How to Clean Out Junk in Windows 10?

Do you miss the performance of your computer when you took it out of the box? As and when we use a computer, we add up a lot of software, applications, files, documents, photos, movies and a lot of clutter that accumulates a huge amount of space on the Hard Drive and on the RAM. Eventually, it becomes sluggish and we start facing performance issues with the computer.

Microsoft Windows operating system is evolved a lot yet there are a few activities that we need to perform manually or make use of a PC cleaner software to automate the process. Microsoft has gifted us with a lot of inbuilt utilities that can ease up the task however manual process is tiresome and tedious. You may need to perform certain steps on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to keep the performance up. These quick tips can make your computer as good as new.

Clear Cache, Cookies & Temporary Files

Let’s start with cleaning cache cookies and method to clean junk files.

Step 1. Press (Win + R) to open the Run command window, type ‘Temp’ and hit Enter.

Step 2. Select all files by pressing (Ctrl + A) and press the (Shift + Delete) key combination to permanently erase these files from the system.

Step 3. Press (Win + R) to open the Run command window, type ‘Prefetch’ and hit Enter.

Step 4. Select all files by pressing (Ctrl + A) and press the (Shift + Delete) key combination to permanently erase these files from the system.

Step 5. Press (Win + R) to open the Run command window, type ‘%Temp%’ and hit Enter.

Step 6. Select all files by pressing (Ctrl + A) and press the (Shift + Delete) key combination to permanently erase these files from the system.

Initiate Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup is a Windows inbuilt tool to clean junk files and free up precious space on your computer. You can initiate this PC optimizer utility to scan for clutter and clean it up from the storage.

Step 1. Press the Window key, type Disk Cleanup in the search box and select the ‘Disk Cleanup App’ from the search results.

Step 2. The Disk Cleanup utility will confirm the drive you wish to optimize. Select C: Drive that has your Windows OS installed on it to clean junk files from the storage. Look out for a small Windows logo to identify the drive that holds your OS installed on it.

Step 3. Click on the ’Okay’ button to initiate the scan.

Step 4. Put a check on Temporary Internet Files, Thumbnail, Recycle Bin, Delivery Optimization Files, Temporary Files, and Downloaded Files (if there is nothing important) and click on the ‘Ok’ button.

Step 5. Click on the ‘Delete Files’ button to confirm the deletion. All the selected junk files will be permanently removed from the computer.

Step 6. We’re not done yet, as per Microsoft Support, You can also clean up system files and other residual files left by Windows Updates. Click on the ‘Clean Up System Files’ button at the bottom and select all the files that can be removed from the device. Click on the Ok button to proceed.

Optimize Startup Items

Whenever we install any program on the computer, it automatically adds up itself to the startup items list. Unwanted startup items may hamper the performance and increase startup time. You should optimize startup items to keep them clean and only keep the necessary application enabled in the startup items list.

Step 1. Click on the Start button, type Startup and select the Startup Apps from the search results.

Step 2. In the Settings window, ensure that you are on the Startup tab on the left-hand side panel.

Step 3. On the right-hand side panel, you will find the list of items that can load during startup.

Step 4. Toggle OFF unwanted items that should not load during startup.

Run Disk Defragmentation

Installing and creating files on Hard Drive occupies space and once you remove them, space gets turned into a patch of blank space among the occupied space. This process is called fragmentation. Disk Defragmentation is a process to fragment the space and organize occupied and blank space in bifurcated sectors.

Step 1. Press the Windows key, Type Disk Defragmentation on the search bar and click on the ‘Defragment and Optimize Drives’ option from the search results.

Step 2. Select C: Drive and click on the ‘Analyze Disk’ option. If there are fragmented sectors it will show the result in fragmented percentage.

Step 3. Click on the ‘Optimize’ button to defragment the fragmented sectors. Repeat the same on all the hard drive partitions available on the drive. This is a time taking process and may take longer than expected depending on the file size.

Use Advanced PC Cleanup

If you are tired of the manual processes, you can make use of one of the best PC cleaner software available for 2021. This will automate the process to clean junk files and perform optimization.

Advanced PC Cleanup is one of the best PC cleaning and optimization tools to clean junk files and enhance PC performance. It also safeguards your PC from potential threats and malware infections. This PC cleaner software also allows you to manage your startup items and enhance the boot process.

Advanced PC Cleanup offers a one-click process to initiate a quick or deep scan to identify clutter in different folders and subfolders. It also identifies old downloads and unused files that need to be removed from the system. This PC optimizer is compatible with Windows 10/8.1/8/7 (both 32-bit and 64-bit) versions.

Apart from optimization, you get Malware protection, Identity protection, browser optimization, and other security features bundled up in one application. It also optimizes your Windows Registry files and uninstalls unwanted program while cleaning up their redundant files. In nutshell, it’s a complete package to clean junk files and perform PC optimization. Check out other PC Cleaners & optimization utilities available in 2021.

Summing Up

There are dozens of other steps that you may need to take on a routine basis to optimize the PC and clean up junk files. You can run Windows Updates, initiate a virus scan, clean temp files and cache manually, optimize browser, cookies, browsing history autofill data, uninstall unused or unwanted apps from the PC, or more. Alternatively, you can make use of one of the best PC cleaner software to automatically take care of your PC. This PC optimizer is a complete package to make your PC as good as new!