# Disk Cleanup vs Storage Sense on Windows 11 Windows 11 has two built-in ways to clear space on drive C:, and they do different jobs. Disk Cleanup (`cleanmgr.exe`) is the older tool you run once and tick boxes in. Storage Sense, under Settings › System › Storage, runs by itself on a schedule or when the drive gets low, and the same page offers Cleanup recommendations for a manual review. Most of what either tool removes is safe, but a few categories cost something: previous Windows installations, the Recycle Bin and the Downloads folder are not caches. ## Two tools, one set of categories | | Disk Cleanup | Storage Sense | | --- | --- | --- | | How it runs | You open it, choose a drive, tick categories and confirm | Automatic, once you turn it on | | Where | Search for Disk Cleanup, or run `cleanmgr` | Settings › System › Storage | | Drives | Any drive you choose | The system drive only | | Default state | Nothing happens until you run it | Off by default | | Personal folders | Lists only what you tick | Downloads and cloud files untouched unless you set rules for them | [Microsoft's Storage Sense guide](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/storage-filemanagement/manage-drive-space-with-storage-sense) confirms the details in the right column: Storage Sense is off by default, works on the system drive only, and with default settings runs when the device is low on disk space. [Microsoft's Disk Cleanup page](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/disk-cleanup-in-windows-8a96ff42-5751-39ad-23d6-434b4d5b9a68) still documents Disk Cleanup and describes it as the tool to use when a system does not have Storage Sense; on Windows 11 the same page points to Cleanup recommendations instead. ## Disk Cleanup and "Clean up system files" Search for Disk Cleanup on the taskbar, choose drive C: and wait while it calculates. The first list covers your own account's files. Microsoft notes that Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files and Thumbnails are selected by default; untick any you want to keep. Hover over a category's name to read its description. Select Clean up system files and choose the drive again. It calculates once more and adds Windows' own categories, such as Windows Update Cleanup, Delivery Optimization Files and, after an upgrade, Previous Windows installation(s). Nothing is removed until you select OK and then Delete Files. For repeated runs, [Microsoft's cleanmgr reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/cleanmgr) saves a selection under a number and replays it: ```cmd cleanmgr /sageset:1 cleanmgr /sagerun:1 ``` The first command only opens the settings dialog and stores what you tick; the second runs that stored selection on every drive. Save a selection you would also be happy to run unattended, which means leaving the costly categories below unticked. ## Which categories are safe, and which cost something | Category | What it holds | Cost of removing it | | --- | --- | --- | | Temporary files | Files programs left in Temp folders | Low. Microsoft's cleanmgr reference says temporary files not modified within the last week can be deleted safely | | Delivery Optimization Files | Downloads from Microsoft services, kept in a cache that can be shared with other PCs | Low. Microsoft's [Delivery Optimization FAQ](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/do/waas-delivery-optimization-faq) says Windows clears this cache automatically and Disk Cleanup can clear it when you need space | | Windows Update Cleanup | Superseded versions of updated components | Low, with a limit: see [WinSxS cleanup](/windows/blog/winsxs-folder-cleanup-windows) for what it can and cannot shrink | | Thumbnails, Temporary Internet Files | Preview images and old browser data | Low; selected by default | | Recycle Bin | Files you already deleted | Ends the restore path. Look inside before emptying | | Previous Windows installation(s) | `Windows.old` after an upgrade | Removes the option to go back to the earlier version. Microsoft says this can't be undone | | Downloads, where it appears | Whatever you saved there | Documents and installers you meant to keep | Previous Windows installation(s) is the one that deserves a pause. [Microsoft's free-up-space guide](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/storage-filemanagement/free-up-drive-space-in-windows) warns that deleting it removes your `Windows.old` folder and cannot be undone. Use the upgraded system for a while, check the apps you depend on, and copy any old file you still need out of `Windows.old` before you tick it. If a Downloads entry appears in any cleanup list, open the folder first. A tool listing a folder does not turn its contents into cache.
