Microsoft’s PC Manager is the official Windows optimization tool with several built-in tools and options to optimize your PC’s performance. One such tool, the Disk Cleanup tool, deletes unnecessary files and cleans up the hard drive, freeing up space with just a few clicks. In this tutorial, I will show you how to use the Disk Cleanup tool in PC Manager. Let’s get started.
Related: How to free up C drive space on Windows 10 & 11.
Before You Begin
Make sure PC Manager is installed on your computer. If it isn’t, you can follow these steps to download and install PC Manager in Windows 10 & 11.
Some temporary system files require administrator rights to be deleted. If you don’t have admin rights, PC Manager will skip those files.
Comparing Disk Cleanup Tools: PC Manager vs. Windows Built-In
Windows has had a built-in disk cleanup tool for ages now. So, when you have a native tool, why would you use PC Manager’s Disk Cleanup tool?
PC Manager’s Disk Cleanup tool can do everything the native tool does and more. It not only removes temporary files but also clears application caches for a variety of programs, including but not limited to Chrome, Edge, OneDrive, Steam, Nvidia, Firefox, etc., which the native tool doesn’t. All this with a simple-to-use modern UI.
For example, PC Manager freed up approximately 8.5 GB of space on my computer by deleting various temporary system files, applications cache, recycle bin, and web cache. Whereas the native Disk Cleanup tool only cleared approximately 2.5 GB.
Simply put, PC Manager’s Disk Cleanup tool not only frees up more hard drive space but also makes the process easier, thanks to its modern UI.
Using PC Manager’s Disk Cleanup Tool
- Press the Start button.
- Search for PC Manager and click Run Administrator.
- Click Storage on the sidebar.
- Press the Scan button in the Deep Cleanup section.
- After scanning, select all checkboxes.
- Click the Proceed button to clean up the hard drive.
- Click Done after finishing the cleanup process.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots):
First, press the Start button on the taskbar, search for PC Manager, and click on Run as Administrator. This will open PC Manager as an admin.
Note: You can open PC Manager without administrator rights. Doing so will skip deleting temporary files that require administrator rights.
Click on the Storage option on the sidebar of the PC Manager window.
Next, click on the Scan button in the Deep Cleanup section.
The above action starts the scanning process.
Once the scanning is done, you will see a list of various categories of files that can be cleaned up to free disk space. Select all of them.
- System Cleanup: Lists various temporary system files like prefetch, Windows updates, error reports, delivery optimization files, memory dumps, etc.
- Application cache: Lists various temporary files generated by various applications including third-party browsers such as Chrome and Firefox.
- Recycle Bin: Files in your recycle bin.
- Web cache: Cache files of Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.
Depending on how many items you selected in each category, you can see the approximate size that can be cleared. For example, I’ve selected everything and the approximate hard disk space I can recover is 8.5 GB.
Click the Proceed button after selecting the items you want to delete.
That’s it. PC Manager will clean up the selected files.
After the cleaning process is complete, click the Done button and you are good to go. With this, you’ve cleaned up the hard drive of unnecessary files. You can close the PC Manager window if you want.
A quick tip: Enable the PC Manager toolbar to quickly access your favorite tools quickly.
Wrapping — Using PC Manager’s Disk Cleanup Tool
Cleaning up your hard drive of unnecessary files not only recovers lost disk space but also improves the overall PC performance. Compared to the built-in Disk Cleanup tool, PC Manager deep cleans the system while still being easy to use and navigate. Do keep in mind that if you don’t open PC Manager as an admin, it might skip deleting files that require administrator rights. That being said, even with this caveat, it frees up much more space than the traditional Disk Cleanup tool.
For best results, use it alongside Storage Sense to get the best of both worlds. i.e., manual and automatic cleanup. Remember that maintaining a PC is an ongoing process and you have to monitor it regularly to make sure it runs optimally.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I will help.
