15 Exclusive stesp – How to clean your Windows 10 PC like a pro

How to clean your Windows 10 PC like a pro

Whether it’s old or new, no one likes to use a slow PC. So, if you’re looking for ways to clean up your PC and boost performance, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we will list the best ways to get rid of junk files, unwanted data, cache, cookies, and clean up Windows 10.

Normally, a computer works perfectly for 1/2 years but, sometimes, it slows down much sooner. This not only frustrates the user but also reduces productivity. That said, if you are looking for ways to delete unnecessary files on Windows 10 and clean your PC, here they are.

Quick and effective ways to clean up disk space on Windows 10

Over time, as we use our PC, random files, unused programs, invalid registry entries and other junk data are accumulated. This takes up storage space and fills the device’s storage space. Hence, to keep data organized and free up disk space, PC cleaning is required. Here’s how to do it.

1. Restart your PC

Memory plays an important role in the health of a PC, therefore, whenever problems occur with the system, it is recommended to reboot. It might seem like an obvious solution, but we all forget to apply it. So whenever you need to clean your PC, reboot your system to clear the RAM, shut down unwanted processes, clear the cache resulting in a semi-clean and faster PC.

2. Clean the disc

So far Windows 10 is the smartest version among the systems released by Microsoft. Using the built-in disk cleanup tool, you can easily clean unnecessary files and improve performance.

To use it, in the Windows search bar type Disk Cleanup>  Clean System Files. This will instruct the app to perform a thorough scan and check for old updates and log files.

Normally, you can delete these files but remember that if you clean up  previous Windows installations  using this option you cannot revert the changes.

This means that you should only use this option when you are sure.

3. Delete junk files using Storage Sense

To clean up your system and remove unwanted files, Microsoft has added a new feature called Storage Sense in Windows 10. Using it, you can easily remove unnecessary files and free up disk space. To use it follow the steps below:

1. Press Windows + I> System> Storage
2. Here you can see that Storage Sense is disabled.
3. To enable it, move the button from left to right
4. Next, click Configure Storage Sense or run it now
5. You will now see two options to free up disk space. You can change them or click the Clean Now button to clean the disk.
6. Once done, you will notice a difference. If you wish, keep it enabled or disable it.

4. Empty the trash

When a file is deleted from a Windows PC, it is not deleted. Instead, it is moved to the Trash so you can restore it. Due to this over time, the Trash takes up a lot of space and garbage is accumulated.

Hence, emptying the Recycle Bin is an important step in cleaning your PC. To free up space and empty the Recycle Bin, please follow the steps below:

1. Look for the Trash icon on your desktop
2. Double click to open it
3. Here you will see all deleted files, check them
4. If you are sure you want to remove everything, press Ctrl + A to select all files
5. Click Trash Tools> Empty Trash
6. This way you can clean up deleted files that are taking up unwanted space.

Tip : You can also reduce the size of the Recycle Bin and set how often it is cleaned automatically. To do this, right-click on the Trash icon on your desktop> Properties> Custom Size. Here you can specify the maximum size.

5. Clear your browser cache, history and temporary internet files

When you browse the web, your browser stores your search history, cache and cookies, this helps to load the web page quickly. But over time this information becomes outdated and slows down page load time. Therefore, when looking for ways to clean a PC, never neglect to clear your browser cache.

Apart from this, to reduce the loading time of the files, your system also saves the cache and this too becomes obsolete over time. So, without thinking too much if you want to clean Windows, remove the cache.

To do this, you don’t need any technical knowledge; this can be done simply by going to the temp folder and clearing the browser cache. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Press Windows + R.
2. In the Run window, type% temp%> ok.
3. This will open the temp folder. If you want to remove all files press Ctrl + A. Or sort them by date and delete them.

This will clean up your PC and remove unwanted temporary files.

6. Uninstall the obsolete program files

When an app is uninstalled manually, its remnants are often found on the machine in the AppData folder. This not only clutters the system but is also responsible for the DLL and other errors.

To access the AppData folder, press Windows + R and enter  % AppData%  > Ok

Here you will find three subfolders: Local , LocalLow  and Roaming . Go through each folder> select the traces of the old files and delete them.

Note : While doing this, only delete files that you are sure of. Do not delete any unknown files.

7. Clean up thumbnails, log files

Thumbnails and log files are left behind by an app installer when an app is installed. These files are useless and take up unnecessary space, so when cleaning your PC, removing these unwanted files is a good idea.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. In the Windows search bar, type Disk Cleanup
2. Select the search result and the drive from which you want to clean the thumbnails, log files
3. Select to check the box next to Thumbnails, Temporary Internet Files, Downloaded Program Files> Ok
4. This will clean all unwanted and temporary files, thus wiping the Windows PC.

