Is your PC hot and slow? Find out how to check PC temps and delete temp files in Windows 10. Follow our steps to find and clear junk files for a faster, cooler computer.
Is your PC running slower than usual? Overheating can lead to performance throttling and even damage your components over time. If you're wondering how to check PC temps Windows 10, you're already on the right track to better system health. Often, a system bogged down by unnecessary junk files can be a contributing factor to increased workload and heat.
This guide will not only show you where to monitor your temperatures but will also provide a comprehensive look at how to clear temp files in Windows 10 and 11. By cleaning out this digital clutter, you can free up valuable disk space, improve responsiveness, and potentially help your PC run smoothly.
Before we dive into cleaning, let's address the core question of monitoring your computer's temperature. Knowing your PC's temps is crucial for diagnosing performance issues.
Windows 10 and 11 have a limited built-in feature for this. You can check your graphics card (GPU) temperature directly from the Task Manager.
Step 1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
Step 2. Click on the "Performance" tab.
Step 3. In the left-hand column, you should see your GPU listed. Click on it, and its current temperature will be displayed in the stats panel.
However, this method doesn't show your CPU temperature, which is a vital metric. To see your CPU temperature, you'll typically need to:
Check the BIOS/UEFI: Restart your computer and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing F2, F10, or Delete during boot). The temperature is often displayed on the main or hardware monitor screen. This isn't convenient for real-time monitoring while using Windows.
Use Third-Party Software: The most common and effective method is using free third-party monitoring tools like HWMonitor or Core Temp. These applications provide detailed, real-time temperature readings for your CPU, GPU, and other components directly on your desktop.
Once you have a baseline for your temperatures, you can take steps to improve them. One of the easiest first steps is cleaning up unnecessary files that can cause background processes to work harder.
Temporary files are created by programs and the operating system to hold information while a task is being performed. Over time, these files can accumulate, consuming gigabytes of space and cluttering your system. Here, we'll show you how to find the temp files in Windows 11 and 10 and effectively remove them.
This method is the easiest and most thorough way to clear temp files and other junk from your system. We recommend a professional PC management tool like AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup.
AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup is more than just a partition manager; it's a complete disk management suite designed to optimize your PC's performance. This tool is an excellent SEO tool for your system's health, intelligently scanning for and categorizing junk files, including system and application temporary files. This allows you to safely delete temp files in Windows 10 with just a few clicks, ensuring you don't accidentally remove anything important.
Free Up Disk Space To Keep Your PC Running Smoothly and Efficiently
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup. Click the "Clean Junk Files" tab.
Step 2. Click the "Scan Now" button to start the process of scanning junk files.
Step 3. After the scan process is finished. All system junk files (including recycle bin files, temporary files, log files, invalid shortcuts, and so on) and registry junk files (including DLL registry, system registry, and program registry) will be displayed.
You can also click the button behind to view the junk files details.
Step 4. And, you can click the button behind to locate the file.
By default, the program will select some junk files to clean up, for example, temporary files, log files, and so on. You can also manually check to select more or uncheck to deselect fewer listed junk files. Or, click "Select All" to select all junk files to clean up if you need to clean up all.
Step 5. After selecting junk files that are not needed anymore, you can click the "Clean Now"button to start the cleanup.
The process of the cleanup might take time, and the selected files will be cleaned up. After the process is finished, you will get a cleanup completed window displaying how many files you have cleaned and not yet cleaned.
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup. Click the "Delete Large Files" tab.
Step 2. You can either click "Scan System Drive" to start the scan of your system C: drive. Or, click "Custom Scan" to manually select paths to be scanned. (Here, we take the "Custom Scan" as an example.)
Step 3. After clicking "Custom Scan", all local and external drives on your PC and the common Desktop, Documents, and Downloads paths will be displayed. You can manually select paths to be scanned. Once necessary paths are added, you can click the "Scan Now" button to start the scan process.
The scan process might take time. After the scan is complete, all large files found will be listed.
You can also check the large files and click the button behind to locate them.
Step 4. Tick the files you want to delete, and then click the "Clean Now" button to start the deletion.
Step 5. The deletion might take time. After the process is finished, the selected files will be deleted, and you will get a cleaning completed window displaying how much data you deleted in total.
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup. Click the "Find Duplicate Files" tab.
Step 2. You can either click "Scan Now" to start the scan of your system C: drive. Or, click "Custom Scan" to manually select paths to be scanned. (Here, we take the "Custom Scan" as an example.)
