Is it safe to delete the Temp folder?
Short answer: Keep the Temp folder itself. Files in it older than about a week are safe to delete. Newer files may belong to programs that are open right now, and Windows simply skips files that are in use.
By hand, with Windows' own tools
- Press Win+R, type
%temp%and press Enter. - Select files older than a week and delete them. Skip any that Windows says are in use.
- Or use Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files, which does this safely.
With Sparewise
- Lists only the temp files that are safe (older ones), with their total size.
- Moves them to the Recycle Bin, never the folder itself.
Questions
Can I delete everything in the Temp folder?
You can try, but files in use cannot be deleted and very recent ones may belong to an installer that is still running. Deleting older files is the safe choice.
Why does the Temp folder fill up again?
Installers and apps keep writing there and do not always clean up after themselves.
Get Sparewise, free
Get it from the Microsoft Store or download the installer
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