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How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer

If you need to free up some space on your computer, you may be searching for files to delete. Temp files are created when Windows shuts down in an irregular way, and your computer doesn't need them to function, so these are good...
Method 1 of 2:

Deleting Temp Files

  1. How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 1How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 1
    Use Disk Cleanup. This tool is incredibly useful for removing temporary files and prefetch files from your Windows computer. It works for any version of Windows that is Vista and higher.
    1. Open Disk Cleanup. You can do this in a couple different ways.
      1. Go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup.[1]
      2. Open Run by holding down Win+R, and type '%windir%system32cleanmgr.exe' without the quotation marks into the Open field.
    2. Select the storage drive you wish to clean. Generally speaking, you'll want to select the OS drive, which defaults to C: unless manually changed to a different path letter. The utility will then scan the selected storage drive for temporary files of a large variety. Once finished, you'll be met with a list of temporary file types.
      1. You may also see the option to "Clean Up System Files." This option requires Administrative permissions/rights to function, and is a more thorough method as it digs deeper into the OS to remove temporary file types such as Windows Updates catalogs.
      2. Check 'Temporary Internet Files' and 'Temporary Files,' and press 'OK.'
  2. How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 2How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 2
    Search for .temp files. Temporary files usually have the file extension .temp added to the end, so go into "my computer" or "this PC" and search for *.temp in the C: Drive. The * is important as that tells the computer to search for everything ending in .temp.
  3. How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 3How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 3
    Search "Free up disk space" in the Control Panel. Click 'Free up disk space by deleting unnecessary files.' Check the "Temporary files" box and press OK.[2]
Method 2 of 2:

Deleting Prefetch Files

  1. How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 4How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 4
    Open Windows Explorer. Go to the 'Organize' dropdown button, and select 'Folder and Search Options.' Click the 'View' tab. Check 'Show hidden files, folders and drives,' and click Apply. Click 'OK' to close the window.[3]
  2. How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 5How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 5
    Open your OS drive. This defaults to C: unless manually changed to a different path letter. Go to Windows>Prefetch. Delete desired .pf files.
  3. How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 6How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 6
    Open Windows Explorer again. As before, go to the 'Organize' dropdown button, select 'Folder and Search Options,' and click the 'View' tab.
  4. How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 7How to Delete Temporary Files and Delete Prefetch Files from Your Computer Picture 7
    Select 'Don't show hidden files, folders or drives.' Click 'Apply.' Click 'OK' to close.[4]
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