Delete old temporary files that you don’t need anymore.
Use Disk Cleanup, CCleaner, or equivalent program to clean out all the unwanted data sitting on your laptop. This will free up space as well as prevent future clutter that could be collecting in the future too.
Empty recycle bin/trash to get rid of any leftover trash and junk from deleted documents or photos, even if you’ve deleted them permanently.
If you have a laptop then it’s likely that over time you’ve accumulated lots of junk files and temporary internet downloads on your computer. Junk files are the result of normal system maintenance but if left unchecked can slow down your computer significantly.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how to remove junk files from your laptop!
What are junk files?
Junk files are useless, temporary files that accumulate on your computer. They include things like broken cookies and old web browser history data from sites you’ve visited in the past but not recently enough for them to stick around. These are just a few of many examples! Thes files may range from 20MB – 100 MB+, depending on what kind of computer you’re using.
If you find that your computer is running slower than it used to, or the battery life has decreased significantly and there’s no obvious reason for it just yet, one of the things you could do (among many other possible fixes) might be to remove these files.
How are junk files created on laptops?
Junk files are created when you delete a file but it is still being used by another program. Even if the program closes, these files may remain on your hard drive until they’re needed again. Junk Files can also be caused by fragmented and unused space in your disk cache or temporary Internet folders called “caches.” These types of files can be removed by defragmenting your hard drive or using a disk cleaner.
Why do you need to delete junk files?
Junk files can take up a lot of space on your hard drive and slow down your computer’s performance. They are also more likely to contain viruses, so it is important to remove them from time to time.
At the time of the day, your laptop’s CPU will lag. This is because there are junk files that do not need to be used by the system in its operation process, but these files have a lot of space and occupy part or even most of RAM memory. So when you’re playing games on your laptop, for example, it can be slowed down and the game is not as smooth.
What are the most common junk files?
We often think of junk files as just general clutter, but in reality, there are many different types. The most common type is likely temporary internet files that accumulate in your cache and browser session after browsing the web.
You might also have a lot of duplicate photos if you use an app like Lightroom or Photoshop to modify them, even though they’re not actually taking up that much space.
When you browse on the internet, your web browser software also stores some files. This includes items like Cache, Cookies, and Temporary Files to make it easier for you to return to a site that is not visited frequently.
Finally, there are obsolete files that accumulate from old and unneeded programs on your computer.
How to Find Junk Files and Delete them from Your Laptop?
Before we get to the actual process of deleting junk files, it’s important that you know how to find them. There are a few different ways that you can go about this:
Open your My Computer folder and click on “Local Disk” or just type in C:\ into the address bar at the top left corner of the window.
In your Local Disk, you’ll see a list of folders that are all different types of files; Documents and Settings, Program Files, Users (etc.), etc., but one folder will have an arrow on it pointing down to show that there’s more content in this folder than what is visible at the top level.
We have mentioned few method. have a look:
1. Install a Disk Cleaner Program
To get rid of junk files, the easiest and probably fastest way is to install a disk cleaner. They’re easy to use, and warn you before deleting any files on your computer.
A disk cleanup program can help you delete files that are not necessary. You can set these programs up to clean your computer at a regular interval, like once a week or once a month.
Best disk cleaner programs are:
- CCleaner
- Disk Analyzer Pro
2. Right-click on the junk file
Another way to delete junk files is by right-clicking on the file and selecting “Delete.” You can do this with all of your junk files at once, or just one.
To prevent accidentally deleting important data when you’re trying to get rid of junk files, make a backup copy before erasing any sensitive information from your hard drive.
You can also recover your deleted files from recycle bin.
3. Delete junk files with Disk Cleanup
Disk Cleanup is a built-in Windows feature that will scan your hard drive for files to delete.
To start the process, open your “computer.” Right-click on the drive you wish to clean. Select “My Computer,” then select Properties and click on Disk Cleanup. At this point, select the files that you want to delete from a drop-down list and press OK when done.
4. Clearing Browsing Data
To clear browsing data, open your browser’s settings/options. From there you can select which types of files to delete and how much space they should take up on your hard drive (by default these are set to three months).
You will need to do this for every web browser that you use as well.
Chrome:
- Clear Browsing Data from Chrome.
- Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and choose “More tools”.
- Choose “Advanced” and select your desired duration from before or after today, including only cache data you want to clear. Click on “Clear data”.
Microsoft Edge:
- The first step is to open the browser.
- The second step is to click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
- The third step is to choose “Settings” from the menu that appears.
- Scroll down and choose what type of data you want to be deleted under Clear Browsing Data – ‘Clear Cookies’ for instance
5. Delete duplicated files
The first step is to open the folder that contains duplicate files.
You can find and delete them by pressing “Ctrl” + “A”. This will select all of the files in a particular file location.
Then you can click on individual images one-by-one (or press Ctrl+Shift+click) and choose “Move to Recycle Bin” in the drop-down menu.
Clear Cache:
The first step is to open a browser window and go to “Settings”.
Then choose “privacy”, followed by “clear browsing data”.
Select “cache” from the list, then click on clear all.
You can also use:
- Duplicate File Finder
- VisiPics
- Duplicate Cleaner Free
- dupeGuru
6. Delete Windows update data on Windows 10
On your computer, open the C drive. Then go to the Windows folder. Open a folder called “Software distribution.” Find all the files and delete them.
7. Delete temporary files
Open your Windows on the computer. Right-click the “Windows” icon and choose “Run”. Type in “%temp%” and click OK. Delete all of the junk files you find by saving any work you need to do with an application. Then open up “Run” again, but this time type “%temp%”. You can delete all the files that are in this location on your computer to free up more space.
8. Deleting prefetched files
To open your C drive, go to Windows and roll down. Look for the “Prefetch” folder and delete it.
What to do in order to recover deleted files by accident?
To free up the hard drive space or to keep the system running smoothly, some people decide to delete all junk files which clutter their laptop.
However, this can lead you to accidentally deleting important system files and your laptop may not operate properly afterward. To avoid such risks, it is advised that you only delete from these five locations: downloads, documents, music, pictures, videos, and your desktop.
When deleting files, always backup your documents to an external drive. If you delete a file and need it, it can be recovered from the backup.
Recoverit is designed for data recovery and can be used with iOs, Android or Windows devices. It has the power to “bring files back to life,” but before you start cleaning junk files, make sure that System Restore is enabled on your PC.
How Often Should You delete junk Files?
We recommend you delete junk files from your computer 1-2 times a week or once a month at least. That way, the hard drive to run more efficiently and be less prone to crashing due to a lack of space.
Conclusion
Follow our mentioned steps to remove junk files from your computer. It will help your laptop to keep more fast and efficient.
