How to delete temporary files on Windows 11

By Saadat Rafiq · 2 min read · 5 steps · Published 6 October 2026

Device

Windows

Shown on

Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 (build 26200.9457), Microsoft Cloud PC

App

Settings

Path

Settings › System › Storage › Temporary files › Remove files

Real screenshots

4 of 5 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. Open Temporary files

   Press Windows + I, click System, then Storage, then Temporary files. Windows scans and lists each kind of file with its size.

   Done

2. 

   Check what is ticked

   Each entry explains what it is. On our PC Delivery Optimization Files took 2.16 GB, Temporary Internet Files 12.2 MB and Thumbnails 9.01 MB, and the total selected was 2.18 GB.

   Done

3. 

   Scroll and click Remove files

   Further down are DirectX Shader Cache and, on ours, 105 MB of Updates. Untick anything you want to keep, then click Remove files at the top. We did not click it on our Cloud PC.

   Done

4. 

   Open the Temp folder

   Right-click the Start button, choose Run, type %temp% and click OK.

   Done

5. 

   Delete what is inside

   File Explorer opens your user's Temp folder in AppData, Local. Press Ctrl + A and Delete. Close your apps first: Windows skips files that are still in use, and you can click Skip for those. Ours held 19 items; we deleted nothing.

   Done

About this guide

Windows and apps leave temporary files behind: update downloads, thumbnails, caches and the contents of the Temp folder. Removing them frees space and does no harm, because Windows makes new ones when it needs them.

The screenshots are our own, taken on Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 (build 26200.9457) running as a Microsoft Cloud PC, a Windows PC that runs in the cloud. The Settings app is the same on Home and Pro PCs; where the Cloud PC shows something different, the step says so.

Good to know

Downloads is not in the Temporary files list on our PC. Check your Downloads folder yourself before removing anything there.

To let Windows do this by itself, switch on Storage Sense: how to free up disk space on Windows 11.

In short: Settings, System, Storage, Temporary files, Remove files. Then Run, %temp%, select all, Delete, skip files in use.