How to Clear the Delivery Optimization Cache in Windows 11

The Delivery Optimization cache in Windows 11 stores files from past Windows updates and app downloads so your PC can share them with other devices on your network. Over time, these temporary files can grow to several gigabytes on your drive.

Windows usually deletes these files on its own, but you can clear the cache manually with the built-in Disk Cleanup tool whenever you need the space back right away. The steps are the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro.

Step-by-Step: Using Disk Cleanup

The files are deleted permanently and do not go to the Recycle Bin 🗑️. That is safe here. If Windows needs any of them again, it downloads them again. The cache also fills up again over time as you install updates 🔃.

Clearing the cache while an update is downloading ⬇️ can slow it down or force it to restart the 🔄 download.

1. Open the search 🔍 bar. Click the search 🔍 icon on the taskbar 🖥️, usually next to the Start button ⊞. A search box opens.
2. Search for Disk Cleanup. Type Disk Cleanup in the search 🔍 box. The Disk Cleanup app should appear at the top of the results.
3. Launch the app. Click the Disk Cleanup result to open it. A small window titled Drive Selection appears.
4. Select the drive. Open the drop-down list and choose your main Windows drive, which is usually labeled C:. The Delivery Optimization cache is stored on the system drive, so this is the one you want. Then click OK.
5. Wait for the analysis. Disk Cleanup now calculates how much space it can free. A progress bar shows while it scans. This can take a minute or two, longer on a slow hard drive.
6. Find Delivery Optimization Files. When the scan finishes, a window lists the file types you can delete, with the space each one uses. Scroll through the list to find Delivery Optimization Files and tick the box next to it. If the item is missing, there is probably nothing cached on that drive, or you picked the wrong drive. Go back and check the drive you selected.
7. Choose what else to delete. Review the other items in the list. Only tick the ones you actually want to remove. Anything you leave unticked stays untouched. Check the total shown under the list to see how much space you will free.
8. Start the cleanup. With Delivery Optimization Files ticked, click the OK button at the bottom of the window. A confirmation message appears.
9. Confirm the deletion. The message asks whether you are sure you want to permanently delete these files. Click Delete Files to continue.
10. Let it finish. Disk Cleanup removes the selected files, including the contents of the Delivery Optimization cache. A progress window shows while it works, and it closes on its own when it is done. How long this takes depends on how much data is being removed and how fast your drive is. You don’t need to restart the 🔄 PC afterward.

To confirm it worked, you can run Disk Cleanup again. The Delivery Optimization Files entry should now show a much smaller size, or be missing altogether.

References:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/Windows/Deployment/Updates-Lifecycle/delivery-optimization-in-windows

Summary

Clearing the Delivery Optimization cache frees up space on your drive in Windows 11. The built-in Disk Cleanup utility does the job in a few clicks, with no third-party software. If you need the space again later, repeat the same steps.