Clean out Windows Temp folder

[Zachariah Boren]

In an ideal situation temporary files on a windows operation system are deleted when the applications close. Yet poorly written programs, improper shutdowns, program hangs, and computer crashes often leave unneeded temporary files on the hard drive.

Over time, these files accumulate, eating up hard disk space and, at times, impairing computer performance. If your computer is acting sluggish, deleting accumulated temp files may help to speed it up. In addition, some shutdown problems and download problems can be cured by cleaning up your temp files.

• 549,489 files
• 7.94 GB

You need to have a little working knowledge of temporary files. Windows and Windows applications create temporary files as they run. Working programs store bits of data in files called temporary or temp files. These are files that can be erased when they are no longer needed.


Get to it already !

Tested on: Windows 3.11, 95, NT4, XP, 2K, ME, 7, 8, 10


1. Click on Start, type the following command in the search box, and then hit the Enter key.
(if there is no search box, hit Start and select Run)

%temp%

This command will open the folder that Windows has designated as the Temporary folder. Inside the temp folder is an assortment of folders and files that were needed at one time but are no longer needed. Everything in this folder is safe to delete.

2. Click Edit => Select All (or CTRL - A). This will select all files and folders in the "TEMP" folder.

3. To delete these items, hit your Delete key on your keyboard. You will probably be prompted to confirm that you wish to Delete Multiple Items. Click on Yes to confirm

4. After all of the files have been deleted you can close the folder window and empty your Recycle Bin, permanently removing the files from your PC.

Note:
You may receive a Error Deleting File or Folder message while the files are being deleted. If a program on your system is running and using a "temp" file. You can skip the file in-use or close all open programs, and repeat the steps above. If you still receive the message, try restarting your PC and repeating the process again.