8 Ways to Clean Up Computer Junk to Speed ​​Up Computer 2024

1. Clear Recent Places history

The first way to clean up your computer to speed up your computer that we want to introduce is to delete the Recent Places history. This is a very useful and simple method of cleaning up trash, so it is used by many people. This method of deleting Recent Places history helps you remove unnecessary content, folders or images. To proceed with cleaning up trash, do the following:

- First, open the Run window using the Windows + R key combination , type Recent Places in the Open location , and press OK .

- The Recent folder will appear, press Ctrl + A to select all or select the files or folders you want to delete , then press Delete to complete the trash cleanup.

2. Clear Cache

When you open a file, folder or image, your computer will automatically save it as a Shortcut. The larger the file size, the heavier the junk on your computer. To delete unnecessary storage in the Shortcut, you just need to delete the parent folder Prefetch of this file. The steps to delete the Prefetch Cache are as follows:

- First, open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows + R key combination , type the Prefetch command in the Open location , then press OK to make the folder appear.

- In the Prefetch folder , press Ctrl + A to select all or select the files you want to delete , then press Delete .

3. Delete files in Recycle Bin - Clean up trash to speed up your computer simply

Another simple way to clean up your computer to speed up your computer is to delete files in the Recycle Bin . Many of you probably know that when you delete a file or image, the content is not completely deleted but will be stored in the Recycle Bin.

The larger the capacity in the Recycle Bin , the more memory in the computer, which leads to the computer lagging or slow startup. To fix the above situation, go to the Recycle Bin and permanently delete all that data. The way to do it is very simple, you go to the Recycle Bin on the Desktop, select all the files and folders you want to delete and press Delete.

4. Use CCleaner software to clean up computer junk

Using CCleaner software to clean up computer junk is also very popular. You do not need to know too many techniques to remove junk on the computer, just install CCleaner software will help you handle that unnecessary data. The way to clean up junk on CCleaner software is also very simple:

- First, you download and install the software on your computer.

- Open CCleaner software, then select Custom Clean and press the Run Cleaner button to start cleaning your computer.

5. Turn off programs that start with the computer

In addition to cleaning up junk, turning off programs that start with your computer also helps it run faster and smoother. To avoid unnecessary programs, do the following:

- First, open the Task Manager window by right-clicking on the Taskbar.

- The Task Manager window appears, select the Startup tab to see all the programs running with the computer. Then, right-click on the programs with Enable status and select Disable to turn them off.

6. How to clean up junk to speed up your computer - Remove unnecessary software

Another reason why your computer is running slowly is because there are too many unnecessary programs and software. The advice for you is to uninstall or delete those programs and software to help your computer run faster and have more memory capacity to store other data. Here is how to uninstall unnecessary software:

- You open Settings by using the Windows + I  key combination. In the Settings window , select App

- Then select the Apps & features tab , this tab will show all the software you have installed on your computer. Select Uninstall on the program or software you want to remove.

7. Defragment hard drive on windows

When you move back and forth between data, fragmentation occurs. To limit this situation, you can download software to defragment or use Windows on your computer. Here's how to do it:

Step 1:  Go to Start, select search and type the keyword ' Disk Defragmenter '.

Step 2:  Launch the software, select the drive to check and select  Analyze .

- Then the system will check and give the result of % of fragmented files. As shown below, the  E drive  of the machine is fragmented 0%:

Step 3:  After checking, you will know if your computer has a fragmented hard drive or not. If so, click on that item and select  Defragment disk  to resolve the fragmentation.

Step 4:  Select  Close  to finish after the defragmentation process is complete.

8. Clean up your computer to speed up your computer by reinstalling the operating system

Reinstalling the operating system is also a way to clean up computer junk to speed up the computer that you should try. With this method, you can solve all problems such as removing junk files, cache or temporary files thoroughly. In case your computer has a virus, you can also reinstall Windows to end the sluggish state.

Lesley Montoya

Update 17 January 2025