How to configure automatic temporary file cleanup and disk space management in Windows using Storage Sense?

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Storage Sense in Windows is a built-in system maintenance tool that helps maintain the necessary amount of free disk space without using third-party utilities. This mechanism can automatically delete outdated files, previous system version caches, and Recycle Bin data on a set schedule.

To configure this feature, open system settings, go to the Storage section, and turn on the main Storage Sense switch. After that, click on the feature name to go to detailed cleanup settings.

In the settings, you can determine how often disk cleanup should run.

1. Configure the deletion of temporary app files that haven't been used or opened for a certain period.
2. Specify the interval for automatically deleting files from the Recycle Bin, for example, 30 days after they are moved there.
3. Set the retention period for files in the Downloads folder if they haven't changed, to prevent it from growing uncontrollably.

Additionally, Storage Sense allows you to automatically clean up previous Windows installations after major operating system updates, freeing up tens of gigabytes of disk space. In the same window, you can configure new apps and documents to be saved to an additional drive by default.

Using this tool is especially useful on computers with limited SSD storage capacity, as well as when administering remote machines where manual monitoring of disk usage is difficult. The system will perform all routine work in the background without distracting the user from primary tasks.

How to configure automatic temporary file cleanup and disk space management in Windows using Storage Sense?

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