Step 3. After clicking "Custom Scan", all local and external drives on your PC will be displayed. You can also click the "Add Path" button, and then a browse folder window will pop up. So you can add more paths on this PC, like Desktop, Downloads, and other folder paths.
Step 4. Once necessary paths are added, you can click the "Scan Now" button to start the scan process.
The scan process might take time. After the scan is complete, all duplicate files will be listed. You can click the button behind to locate them.
You can either manually select duplicate files, or click the "Smart Select" button to automatically select unnecessary duplicate files to delete.
Tips: If the "Smart Select" is ticked, only the oldest duplicate file will be unticked. It means that all duplicate files except the oldest one will be ticked to delete. (The oldest file means the file that was created first. This file will not be deleted. All other duplicate files are considered copies of the oldest file. )
If you manually select all copies of duplicate files, you will get a pop-up warning window to keep at least one copy of the duplicate files. If you indeed want to delete all copies of duplicate files, you can click "OK" so all copies of duplicate files will be selected to delete.
After unnecessary duplicate files are selected, please click the "Clean Now" button to start the deletion.
Step 5. The deletion might take time. After the process is finished, the selected files will be deleted, and you will get a cleaning completed window displaying how much data you deleted in total.
If you prefer a hands-on approach, you can manually find and delete temporary files. This process gives you direct control over what gets removed.
Step 1. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
Step 2. Type %temp% and press Enter. This will open the user-specific Temp folder.
Step 3. Press Ctrl + A to select all files and folders inside.
Step 4. Press the Delete key. You may see a warning that some files are in use; simply check the box "Do this for all current items" and click "Skip." These are files currently needed by running applications.
Step 5. Open the Run dialog box again (Windows Key + R).
This time, type temp and press Enter. This opens the system-wide Windows Temp folder. You may need to grant administrator permission.
Windows includes a built-in utility called Disk Cleanup that is designed specifically for this purpose. It’s a safe and reliable way to clear temp files in Windows 10.
Step 1. In the search bar, type "Disk Cleanup" and open the application.
Step 2. Select the drive you want to clean (usually your C: drive) and click "OK".
Step 3. The tool will scan your drive for files it can safely remove.
Step 4. In the Disk Cleanup window, scroll down the list and check the box next to "Temporary files". You can also select other items like "Recycle Bin" or "Thumbnails".
Step 5. Click "OK" and then "Delete Files" to confirm the action.
For an even deeper clean, you can click the "Clean up system files" button, which will rescan for more files, including old Windows Update files.
Yes, it is generally very safe to delete temporary files. These files are created as temporary storage for information and are not needed once the application or process that created them is closed. Deleting them will not cause any harm to your operating system or your installed programs.
In fact, cleaning them out is beneficial. It frees up disk space, can resolve certain application errors, and helps maintain a clean and efficient system. The worst that can happen is that a program might take slightly longer to open the next time as it recreates a necessary temp file. The operating system will protect any files that are actively in use, which is why you may see a "file in use" error when deleting them manually.
First, turn off your PC and disconnect all cables and peripheral devices, and move your PC to a flat, ventilated area.
Step 1. Open the case or the cover of your laptop with screwdriver. If you've never opened yours before and are having difficulty, examine your computer's handbook or try searching online for information unique to your model.
Step 2. To thoroughly remove layers of dust and compacted dirt inside, please remove all components that may be readily removed so that you can clean them more completely. You can remove RAM sticks, video cards, and hard drives from most desktop computers.
Step 3. Use short bursts of compressed air to remove dust from filters and wipe remaining debris from filters using a microfiber cloth. Repeat the same steps for the fans and RAM and disk slots. Please use a pen or pencil to prevent the fans from spinning when you use air to blow the blades.
Step 4. This step is for users who want to clean motherboard. You’ll need to prepare isopropyl alcohol: Using short bursts of compressed air, remove larger clumps of dust from your motherboard and graphics card. Now dip a cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol and gently clean the surface of your motherboard and other delicate areas. Allow the motherboard to dry for a full 24 hours before replacing it on your computer.
Maintaining a healthy PC involves more than just running antivirus software. Monitoring your system's vitals is key, and learning how to check PC temps Windows 10 is an excellent first step. As we've shown, high temperatures can sometimes be exacerbated by a cluttered system. AOMEI Partition Assistant for Cleanup can help you clean junk files, hidden large files, and duplicate files without effort.
Regularly clearing out temporary files is a simple yet powerful maintenance task. Also, don’t forget to clean the dust regularly for your computer to keep a nice machine environment.
Free Up Disk Space To Keep Your PC Running Smoothly and Efficiently
