Title: How to delete things on C drive? ——10 days of hot topics and cleaning guide
Recently, "Insufficient space on C drive" has become one of the hot topics on the Internet, especially among Windows users. This article will combine the popular data of the past 10 days to provide you with a structured cleaning solution.
1. Ranking of popular cleaning tools in the past 10 days

| Ranking | Tool name | Search volume (10,000) | Applicable scenarios |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disk Cleanup | 32.5 | The system comes with basic cleaning |
| 2 | CCleaner | 28.7 | Deep scan for third-party software residue |
| 3 | TreeSize Free | 18.2 | Visual disk space analysis |
| 4 | WizTree | 15.9 | Scan large files extremely quickly |
| 5 | Storage Sense | 12.4 | Win10/11 automatic cleanup |
2. Five types of files that can be safely deleted from C drive
| File type | typical path | safety index | Estimated free space |
|---|---|---|---|
| temporary files | C:WindowsTemp | ★★★★★ | 500MB-5GB |
| Download cache | C:UsersusernameDownloads | ★★★★☆ | 1GB-20GB |
| System log | C:WindowsLogs | ★★★★★ | 200MB-2GB |
| Old system backup | C:Windows.old | ★★★☆☆ | 10GB-30GB |
| software cache | Each software installation directory | ★★★☆☆ | 1GB-10GB |
3. Step-by-step cleaning guide
Step 1: Use the system’s own tools
① Right click on C drive → Properties → Disk Cleanup
② Check options such as "Temporary files" and "Thumbnails"
③ Click "Clean System Files" to get more options
Step 2: Manually clean large files
① Win+R and enter %temp% to clear the temporary folder
② Check C:Users usernameAppDataLocalTemp
③ Uninstall uncommon programs (Control Panel → Programs and Features)
Step 3: In-depth optimization settings
① Change the default download/document saving path to another drive letter
② Disable hibernation file: powercfg -h off (administrator CMD)
③ Adjust virtual memory to non-system disk
4. Recent Hot QA
| question | frequency of occurrence | solution |
|---|---|---|
| Can System32 be deleted? | high frequency | Absolutely cannot be deleted! Will cause system crash |
| pagefile.sys What is it? | IF | Virtual memory files, which can be transferred but should not be deleted |
| WinSxS folder cleanup | high frequency | You need to use the DISM command and it is not recommended to delete it directly. |
| Does installing the software on C drive affect the speed? | low frequency | Solid state drives have little impact, and mechanical hard drives are recommended to be partitioned. |
5. Advanced skills
1.Symbolic link creation: After migrating a large software data folder to another disk, use mklink to create a virtual link
2.Regular maintenance plan:Set a disk cleaning reminder on the first week of every month
3.Cloud storage alternative: Sync personal documents to cloud services such as OneDrive
4.Streamline system components: Remove unused language packs, etc. through "optional features"
Things to note:
① It is recommended to create a system restore point before deleting
② Query the uncertain files first and then operate
③ Enterprise users need to comply with IT management regulations
④ Always maintain the 3-2-1 backup principle for important data
Through the above structured cleaning solution and recent hot tool recommendations, most users can safely release at least 20GB of C drive space. It is recommended to establish a long-term disk space management mechanism based on your own usage habits.
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