These days everybody has large hard disks, so there are very few chances of you running out of hard disk space. But if you want Windows to keep running smoothly, then it is essential that you clean your hard disk of junk files that get accumulated over time. These junks files can be temporary internet files, thumbnail files, error reports etc. In Windows 8, you can get rid of these types of files using the Disk Cleanup tool. Here is how:
- Press the hotkey Win + R to open the Run dialog. In the Run dialog, type cleanmgr.exe and press Enter.
- When the Disk Cleanup tool opens up, select a partition (hard disk drive volume) that you want to clean.
- It would scan the selected partition for junk files that can be removed and then show you a list of all different types of removable files found. You can click on a category to see a description of that kind of files. You can also view files belonging to some of the categories. You can select/unselect a category for removal by checking or unchecking the respective checkboxes. You can click on the Clean up system files button to view even more categories of removable files that only a system administrator is allowed to remove.
- When you are ready, you can click on the OK button to start the files removal process. It may take some time depending on how many files are to be removed.
