How to Perform Windows 11 Disk Cleanup [3 Free Ways]

Why need to run Windows 11 disk cleanup?

Disk Cleanup is a Windows program that is used to clear up disk space on the hard drive. It can delete temporary files, old system files, and other files that are usually running on the background. The reasons for the necessity of Windows 11 disk cleanup may include:

★ Free up space. When you have used your computer for a long time, you will find your disk is full of various files. The files take up much available space on your hard drive and make you fail to store new data. Thus, regularly cleaning the disk can release more space for further use.

★ Speed up performance. When C drive full issue occurs, you will take a longer time to boot your computer or open any applications. If you clean up C drive Windows 11, it can provide a good running environment for the operating system. So, it certainly improves the running speed.

To this end, it's a good habit to clean up your disk from time to time. With the below content, you will know the detailed steps on how to run disk cleanup Windows 11.

How to do disk cleanup in Windows 11/10/8/7?

Apart from simply emptying Recycle Bin or deleting large files, there are other three useful ways you can use to clean up disk in Windows 11.

▶ Way 1. Run Disk Cleanup  Windows 11

Step 1. Type "disk cleanup" in the search box on the taskbar, and select Disk Cleanup from the list of results.

Step 2. Select the drive you want to clean up (like C drive), and then select "OK".

Step 3. Under "Files to delete", select the file you want to get rid of, and click "OK".

If you need to free up more space, you can also select "Clean up system files" to delete old system files.

▶ Way 2. Activate Storage Sense

Step 1. Click "Start" button, and select "Settings".

Step 2. On Windows Settings interface, click on "System".

Step 3. Select "Storage" on the left side and toggle the "Storage Sense" button to "On".

When Storage Sense is turned on, it will free up space only when your PC is low on space. To clean up unused files now, select "Configure Storage Sense or run it now" > "Clean now".

▶ Way 3. Remove temporary files

Step 1. Press the "Windows + R" key to start the Run app. Type "%tmp%" and press "Enter" or click "OK".

Step 2. It will open a window with the contents of the Temp folder on your PC. Press the "Ctrl + A" to select all the files and folders, then right click to select "Delete" option to run disk cleanup Windows 11. You can also just hit the "Delete" button on the interface after selecting the files.

Best disk cleanup tool in Windows 11/10/8/7

If you don't be satisfied with the amount of free space released by the above three methods, you can't miss this part to get a professional disk cleanup tool named AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to help you get much space after performing Windows 11 disk cleanup. This software is also compatible with Windows 10, 8, 7, XP, and Vista.

As a versatile and practical disk manager, AOMEI software is equipped with many useful features to help you clean up your disks. For example, Wipe hard drive feature helps you clear the disk completely by erasing all the data in only a few steps to get a new storage disk while App Mover feature helps move installed programs or personal files to another drive so as to free up space on the original drive.

Now, download the demo version to have a closer look at how to do disk cleanup in Windows 11/10/8/7/XP and Vista.

▶ Option one. Clean up disk by wiping it permanently

If your hard drive is full of unimportant files or folders, you can directly wipe it as a new storage device. With this method, all the data on it will be erased forever and won't be retrieved. So please think twice and then wipe and partition hard drive for reuse. Here are the details:

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. In the main interface, right-click the hard drive that needs to be wiped, select "Wipe Disk".

Step 2. In the next window, you could choose the wiping method. Here we choose "Fill sectors with Zero", which is safe and quick. Click "OK" to continue.

Step 3. Click "Apply" to start wiping.

Please note that you can't use this method to wipe an SSD because SSD has different structures and working principles. "Wipe Hard Drive" will decrease the lifespan and affect the performance of SSD. If your hard drive is SSD, you can try "SSD Secure Erase" in AOMEI software.

▶ Option two. Clean up disk by moving programs to another drive

If you don't want to lose all the data on your disk, "APP Mover" will help you move whatever you like to a different drive so that you could release more space on the original disk. Now, you can follow the guide below to have a try how to perform Windows 11 disk cleanup via this method.

Step 1. Open AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, and then click "Free up" > "App Mover" at the top interface.

Step 2. There are two options. Here we choose "App Mover" option. "Move Folders" allows you to move folders to a different drive.

Step 3. All your partitions will be listed in the window. Choose one partition that you want to move applications from and click "Next".

Step 4. Choose all applications you want to move and select a destination path, then click "Move".

Step 5.  Click "OK" on the pop-out window to begin the process.

Step 6. Click on "Finish" to exit.

Conclusion

Now, you have known how to perform Windows 11 disk cleanup. With the disk cleanup methods provided by the Windows system, you can only release a little free space on the disk. So as a better choice, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional can provide various ways to help you clean up disk more easily and safely to get much available space. In addition, you can use it to check if you can upgrade to Windows 11, test the speed of your hard drive and upgrade HDD to SSD without reinstalling Windows and losing data.