Is it safe to delete Windows Update temporary files/folders? Find the answer here.

Which files are selected by default for deletion when using the Disk Cleanup tool on a Dell laptop?

• Downloaded Program Files
• Temporary Internet Files
• Windows Update Cleanup
• Thumbnails

Is it safe to use Disk Cleanup and delete "Windows Update Cleanup," without harming my computer? The Disk Cleanup tool warns not to delete Service Pack backup files, but gives no such warning for other files that can be manually selected for deletion. Thank you. I want to clean up this computer, and appreciate your time in reading and responding.

A Comprehensive Guide to Disk Cleanup in Windows 11/10 (UTF-8)

When you receive a message that your PC is running out of space, the system might suggest using Disk Cleanup, which can free up a lot of space on a computer running Windows. What is Disk Cleanup? It's a built-in utility in Microsoft Windows designed to free up disk space on your computer's hard drive. You can launch Disk Cleanup from the Start menu – just search for "Disk Cleanup." The tool scans for files that are no longer needed and then deletes the selected unnecessary files. During its initial disk scan, Disk Cleanup looks at several different categories of files:

"Windows Update Cleanup"

When you install updates through Windows Update, Windows keeps old versions of system files. This allows you to uninstall the update later if you have problems with it. In most cases, it's safe to delete these files.

Downloaded program files

Downloaded Program Files are ActiveX controls and Java applets that you download automatically while browsing the web. They are stored temporarily on your hard drive in the Downloaded Program Files folder. You can delete them at any time.

Temporary Internet Files

The "Temporary Internet Files" folder stores copies of webpages on your hard drive for quick viewing. This does not affect personalized settings on webpages. Clearing this folder frees up space, but the cache will fill up again automatically. Note that this only affects Microsoft browsers.

"Transmitting optimized file"

"Delivered Optimized Files" refers to files that were previously downloaded to your computer but are not currently being used by the Delivery Optimization service.

Temporary File

Programs often store data in a temporary folder. Select this option to have Disk Cleanup delete temp files that haven't been modified in a week.

Trash Bin

The Recycling Bin contains files that you have deleted from your computer. They are not permanently erased until you empty the Recycling Bin.

Thumbnail

Windows keeps thumbnail copies of all your pictures, videos, and documents so that they can load quickly when you open a folder. If you delete these thumbnails, Windows will automatically recreate them when needed.

Others

• Windows update log files
• System error memory dump files
• Windows Error Reporting queue
• Device driver packages

Important: Do not delete the Windows ESD installation files

Windows ESD installation files, also known as Electronic Software Download installation files, contain an encrypted version of the Windows image format. They take up several gigabytes of disk space on your Windows PC. You might think that deleting these files will free up a lot of space on your hard drive. However, it's not a good idea to delete Windows ESD installation files. Windows ESD installation files are related to the "Reset this PC" feature. They allow you to restore your computer to its factory settings.

If you plan on resetting your PC, don't delete the Windows ESD installation files during the Disk Cleanup.

Delete items from Disk Cleanup based on actual usage

Most of these files are safe to delete during disk cleanup. So, when you see the following options in Disk Cleanup, choose to delete them as appropriate for your situation.

• Windows upgrade log files
• Windows Update cleanup
• System error memory dump files
• Temporary Windows installation files
• Delivery Optimization files
• DirectX shader cache
• Device driver packages
• Recycle Bin

You can safely delete these files directly from Disk Cleanup.

Which files can you safely delete? Almost everything in Disk Cleanup is safe to remove, except for the Windows ESD installation files, unless you plan to downgrade your version of Windows, roll back device drivers, uninstall Windows updates, or fix system issues. However, the following options are less significant and can be deleted to free up disk space for new data:

• Temporary Internet Files
• Temporary Files
• Windows Defender
• Thumbnails

How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Files from Disk Cleanup

What if you accidentally deleted files during disk cleanup? For example, you selected the Recycle Bin option in Disk Cleanup and then emptied the Recycle Bin after running it. How can you recover lost files? You can run the Data Recovery Wizard tool. This all-in-one data recovery software can restore lost, deleted, or formatted files from hard drives, SSDs, SD cards, USB flash drives, and more.

Download this data recovery software and follow the steps below to get back the files you need.

Step 1. Select the exact location of the file and click on the "Scan" button to proceed.

< strong >Step 2.< /strong> Once the scanning process is over, select the "Deleted Files" and "Other Lost Files" folders from the left panel. Then, you can use the "Filter" feature or click on the "Search for a file or folder" button to look for the deleted files.

Step 3: Click on the “Recover” button to save the retrieved files to a different location (preferably).

Conclusions

Most of the items and files in Disk Cleanup are safe to delete. However, if your computer is running poorly, deleting some of these files may prevent you from uninstalling updates, rolling back your operating system, and more. As such, it's best to keep these files if you have the disk space. If your PC is running slow, you can safely delete these files per the instructions in this article.