This tutorial covers how to automatically remove installation files to free up storage space. We will do our best to make sure you understand this guide. I hope you will like this blog How to automatically delete installation files to free up storage space. If your answer is yes, please share after reading this.
Check how to automatically delete installation files to free up storage space
There are many files and folders in Windows that you don’t need. It can be difficult to know what’s safe to remove from Windows, with hidden caches, old junk files taking up space, and things you can delete to really fix problems.
Let’s take a look at various Windows files and folders that can be safely deleted, along with the reasons you might want to do so. It will help you free up disk space and learn more about your computer. Note that some of these folders are in password protected areas, so be careful when deleting them.
Want to free up space on your Windows computer? Here is a list of Windows files and folders that can be safely deleted to save space on your hard drive.
What to remove from Disk Cleanup
This is not a complete guide to the Disk Cleanup Tool, so we won’t go through all of the options it offers. However, the following options are easy to find (be sure to select Clean up system files first to see them all):
- Windows Update Cleanup: This erases old copies of Windows Update files. They can be safely removed in most cases, but you should save them for troubleshooting if you have any upgrade issues.
- Windows update log files: Likewise, these are data files that Windows Update saves to help you investigate issues with updates or installations. You can remove them if you haven’t had any errors related to updating Windows to a new version.
- Language resource files: If you’ve already downloaded another language or keyboard layout that you don’t use, this will allow you to easily remove it.
- Trash: While you can empty the trash through its own window, you can easily do that here as well. Just make sure there is nothing inside that you need.
- Temporary files: As the name suggests, temporary files are not used for anything long term, so you can delete them without worry.
Now let’s see what you can safely remove from Windows 10.
1. The hibernation file
Hibernation mode on your PC is similar to sleep mode except that the system saves all your open work to the storage drive and then shuts down. You can remove the battery from your laptop and hibernate for a week, then start over and pick up where you left off.
Of course, this takes up space, that’s what the hibernate file is for. Depending on the size of your hard drive, the hibernation file is likely to be several gigabytes or more.
If you don’t use hibernation and want to turn it off, you can easily do that through the command prompt. Note that you should not just delete hiberfil.sysbecause Windows will recreate it.
Right click on the Start button or press Win + X, then open a Command prompt (administrator) Where Windows PowerShell (administrator) resulting menu window. Enter the following command to disable hibernation:
powercfg.exe / hibernation disabled
This is all that is needed to turn off hibernation. Windows should remove hiberfil.sys by itself when you do this; feel free to delete it later if not. Note that disabling hibernation will also prevent your computer from using a fast boot in Windows 10. This is not a huge loss, however, as this feature is known to slow boot times and other issues.
2. Windows temporary folder
As you can guess from the name, Windows temporary files are not important beyond their initial use. The files and folders inside contain information that Windows was using at the same time, but no longer needs.
Instead of cleaning through Disk Cleanup. you can visit this folder and delete its contents manually, if you wish. Just press Ctrl + A to select everything inside, then press To delete. Windows may give you an error on a few items when you do this; ignore them and delete everything else.
3. The basket
The Recycle Bin is a special folder, while it appears under your VS : drive, it is protected by Windows and you do not need to access it this way. Every time you delete a file on your system, Windows sends it to the Recycle Bin. This is a special place where deleted files are kept until you delete them or restore them permanently.
While it might seem obvious to you, we’re including it in case some aren’t. It’s easy to forget that gigabytes of old data can go into your recycle bin.
You can access the Recycle Bin via the shortcut on your desktop. If you don’t see this, write shell: RecycleBinFolder in the file explorer navigation bar. Once here, you will see everything you recently deleted.
Right-click on individual items and choose To delete to delete them permanently, or choose Restore to send the file to its original location. Above the strip Recycle Bin Tools tab, you will see buttons for Empty the recycling bin Yes Restore all items Right now.
To change the way the recycle bin works, click Recycle Bin Properties here. In this menu you can change the maximum container size, or even choose Do not move files to the recycle bin.
With this option, Windows skips the Recycle Bin and permanently deletes items when you delete them. We do not recommend it, as the Recycle Bin gives you a second chance in the event of accidental deletion. Likewise, Display the delete confirmation dialog it will take an extra step every time you delete a file.
4. Windows.old folder
Whenever you update your version of Windows, the system saves a copy of your previous files called Windows.old. Basically, this folder contains everything that made up your previous installation, in case something didn’t transfer correctly.
If necessary, you can use this folder to revert to a previous version of Windows. It is also possible to open the folder and recover some lost files if needed.
Windows automatically deletes this folder soon after the update, but you can delete it yourself if you are running out of space. It will not be deleted if you try to go through file explorer, so type Disc cleaning from the Start menu and launch the tool as described above.
Click on Clean up system files at the bottom of the window and let the utility perform another scan. When finished, look for the Previous Windows installations and delete it with this tool.
Obviously, deleting these files makes it difficult to recover data if something goes wrong. After updating Windows (even only to the latest version of Windows 10), we recommend that you keep this folder until you are sure everything is working fine.
5. Downloaded program files
The name of this folder is a bit confusing. It actually contains files used by Internet Explorer ActiveX controls and Java applets, so if you are using the same function on a website, you don’t need to download it twice.
Indeed, this file is useless today. ActiveX is a hugely outdated technology rife with security holes, and Java is almost extinct on the web today. Internet Explorer is the only browser that supports ActiveX, and you’ll probably only find it on older corporate websites (if you ever do).
Most home users no longer use IE, let alone ActiveX. You Downloaded program files The folder may already be empty, but you can clean its contents if it is not.
6. LiveKernelReports
Another directory that most likely pops up when looking for large files on your computer is the LiveKernelReports folder. This folder houses the dump files, which are continuous information logs that Windows maintains. If your computer has a problem, you can scan the contents of these files to start solving your problem.
Any large file ending with the DMP File extension in this folder can be safely deleted. However, as with the previous locations, we recommend that you use Disk Cleanup rather than deleting the file yourself.
When Windows freezes or you have other major computer problems, do not delete these dump files just yet. You can use a program like WhoCrashed to get more information from them.
7. Replacement record
While the Filling The folder is not large, you might be surprised to see it appear on your system. It contains various small files and you might even notice that some task manager processes are connected to it.
This folder is connected to Windows 10 Update Delivery. Includes “reliability improvements” to help Windows 10 Updates work properly and resolve compatibility issues.
So can you delete the Filling to file? Apparently, there are no side effects from doing so. However, since it only takes a few megabytes and can make Windows updates less frustrating, it’s best to keep it.
Final words: How to automatically delete installation files to free up storage space
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