How To Clean Your Hard Drive Pc

Why should y'all clean up your PC?

In the course of everyday use, your PC will accrue a sizeable collection of useless files, and yous don't want to wait until the last minute to figure out how to clean your computer.

Hither'south a few examples to demonstrate how easy it is to discover yourself in demand of a PC cleanup earlier you know information technology:

You install applications or games and forget to delete them when you lot don't need them anymore. Sometimes, programs even install other programs. E'er get something from one of those popular download sites? Chances are that their downloaders secretly installed free trials of things y'all never fifty-fifty asked for.
Microsoft releases new versions of Windows 10 effectually every six months. Every fourth dimension you update your operating system, it creates a fill-in of your old system files.

3.5 GB of worthless data!
When you launch and run whatever application or browse the web, this activity creates temporary files. For case, Spotify creates dozens of temporary cache folders in C:\Users\Sandro Villinger\AppData\Local\Spotify\Storage every bit I listen to music.

These temporary files relieve you from needing to redownload a song each time y'all listen to it. This is helpful in theory, only over time, this type of data adds upward, and many applications tend to leave it there.

These are just 3 ways you lot can air current up with a PC in need of a good computer cleaning.

Why should I clean upwardly these temporary files on my PC?

Adept PC hygiene gives you 2 concrete advantages:

More disk space: Cleaning upward your computer has the immediate benefit of giving y'all more deejay infinite. In some cases it's simply a few hundred megabytes, but if information technology'due south been a while, you might free upward multiple gigabytes! Yous'll take more space for everything you actually need: more than data, more than programs, more than everything!
Information technology fixes problems: Old enshroud files can cause errors. In some cases, when these caches are non deleted, new data tin't overwrite them, and some programs may employ erstwhile files instead of electric current ones. This tin can wreak all sorts of havoc, from websites not opening, to programs not working properly, to random system freezes or crashes. Whenever my automobile is behaving strangely, I clean information technology from top to bottom.

Does cleaning up my PC speed it up?

No! This is the most common misconception about "cleaning''. Getting rid of one-time files doesn't speed upward your PC, it merely frees upwardly infinite. Former data sitting on your hard drive isn't using any of your system's resources, and so it won't slow information technology down.

There is ane notable exception to this rule. If you run completely out of disk infinite, your applications and operating arrangement can't create new temporary files. As mentioned in the previous section, this volition cause astringent slowdowns or result in non-functioning applications. Please make sure to keep at least a few GBs gratuitous!

Clear space on your computer by deleting unused apps and programs

Programs can accept upwardly a huge amount of space on your hard disk. It'due south high time to clean up your PC and laptop by deleting unused and unwanted applications. We'll show you how easy information technology is to clean your estimator retention using Windows' ain control panel (with some actress help from a specialized Avast tool):

Get rid of unused programs under Windows 10

Click on the Get-go button first then on the Settings cog.
Next, click on the Apps section to view a list of your applications.

To free up space, become through that list detail by item and get rid of anything that you don't need. If you accept no idea what a specific programme does or what it stands for, look it upwardly! Yous'll quickly find out everything y'all need to know in order to decide what you can live without.
To relieve space, delete whatever app you don't need with the Uninstall push button.
Repeat this footstep for all applications! Certain, information technology might accept a while, merely y'all'll earn a few gigabytes of additional storage for your problem.

Uninstall unused programs under Windows 7

Click on the Starting time button in the lower-left corner to open upward the Control Panel.
Select Uninstall a program.
Next, y'all'll encounter a list of applications installed on your PC. Decide whether or non you need each of these, using your favorite search engine if needed to aid in your decisions.
Once y'all're sure y'all no longer want a particular app, click the Uninstall button and then follow the instructions to give information technology the kick.

Employ our software quarantine feature to "pre-uninstall" applications

Withal unsure if y'all need a sure app? Avast'south Software Cleanup, initially designed to detect bloatware (trials, adware, and other junk), allows you to temporarily "test-uninstall" potentially unwanted programs. Nosotros'll remove everything tied to the program, such equally its shortcuts, agile processes, and background services, then confine it to a quarantined location. There, it'll remain inactive and so yous can get an thought of what life is like without it. If y'all miss information technology, we'll bring it back!

Here'due south how it works:

Download the complimentary trial of Avast Cleanup for PC.
Head over to the Speed Up department and select Unnecessary programs:
Y'all can safely uninstall any programs listed here, as they've already been deemed unnecessary by our reputation engine and by other users.

Click Review all my other programs to reveal a complete listing of applications.

To find all the apps you haven't been using lately, sort using the Terminal used tab. Hither's where y'all tin utilize our software quarantine, a special feature of Avast Cleanup that Windows doesn't offer in their built-in installer.

To quarantine a plan, simply click Motility TO TRASH. If you later realize that you don't need a given application, you tin can fully uninstall information technology at that time for a thorough organisation cleanup.

Clean upwardly your startup programs to boost PC startup fourth dimension and performance

Every time yous plow on your PC, information technology volition automatically launch various applications as information technology boots up. Some of these startup programs are necessary, such equally your antivirus tool or OneDrive for file synchronization, but a lot of them aren't. You lot can speed upwardly your PC's startup fourth dimension by preventing some of these programs from opening right away. Let's perform a quick system cleanup to disable or even remove unwanted startup programs.

Disable startup items on Windows 10

Right-click on your Windows task bar and select Chore Manager.
Go to the Startup tab. The list contains many of the applications that automatically run when you turn on your PC.

To prevent an application from launching automatically at startup, right-click on it and select Disable. But first, practice some inquiry to ensure that you're not removing anything integral to your user experience. In the example to a higher place, Boot Camp Manager is responsible for the touchpad on my laptop. If I disable that, I can't right-click using the trackpad.