Two built-in cleanup tools with different jobs
Disk Cleanup runs when you start it, Storage Sense runs by itself, and Cleanup recommendations is a list to review. All three draw on similar categories.
## Storage Sense settings worth reading before you turn it on Open Settings › System › Storage and switch Storage Sense on, then open its settings page. Microsoft lists the controls: - **Cleanup of temporary files**: the safe part, and what runs on low disk space with default settings. - **Run Storage Sense**: how often it runs. - **Recycle Bin**: delete files that have been there longer than the period you choose. - **Downloads**: delete files in Downloads that have not been opened for longer than the period you choose. Microsoft says Downloads is not touched unless you set this up. - **Locally available cloud content**: make OneDrive files online-only after they go unopened; Microsoft gives 30 days as the OneDrive default. The Recycle Bin and Downloads rules are age rules, and age is not value. A tax document or an installer you will need again can sit unopened for months. If you want the automatic cleanup without that risk, leave the Downloads rule off and keep only temporary files. Making cloud files online-only keeps them in OneDrive; see [OneDrive Free up space](/windows/blog/onedrive-free-up-space-windows) for how that differs from deleting. ## Cleanup recommendations on Windows 11 Under Settings › System › Storage › Cleanup recommendations, [Microsoft lists](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/storage-filemanagement/free-up-drive-space-in-windows) Temporary files, Large or unused files, Files synced to the cloud and Unused apps. It is a review list, not an automatic job. Large or unused files is the one to read item by item: it is based on size and use, not on whether a file can be recreated. ## Where Mole for Windows Clean fits Mole's Clean covers some of the same ground, with its own rules: - **Temporary files**: your `%TEMP%` folder, items older than seven days, the same week Disk Cleanup uses. It keeps `%TEMP%\Low`, and files in use are skipped. - **Windows temporary files**: `C:\Windows\Temp` and `C:\Windows\SystemTemp`, also older than seven days. These rows need administrator approval, are never selected by default, and ask for permission only when you clean. - **Delivery Optimization files**: Mole asks the Delivery Optimization service to remove downloads it has finished and only keeps for sharing, rather than deleting files from the service's folder. - **Recycle Bin**: listed item by item, and each item needs your own selection. Mole's Clean does not run Windows Update Cleanup, does not remove `Windows.old` and does not list your Downloads folder. Use Disk Cleanup or Settings for the first two, and decide about Downloads yourself. Clearing stuck update downloads is a separate Optimize task, Reset stuck update downloads, which becomes available only after an update has failed to install repeatedly. The [cache cleanup guide](/windows/blog/windows-cache-cleanup) covers how Mole treats app caches. ## Check the result Note free space under This PC before you start, run one tool, then check the same drive again. If you emptied the Recycle Bin or removed `Windows.old`, that space comes back at once; temporary files return as you keep working, which is normal. If the drive is still nearly full, the space is somewhere else, usually apps, games or videos. [Sorting out a full C: drive](/windows/blog/windows-c-drive-full) and [finding large files](/windows/blog/find-large-files-on-windows) are the next steps. ## FAQ ### What is the difference between Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense in Windows 11? Disk Cleanup runs once when you start it and removes what you tick. Storage Sense runs automatically on the system drive, on a schedule or when space is low, using rules you set in Settings. ### Is Disk Cleanup safe on Windows 11? Temporary files, Delivery Optimization Files and Windows Update Cleanup are safe to remove. Previous Windows installation(s), the Recycle Bin and Downloads cost you files or a rollback, so check them first. ### Should I turn on Storage Sense? Turning it on for temporary files is low risk. Read the Downloads and Recycle Bin rules before enabling them, because they delete by age, not by whether you still need a file. ### Is it safe to delete Delivery Optimization Files? Yes. Microsoft says Windows clears this cache automatically and that you can clear it with Disk Cleanup when you need space. Canonical: https://mole.fit/windows/blog/disk-cleanup-vs-storage-sense-windows