8 Simple Ways to Clean Your Windows 11/10 PC

To secure your Windows 10 or 11 PC continues to run smoothly, you should clean your PC regularly. PC cleaning basically includes removing unwanted files, tweaking the startup program list and defragmenting the drive.

In both Windows 10 and 11 operating systems, you have built-in tools to clean up your system. You can also manually delete your unwanted folders and files if you want.

Remove unwanted apps to clean up your PC

If you have any unused apps on your PC, it’s best to delete them to clear up storage space. You can do so using the Settings app on both Windows 10 and 11.

1. Open Setting app on your PC by pressing Windows + I keys at the same time.
2. Option Application on the Settings screen.

3. Find the app you want to remove and select it.
4. Option Uninstall in the opening for your application.

5. Choose Uninstall in the prompt that opens to remove the selected application.

6. Your application will now be deleted.

Follow the above procedure for each the app you want to uninstall on your computer.

Use Disk Cleanup to clean your Windows 10/11 PC

Disk Cleanup is a built-in Windows tool that you can use to find and remove unwanted files from your system. This tool automatically scans junk files and helps you get rid of them.

1. Open Begin menu, search Disk Cleanupand choose Disk Cleanup in search results.

2. Select the drive you want to erase and select ALRIGHT.

3. Wait for Disk Cleanup to analyze the selected drive.
4. On the Disk Cleanup window, select the files you want to remove from your computer. Then choose ALRIGHT at the bottom.

5. Option Delete files in the prompt that appears to delete the selected files from your machine.

Delete large folders to make space on your Windows PC

Nothing takes up more space on your hard drive than old and unused large folders. Fortunately, Windows has a built-in tool to quickly find folders that take up memory on your computer. You can then manually delete those folders if you want.

1. Click Windows + I simultaneous keys to open Setting application.
2. Option System on the Settings window.

3. Choose Warehouse from the left sidebar.
4. Option Other in the right pane.

5. You will see a list of folders that take up a large portion of your storage space.

6. Select a folder to open it in File Explorer. You can then manually delete the folder in File Explorer.

Uninstall built-in apps and make your PC Bloatware-free

Both Windows 10 and 11 come pre-installed with certain apps. If you don’t use these apps, you can delete them and clean up your PC.

1. Access Begin and find the pre-installed app you want to remove.
2. Right click on the application and select Uninstall from the menu.

3. Option Uninstall in the prompt that opens to remove the app from your PC.

Use these steps to remove any other pre-installed apps from your computer.

Empty the trash

When you delete a file from your PC, it goes straight to the Trash. This means, if you don’t clear the contents of the Recycle Bin on a regular basis, the Recycle Bin will get bigger and bigger.

Fortunately, there is a unique option you can use to Empty the entire Trash once:

1. Locate Garbage can shortcut on your desktop.
2. Right click on Garbage can shortcut and select Empty trash can from the menu.

3. Option Right in the prompt that appears.

Defrag your drive

Via defrag your drive, you gather relevant data on your disk. This does not change the way the file appears on your PC as these changes are internal only.

1. Open Begin menu, search Defragment and optimize drivesand select that option in the search results.

2. Select your main hard drive on Optimize the drive window and select Optimization button.

3. Wait for Windows to defrag your drive.

Turn off startup apps to make your PC boot faster

Your PC has certain applications, called startup applications, that automatically launch when you turn on your computer. If your computer takes too long to boot, you should remove unnecessary apps from this startup apps list.

This doesn’t delete your apps, and you can always add your apps back to the startup apps list.

1. Launch Setting application by pressing Windows + I keys at the same time.
2. Option Application on the Settings window.
3. Choose Start up from the left sidebar.
4. Find the application you want to stop running when you start your PC. Then turn the switch for that application to the off position. Repeat this process for each app you don’t want to launch when you turn on your device.

Delete browser extensions and history

While cleaning a PC running Windows 10 or 11, it is also important to clean web browsers as they are part of the system. In most browsers, you can clear content by clearing your browsing history and removing unused extensions.

In most web browsers, you can remove the extension by right clicking on the extensions and selecting Eliminate.

You can clear your browsing history by accessing your browser Setting and select an appropriate option. You can also delete cookies and other site data.

Built-in tools make cleaning your Windows 10/11 PC even easier

Whether your PC has become sluggish or you don’t want your PC to work there, the methods outlined above will help you keep your PC clean and tidy. We hope the guide helps you out.