8. Update Windows 10

After doing all the above steps, if you feel you don’t need any third party software or games. This means that you only need personal files and want to clean other data, try updating Windows.

Note : This will install a clean copy of the latest version of Windows 10 and remove the apps installed on the PC.

To update Windows, follow the steps below:

1. Press Windows + I> Update & Security
2. Click Recovery in the left pane> “Learn how to start over with a clean install of Windows”
3. You will be redirected to a new page> scroll down and click Download Tool Now.
4. This will install the Update Windows tool> launch it and start updating Windows.
5. When asked if you want to save personal files or not, select Keep personal files only and follow the instructions.
6. Now you will get a new version of Windows on which your files will be saved.

9. Delete large files and old downloads

If you think you have multiple unwanted large files and old downloads on your system, delete them to clean up Windows 10. To know how to do this you can read our post on how to completely uninstall programs on Windows 10. This will help delete these files and clean the system.

10. Delete System Restore and Shadow Copies

Sometimes, just to be more careful, we create multiple system restore points and shadow copies. This not only clutters the system, but also takes up unnecessary space. So, to clean your system and remove all this unwanted data, it is recommended to remove old system restore points and shadow copies that you know are not needed. This not only helps in cleaning the system, but also helps in fine-tuning and speeding up the system.

11. Defragment the hard drive

When prompted, Windows 10 automatically runs the disk defragmentation tools. But since we’re talking about cleaning up Windows 10, we suggest you manually defragment your hard drive.

This can be done using the built-in tool.

1. To run the Windows built-in defrag tool, in the Windows search bar, type  Defragment and optimize drives  and press Enter.
2. Now select the drive you want to defragment and wait for the operation to be done.

12. Clean up invalid registry entries

Windows registry cleaning horror stories are very popular, deleting a wrong entry or making changes without proper knowledge can crash your computer.

But for a clean PC it is important to keep the registry optimized. Like junk entries, if stored in the Windows registry, it slows down the system.

To do this, we recommend that you use the best Registry Cleaner software.

Note : Before making any changes to the registry, it is recommended that you perform a full backup of the registry. To learn how to do this, read our post on How to Back Up the Windows Registry. This will help undo the changes if something goes wrong.

13. Run a reliable security application

Next, to fix common Windows errors caused by viruses, it is recommended that you run reputable antivirus software. This will help clean up your PC and improve performance.

Note : The instructions for running an antivirus on a PC vary from app to app. But you will always find two options: full and deep scan. By clicking on either, you can scan your system for infections and quarantine them.

Tip:  The best alternatives to Avast Antivirus

14. Update Windows and installed software

One of the easiest ways to keep systems clean and optimized is to use up-to-date Windows and software. This helps protect the system from the latest attacks and fix bugs responsible for slowing down the system.

To check if you are using the latest version of Windows or not, follow the steps explained below:

1. Press Windows + I>  Update & Security   >   Windows Update   >  Check for Updates. 

Wait while you search for updates, if available, they will be installed automatically.

With that done, make sure you are running the latest version of all installed software.

15. Run the integrated Windows troubleshooter

To solve common problems, Windows 10 provides a built-in troubleshooter. To use it, please follow the steps below:

1. Press Windows + I>  Update and security>  select the category   Resolution  of   problems
2. Next, click on More troubleshooters and access all 17 troubleshooters to fix the problem you are facing.

Apart from this, you can also perform system maintenance tasks. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Type  Control Panel  in the Windows search bar.
2. Look for the Troubleshoot option.
3. If you can’t find it, click  View by and change the setting to  Large icons  .
4. This will open the system and the security troubleshooter.
5. Select the one you want to perform and follow the on-screen instructions.

16. Update the old drivers

Faulty, corrupt or outdated drivers can cause serious problems like Blue Screen of Death, device malfunction and more. Hence, to avoid such problems, it is best to keep them updated. This can be done through Device Manager, by visiting the manufacturer’s site, or by using a driver update tool.

If you want to update them yourself, we suggest you read our post on how to manually update the drivers. You will now see a difference in system performance.

Conclusion: how to clean Windows 10

So, we have explained the best and effective ways to clean your Windows 10 and boost performance. Using these steps you can perform all these tasks with just a few clicks. This means that if you are short on time but want a clean Windows PC, you can still have it very easily.

Also, using the Scheduler, you can schedule scans and keep your system optimized.

• To use it click on the three stacked lines in the top left> Settings> Schedule.

Of course, if you don’t want to use the tool, you can perform all actions manually, but doing so will take a lot of time and you will need to be careful. So, it’s up to you to decide what to decide and how to clean your Windows machine. Please let us know which method you have chosen and how much it helped you in cleaning your Windows PC.

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