How to Use Storage Sense in Windows 11
Storage Sense in Windows 11 is a built-in tool that cleans up your drive for you. It deletes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and can clear old items from your Downloads folder. Turning it on keeps free space from running out, so your PC stays responsive and you don’t have to clean up by hand.
You can set Storage Sense to run on its own when disk space gets low, or schedule it to run every day, every week or every month. Running when free space is low is the default. It is part of both Windows 11 Home and Pro, so the steps below are the same on either edition.
Storage Sense in Windows 11 frees disk space by deleting temporary files and emptying the Recycle Bin. To run it now, open Settings, click System, then Storage, and select Run Storage Sense now. The cleanup starts immediately, no restart is needed, and your Downloads folder is left alone unless you changed that setting.
How to Run Storage Sense Now
You don’t have to wait for a schedule. You can run Storage Sense yourself and clean up the drive immediately. This is useful when Windows warns that you are low on space, or before a large update or install. Press the Win plus I to open the Settings app, click System, then select Storage. From there you can start Storage Sense right now.
By default, Storage Sense removes temporary files and leaves your Downloads folder alone, so your personal files are not touched. If you changed the Downloads setting earlier, check it first, because a manual run will follow that setting too. The same goes for the Recycle Bin setting. No restart is needed, and nothing is installed or changed on your system apart from the files that get cleaned up.
Follow these steps to run Storage Sense now and free up disk space on your PC.
- Open Settings. Click the Start menu (the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner), then click Settings. You can also press
Windows key + Ion your keyboard to open it faster. The Settings window should now be open. Learn more about opening Settings - Click System on the left side of the Settings window. The System options appear on the right.
System in the Settings app - Click Storage on the right side. You should see a bar showing how full your drive is, with a breakdown by file type (apps, temporary files, and so on). It can take a few seconds to fill in.
Windows 11 Storage settings tile in the Settings app - Click Storage Sense. You may need to scroll down to find it. On current builds of Windows 11 it sits in the Storage Management area of the page. This opens the Storage Sense page, where you can turn automatic cleanup on or off and choose when it runs. If some options are greyed out or show a message that your organization manages them, the PC is controlled by a work or school policy, and you will need to ask your administrator.
Storage Sense tile in Settings - Click Run Storage Sense now. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the button. The cleanup starts right away, and you can keep working while it runs.
Run Storage Sense now button - Wait for the cleanup to finish. Windows will show you how much space it cleared. If the number is small, your drive didn’t have much temporary data to remove. If it is large, you will see the extra free space on the Storage page.
Storage Sense results showing freed space - Close the Settings window. No restart is needed. Files that Storage Sense deleted cannot be undone, except items still in the Recycle Bin that it has not yet emptied.
Summary
Run it by hand when you need space quickly, or turn on automatic cleanup so you don’t have to think about it. Check your Downloads and Recycle Bin settings before you run it, because deleted files can’t be brought back.
If you ever want it to stop, return to Settings System Storage Storage Sense and switch off the automatic cleanup option. Nothing else needs to be undone, and no restart is required.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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