How to Remove Junk Files on Windows

Before You Clean

Storage use grows through updates, app caches, downloads, and personal files. First find the largest category; deleting every cache is not a reliable way to make a PC faster.

Review and Clean Manually

1. Open Settings > System > Storage and compare the storage categories. Note free space before making changes.

2. Review Temporary files or Cleanup recommendations. Read each description; leave Downloads, Recycle Bin, and previous Windows installations unselected until you have checked their contents and recovery needs.

3. Uninstall genuinely unwanted apps using their normal uninstallers. Move personal files to a backed-up location instead of treating them as junk.

4. If an app cache is the cause, close that app and use its documented cleanup option. Preserve crash reports while troubleshooting.

5. Configure Storage Sense only after reviewing its retention settings. Recheck free space and the original problem.

Where Kudu Helps

Kudu’s Disk Analyzer helps find where space is used. System Cleaner then offers supported targets for review. It does not decide which personal files you can afford to lose.

Open Clean up > System Cleaner and run Scan. Review the relevant category and expand its results to inspect the paths. Set exclusions for anything you need to keep, then check the full selected total before Clean. Results search filters the view; it does not erase selections elsewhere.

After cleaning, check the summary and Activity > Cleanup receipts for removed, skipped, or failed items. A receipt is an outcome record, not a backup. Recovery Centre restores supported settings, not deleted files. Compare actual disk free space and test the original symptom; cache removal alone is not a promise of better performance.

Download Kudu Free → · Cleaning reference

References

• Official maintenance documentation
• Kudu cleaner rules