How to Open and Use Disk Cleanup in Windows

Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) is a built-in Windows utility that removes selected temporary and system files. It can free storage space, but it is not a general performance repair tool. Review each category before deletion.

Open Disk Cleanup from Search

Open Start, type Disk Cleanup or cleanmgr, and select the matching result.

Open Disk Cleanup from Run

Press Windows + R, type cleanmgr, and press Enter.

Open it from Command Prompt

1. Open Start, type cmd, and select Command Prompt.

   

2. Type cleanmgr and press Enter.

   

Administrator rights are not required for ordinary user-file cleanup. Use Clean up system files inside Disk Cleanup when you intentionally need the elevated system categories.

Open it from PowerShell or Windows Terminal

1. Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal from Start or the Windows + X menu.

   

2. Run cleanmgr.

   

Open it from Control Panel

1. Open Control Panel.

   

2. Search for disk cleanup and select Free up disk space by deleting unnecessary files.

   

Administrative Tools on older Windows versions

Some older versions list Disk Cleanup under Windows Administrative Tools.

Choose what to clean

1. Select the drive to scan, normally the Windows system drive, and choose OK.

   

2. Review the calculated categories and descriptions. Select only data you no longer need.

   

3. Choose OK > Delete Files.

Pay special attention to Downloads, Recycle Bin, previous Windows installations, device-driver packages, and installation files because removal may limit recovery or rollback. For a modern Settings workflow, see how to clear temporary files in Windows 10. The command-line version is covered in cleaning Windows with Command Prompt.