[5 easy methods] How to Clean C Drive on Windows PC

In this article, we will learn how to clean C drive without using any third-party software. This will be a quick and easy process that will not only provide more storage to work with but also improve the overall speed and performance of your windows.

With the amount of time we spent browsing the internet today and the ever-increasing file sizes one of the problems we face in our windows is a redlined C drive. This results in a lack of space for new files and a slowed-down PC. This is more prominent in using an SSD because an SSD provides much less hard disk space than a traditional hard drive and it is more expensive. So it is necessary to clean up your C drive so that we have enough free space to run your windows perfectly. We will reference windows 10 in this article, but a similar approach will also work for windows 7 or 8.

There is more than one way to clean up your C drive but we will discuss five easy methods today.

METHOD 1: Cleaning Up Windows temporary files

The first method of how to clean C drive is to clean up windows temporary files. These are files created by the operating system during the normal course of performing operations, some temporary files are also created by the application for backup purposes then left behind even when the work for which the file was created is over leading to a waste of disc space.

To get rid of these files we will be using simple commands to reveal the locations using the run command box. We, Will, be using three commands to locate all the temporary files in your drive C

Command 1: temp

To do this go to your windows search and type run like shown in the screenshot below. In the run box type temp and hit enter, press ‘continue to reveal all the temp files. after that select all the files shown in this folder using control A and delete all the files using the Shift+Delete key. if you can’t delete some files or get any error while deleting them simply click the box that says ‘do this for all the current files’ and then skip it.

temp

 

Command 2: %temp%

Similarly, in the run box type %temp% and hit enter. Select all the files and delete all these using the previous method.

%temp%

Command 3: prefetch

Open your Run commands box and type prefetch and hit continue. Select all the files and delete them.

prefetch

Method 2: Defragmentation

The second method of how to clean C drive is Defragmentation. This process would basically rearrange your files and data such that related files and file segments are placed next to each other under storage location. This will increase the speed of access for the search files and depending on how fragmented your disk is, it will significantly increase the overall speed of your windows. To do this first go to windows search and type “defrag”, from there select the option ‘defragment and optimize drive’

Now select the drive C and click on optimize. It will take some time based on the defragmentation level of your windows drive.

Method 3: Disk Cleanup

The third method of how to clean C drive is Disk Cleanup. One of the most common ways to clean up your drives is to use the application called ‘C Cleaner’ but in this article, we will discuss how to perform this task without any third-party software. To do this simply go to your windows search and type ‘disc cleanup’ after that select the drive, in this case, drive C then hit ok.

Now select the files by checking on the boxes click on ‘clean up system files’ like shown in the screenshot below after that again select all the unnecessary files and press ok to delete the files. It will take some time to delete all the files so sit back and relax.

Method 4: Removing Large Files From Your PC

The fourth method of how to clean C drive is removing large files. Most of the time while browsing the internet we download a lot of files and forget to delete unnecessary files which do tend to take up a lot of space in your drive which can be deleted in just a simple way. To free up space and delete unnecessary files go to your PC open drive c and In the search bar in the top right corner type ‘size:gigantic’ and hit enter, wait for some times to show up all the large files then select the unwanted files that you do not need anymore and delete them permanently

Method 5: Uninstalling Unwanted Programs

The fifth method of how to clean C drive is to uninstall unwanted programs. If you have a laptop or recently purchased a ready-made PC the OEM usually install some third-party Applications in your windows which you might or might not need. These applications take up a lot of space in your hard drive. Uninstalling them is an easy way to clean up your drive C and free up some space. To uninstall unwanted and unnecessary apps go to windows search and type ‘control panel’ from there go to uninstall programs and browse the software that you do not need and right-click on them or select uninstall button from the top to uninstall them one by one.

Now that you know all the methods of how to clean C drive use these whenever you feel like your PC is running slower than usual or you need to free up some space.