Of course, there'southward e'er the aggressive approach. Disable everything aside from your antivirus tool — don't worry, your PC will start upwardly normally even when y'all turn off everything — and run into if whatever necessary functions are missing. If non, reboot your car and bask your faster startup speed, thanks to this simple Windows cleanup.

Disable startup items on Windows 7 (also works on Windows 10)

If you haven't updated yet to Windows ten, here'due south a quick trick for how to clean upwardly Windows 7. This method actually works on Windows ten equally well.

Agree downwardly the WINDOWS fundamental on your keyboard and printing R. Type "msconfig" in the window that appears adjacent, and so press ENTER.
Switch over to the Startup tab and uncheck all the items you don't need. Again, search online to larn about any entries you don't immediately understand, and be sure not to disable anything related to your antivirus.

Run a manual system cleanup of your hd

Now, let's plough our attention to the hidden files on your disk and actually dig into how to clean up your laptop or PC. Both Windows seven and Windows x store a lot of hard-to-find data on your machine, such every bit:

Temporary browser data
Collected data on system crashes
Windows mistake-report files
User file history and image thumbnails
Setup protocols
Leftover files from Windows updates

Windows 7 and Windows ten: Hidden disk cleanup

To get rid of at least some of these files, you tin use the "hidden" version of Microsoft's own disk cleaner. It'll requite your computer a more than thorough cleaning than the default tool.

Right-click on an empty infinite on your Windows desktop and select New and Shortcut.
In the bare field, paste the post-obit command:

%SystemRoot%\System32\Cmd.exe /c Cleanmgr /sageset:65535 &Cleanmgr /sagerun:6553
Click Next and give the shortcut a name, such as The Ultimate Cleanup. Finished! Now, right-click on that new desktop shortcut and select Run As Administrator.
Check all the boxes and hit OK to run a cleanup of your Windows operating system. This volition take a while, but yous'll end up with a few extra gigabytes of space.

Automate the cleanup process and clean up applications, as well

The Windows cleanup procedure we've but described is a great start when it comes to getting rid of temporary files. Still, it won't articulate all the unnecessary files on your deejay, nor will it address the tertiary-party applications which often saddle your computer with the most baggage. Most inconveniently, it doesn't offer automatic cleanup. This is where our own Disk Cleaner comes in — included every bit role of Avast Cleanup for PC.

Hither's how it works:

Download and install the gratis trial of Avast Cleanup Premium for PC. After starting it upwards, head on over to the Free Up Space section.
Select all the unlike categories and striking the CLEAN Now button!
To automate the procedure, simply go back and click on Maintenance. This volition clean your Windows system, your applications, and your browsers in one get. Switch on Automatic Maintenance to go along this happening regularly.

From now on, yous'll never have to worry about cleaning temporary files again!

Find the biggest space hogs on your PC

Large files such as long-forgotten downloads, abased video projects, and unplayed games are some of the greediest disk space offenders. Often, they're curtained inside some obscure folder you've forgotten about! That'due south why I'll scour my entire hd for huge files and comb through all of them to see what I demand, and what I don't. Here'south how to track downward gigantic files and folders in both Windows 7 and x:

Open up up a normal Windows Explorer window and become to Computer or This PC, where you'll run across an overview of all your hard drives.
Got it? Now, click on the search bar in the summit-right and enter:

Size:gigantic
This will outset a PC-wide search for files larger than iv GB. Go through the results and delete any files you are absolutely certain you lot no longer demand. Be conscientious, though, especially when looking at large files that sit inside the Program Files and Windows folders — there'due south a 99% chance y'all'll demand them (and probably tin't even delete them anyways).
Want to observe "smaller" larger files? Try out these commands:

Size:huge (1-4 GB)

Size:large (128MB to 1 GB)

Using this method, you can get rid of a lot of files you don't need!

Defragment your hd

Now that you've removed all these applications, temporary files, and huge chunks of data, your hard deejay will be filled with more holes than a wedge of swiss cheese. This issue is chosen "fragmentation," and it can drastically irksome downwards your PC. To gainsay fragmentation, considering reading upward on how to defragment your hard drive.

Physically clean your computer

It's non but your hard deejay that can succumb to a buildup of junk. Your PC is continuously collecting dust, which in plow will clog up the fans it uses to keep itself cool. When this happens, your processor or graphics card volition rut up, leading to performance slowdowns and even crashes. Stay ahead of the dust bunnies past opening up your PC or laptop case and giving the insides a proficient dusting with some compressed air (and keep a vacuum handy).

How will I know it'due south time to clean upward my PC?

Y'all shouldn't always go to a signal where yous'll "know" it's time for a cleanup. From now on, make the procedures outlined here a regular part of your computer maintenance routine. If you lot're seeing any of the post-obit signs, information technology'due south beyond time for a full cleanup:

You're getting "Low Deejay Space" warnings
You can't save programs or data anymore on your hard disk
Your PC runs very ho-hum or crashes (this is a cherry alarm!)

Does this sound familiar? Review the tips in this commodity to acquire how to go more than infinite on your laptop.

What about my other devices?

Macs too as iOS and Android devices are also probable in demand of a good cleanup, also. Cheque our helpful guides on jump cleaning for all your other devices:

How to clean up your Mac
How to clean upwardly your Android
How to clean up your iPhone or iPad

Easy, automatic cleanup for your PC

Automate the entire PC cleaning process with Avast Cleanup for PC. Rather than spending hours going through your hard disk's hidden folders, let our Automatic Maintenance feature handle it for you. With a pro-tier cleaning tool by your side, you'll ensure that all your computer'southward near important files are left right where they belong, while waving goodbye to every scrap of space-hogging junk.

Source: https://www.avast.com/c-how-to-clean-up-pc

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