Tech Tip: Manually clean out the Temp folder in XP

by Guest Contributor | Aug 13, 2004 7:43:00 PM

Tags: Guest Contributor, Windows XP Tips Newsletter

Takeaway: While Disk Cleanup can usually clean out the Temp folder for you, it can sometime get stuck there. Learn how to clean out the folder manually in Windows XP.

As you probably know, you can use Windows XP's Disk Cleanup tool to free up hard disk space by getting rid of all sorts of unused and obsolete files. One of the places that Disk Cleanup checks is the Temp folder, which can be a big culprit when it comes to wasted disk space.

While Disk Cleanup can usually clean out the Temp folder for you, it can sometime get stuck there--especially if the Temp folder is full of files and folders. In other situations, Disk Cleanup inadvertently leaves unnecessary waste in the Temp folder.

Either case requires a manual cleanup. To quickly locate and clean out the Temp folder, follow these steps:

1. Shut down and restart Windows XP.
2. Open the Run dialog box by pressing [Windows]R.
3. Type %Temp% in the Open text box, and click OK.

Windows Explorer will immediately launch the Temp folder. Because you just restarted the system, you can safely delete any files and folders that you find there.

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