Periodic Win10 Disk Cleanup Checklist
Over the years, I’ve developed a drill to keep the trash on my Windows disks under control. For Windows 10, that involves an interesting mix of tools and utilities to get rid of unwanted and unneeded files. Forgive me in advance for dragging in lots of stuff. That said, a genuine periodic Win10 disk cleanup checklist covers many bases. Thus, it should come as no surprise that numerous tools are needed. Here goes!
Right-click and run this tool as administrator to clean up system files automatically.
Populating the Periodic Win10 Disk Cleanup Checklist
What’s the period? Up to you to decide. I try to hit every item on the list at least once every three months (or after a Windows Upgrade) but some of them I repeat weekly or more often. Those looking for guidance can consider my suggested frequency entries in the following table.
| Tool | Description | Suggested Frequency |
| Disk Cleanup | Run as admin or choose “Clean up system files” | Weekly |
| CCleaner | Read over cleanup options carefully! | Weekly |
| Uncleaner | Temporary/working file cleanup only | Weekly |
| WizTree | Shows disk space consumption, biggest consumers | Monthly |
| WinDirStat | Shows disk space consumption, biggest consumers | Monthly |
| DISM | Various options clean up files (see notes) | Monthly/Quarterly |
| PatchCleaner | Cleans up orphaned WinSxS entries | Quarterly |
| Fsutil | See Fsutil 7/17/17 blog post | Quarterly |
| RAPR.exe | Use it to prune duplicate/obsolete device drivers | Quarterly |
Because WordPress won’t let me easily include hyperlinks inside a table, here are links to 3rd-party items:
CCleaner (Piriform)
Uncleaner (Josh Cell Softwares)
WizTree (Antibody Software)
WinDirStat (Sourceforge)
PatchCleaner (homedev)
RAPR.exe (aka Driver Store Explorer, GitHub)
And likewise, here are some relevant links to built-in Windows utilities also referenced in the table:
Disk Cleanup: Disk Cleanup Beats CCleaner Post-Win10-Upgrade
DISM: see information on startcomponentcleanup and resetbase on TechNet as in “Clean Up the WinSxS Folder”
Fsutil: Fsutil Cleans Up Excess Old Transactions
I’m sure this doesn’t exhaust the possibilities for a periodic Win10 disk cleanup checklist, but it’s a pretty good start. Please comment here or email me through my Website to suggest additions or substitutions. I still believe that you can’t have too many good tools in the old admin toolbox. The more, the merrier, in fact.
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