to delete. Hover over any item to read a description at the bottom of the dialog.
  4. Click OK, then click Delete Files to confirm.
Disk Cleanup dialog showing file categories with checkboxes including Temporary Internet Files, Downloaded Program Files

Safe categories to remove include Temporary Internet Files, Thumbnails, Recycle Bin, and Temporary files. If Previous Windows installations appears, be aware that deleting it removes your ability to roll back to the prior Windows version; only check it if you’re sure you no longer need that rollback option.

Clean Up System Files for a Deeper Pass

The default scan actually misses a lot. Clicking Clean up system files triggers a second, deeper scan that unlocks additional categories. This is where Disk Cleanup gets genuinely impressive, often freeing several extra gigabytes that the standard pass leaves behind.

  1. Open Disk Cleanup using any method above and let the initial scan finish.
  2. Click Clean up system files at the bottom left of the dialog. If prompted, select your drive again and wait for the second scan to complete.
  3. Additional categories now appear, including Windows Update Cleanup and Delivery Optimization Files, which can reclaim several gigabytes on a machine that has been running for a while.
  4. Check the categories you want to remove, click OK, then confirm with Delete Files.
Disk Cleanup dialog after clicking "Clean up system files", showing additional categories including Windows Update Cleanup

For an even deeper command-line cleanup, open an elevated Command Prompt and run:

cmd.exe /c Cleanmgr /sageset:65535 & Cleanmgr /sagerun:65535

The first part of the command opens a configuration dialog exposing every available cleanup category, check what you want and click OK. The second part then runs the cleanup automatically. This typically surfaces more options than either the standard scan or the system files rescan.

Elevated Command Prompt with the Cleanmgr /sageset:65535 command entered, alongside the extended Disk Cleanup configuration

Storage Sense: The Automatic Alternative

Storage Sense is Microsoft’s newer built-in cleanup tool. If you haven’t set it up yet, it’s a genuine gem. It runs automatically in the background, handles temporary files, and manages locally cached cloud content without any manual effort. For routine maintenance, it’s a smoother option than remembering to run Disk Cleanup periodically.

  1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
  2. Go to System > Storage.
  3. Click Storage Sense to configure how often it runs automatically, then toggle it On.
  4. To run a one-time cleanup immediately, click Free up space now (Windows 10) or Cleanup recommendations (Windows 11).
Windows 11 Settings > System > Storage page showing the Storage Sense toggle set to On and the Cleanup recommendations link

If Disk Cleanup Won’t Open

If Disk Cleanup fails to launch or crashes on startup, try these two steps in order.

Fix #1: Run System File Checker

A corrupted system file is the most common reason Disk Cleanup stops working. System File Checker scans and repairs them automatically.

  1. Press the Windows key, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
  2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
  3. Wait for the scan to finish, which typically takes 5–10 minutes. If it reports repaired files, try launching Disk Cleanup again.
Screenshot

Fix #2: Manually Clear the Temp Folder

  1. Press Windows + R, type %temp%, and press Enter. File Explorer opens directly to your user temp folder.
  2. Press Ctrl + A to select all files, then press Delete. Skip any files flagged as currently in use, those are safe to leave.
File Explorer opened to the %temp% folder with all files selected and a Windows delete confirmation dialog visible

Conclusion

The fastest path to real results is Start Search → open Disk Cleanup → click Clean up system files. That two-step sequence consistently frees the most space and takes under five minutes. If you’d rather not think about it at all, turn on Storage Sense and let Windows handle routine cleanup automatically. Bookmark that Settings page and you’ll be spreading the word to everyone you know who complains about a full drive. For more information on freeing up space, you can visit Microsoft’s support page or Windows community forum.