Which unnecessary files should I delete to free up space on my PC?

As you use your PC, your hard drive can quickly fill up with unnecessary files, taking up valuable space. These files not only use up disk space, but also slow down your system, because Windows has to go through them at every startup. 

In this article, we’ll explore the different types of unnecessary files that you can safely delete to free up space on your computer. We’ll also give you tips to avoid accidentally deleting important files.

How can I tell which programmes are unnecessary on my PC?

1. Windows temporary files:
   • Created by Windows for operations such as updates, uninstallations, etc.
   • Other applications, such as web browsers and text editors, also create many temporary files.
   • All temporary files can be deleted safely without affecting Windows stability.
2. Outdated Windows files:
   • Files with extensions such as *.temp, *.bak, *.wbk, *.pif, *.diz, *.chk, *.gid, *.bad and *.old are considered outdated and can be deleted.
3. Duplicate files:
   • Over time, duplicate files such as films, photos or music may be stored in different folders, and deleting these duplicates can free up a significant amount of space.
4. Unnecessary files:
   • The files located in the following folders are temporary and can be deleted safely:
     • C:\Temp
     • C:\WINDOWS\Temp
     • C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch
     • C:\Documents and Settings[nom d'utilisateur]\Local Settings\Temp
     • C:\Documents and Settings[nom d'utilisateur]\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
     • C:\Documents and Settings[nom d'utilisateur]\Cookies
   • Note that all of these folders may not be present depending on your version of Windows.

How do I automatically remove unnecessary files in Windows?

1. Using Piriform’s Ccleaner:
   • Ccleaner is a free software tool recommended for cleaning unnecessary Windows files and temporary files generated by other applications.
   • From version 4 onwards, Ccleaner can identify all duplicate files on a hard drive with a single click, allowing you to delete the ones you consider unnecessary.
2. Deleting the Windows.old folder:
   • The Windows.old folder is created after an update to Windows Seven or Windows 8 without formatting the partition during installation.
   • If you don’t need any data from the previous version after a few weeks, you can delete the Windows.old folder using the Disk Cleanup tool.

Be careful when deleting .dll files, as they may be used by other software. It’s recommended that you rename them first to check that all your programmes work normally before deleting them.

Tips for safely deleting unnecessary files in Windows 10 

Here’s a summary of the steps for deleting unnecessary files in Windows 10:

1. Go to Windows Settings:
   • Click the Start menu icon, then the gear-shaped icon to open Settings, or use the Win+I keyboard shortcut.
2. Go to the “System” section:
   • Click the “System” icon, shown as an image of a laptop computer.
3. Go to “Storage”:
   • Find and click “Storage” in the middle of the left-hand column.
4. Select the temporary files you want to delete:
   • Tick the boxes for the file types you want to delete, such as the Recycle Bin or Downloads.
5. Delete the files:
   • Click “Delete files” to start the deletion process. A progress bar will show the status of the deletion.

The article also recommends checking the contents of the Downloads folder before carrying out the cleanup, to avoid accidentally deleting important files.

Conclusion 

Deleting unnecessary files is an essential step for maintaining your computer’s performance and stability. By regularly removing these temporary, outdated and duplicate files, you can free up disk space, speed up your system and avoid potential problems. 

However, it’s important to be careful when deleting files—especially .dll files—to avoid disrupting the operation of other software. 

By following the advice in this article and using the appropriate tools, you can keep your PC running well.