How to Clear Junk Files Using Disk Cleanup Utility in Windows 11
Honestly, figuring out how to free up space on Windows 11 without resorting to weird third-party apps was a bit of a headache for me at first. The built-in Disk Cleanup tool is there, but it’s hidden away in the depths of menus and not always obvious at first glance. If your drive is feeling sluggish or nearly full, this might be the easiest route—if you can find it, that is.
Start by opening the Start menu—the Windows icon down in the corner. Type Disk Cleanup into the search bar. Here’s where it got tricky for me; sometimes it’s not immediately obvious which option to click. It might show up under Windows Administrative Tools or be called Cleanmgr.exe. Don’t worry, though—just look for “Disk Cleanup” and click on it once it appears. It’s an oldie, but a goodie, and surprisingly effective if you dig through the right menus.
When you launch it, it will ask you to pick a drive to clean. Since most of us want to free up space on the C: drive, that’s probably selected by default. But if you have multiple drives or partitions—say, a D drive for backups or a separate SSD—make sure you choose the right one. I’ve seen some setups where the C drive is grayed out or missing options, which can be super frustrating. If you don’t see C:, or if it seems locked, try updating your BIOS or Windows, because sometimes OEMs lock certain options for security reasons. Also, you can run cleanmgr /D C in PowerShell or Command Prompt for a quick, no-fuss selection.
Once you select your drive, the utility scans for files it considers safe to delete. This step usually takes a moment—unless your drive is almost full and super sluggish. After the scan, a list appears of categories to clean. Common items include downloaded program files, temporary internet files, Windows error reports, DirectX Shader cache, delivery optimization files, and temporary files—pretty much everything that tends to pile up over time. Sometimes you even see an option to clean system files, which is useful if you want a deeper clean; just keep in mind this can sometimes delete important update logs or restores, so always double-check what you’re deleting.
At this point, you get to pick what to delete. It’s a bit daunting because some items, like error reports or Windows temp files, seem harmless. I usually go all-in and select everything, but caution is wise if you’re unsure—especially about things like “system created Windows error reports” or “Delivery Optimization Files,” which could be associated with Windows update caching. Make sure to review what it says—some files can be safely removed, but others might be needed for troubleshooting or recovery. If you’re into it, running cleanmgr with arguments like /sageset:1 allows you to preset exactly what gets cleaned and run it later, which is handy for automating cleanup tasks.
After you’ve made your choices, hit “OK.” A warning pops up to confirm—you know, that moment of “do I really want to delete all this stuff?” Click “Delete Files” and let the process run. Usually, it takes just a couple of minutes, maybe a little longer if your system’s really cluttered. If it hangs or seems frozen, don’t panic. Sometimes Windows gets slow, or the cleanup pauses, so give it a minute. If it’s still stuck, I’ve sometimes had to force close the window or restart the PC—nothing too drastic, but be careful with open programs.
Even after this, there might still be some junk hanging around—especially in caches or orphaned system files. That’s where Windows Storage Settings come into play. You can go to Settings > System > Storage and toggle options like Temporary Files or recycling Bin cleanup. From my experience, this method is sometimes faster and more straightforward than digging into Disk Cleanup, especially on newer builds where Microsoft keeps tweaking the interface.
One thing to keep in mind: clearing out files with Disk Cleanup can sometimes affect features like System Restore or BitLocker. Clearing TPM-related files or cache could potentially cause issues with hardware security or encryption keys. If you have BitLocker enabled—especially on laptops—make sure you back up your recovery keys before cleaning system files, because losing your TPM cache might mean losing access to encrypted drives or needing to re-authenticate with recovery keys.
Hopefully, this quick rundown helps. Once you get the hang of it, Disk Cleanup is a pretty satisfying way to keep your system lean without installing all those sketchy apps. Just remember for any bigger cleanup, like cleaning system files, double-check what you’re deleting. And it never hurts to run a backup beforehand, especially if you’re deleting large or system-critical files. Also, if you want to automate this kind of cleanup regularly, scripting with cleanmgr /sageset:1 and scheduling it with Task Scheduler isn’t a bad idea.
Anyway, hope this saved someone else a frustrating weekend. It took me way too long to untangle all those hidden options, so sharing this just in case it helps someone else avoid the same hassle. Keep your disks tidy, and your system will thank you!