Windows temp files can be deleted

The hard drive on my wife’s computer is almost full, even though she uses it mostly for email. While looking for things to delete, I noticed that the Windows\ Temp folder contains 180 gigabytes of data. Can I delete all the files in that folder?

The “Temp” in the folder name stands for temporary, so most of these files aren’t needed and can be deleted.

Delete the files this way: Completely shut down the PC at the end the day. When you restart the PC the following day, delete every Windows\Temp file that was created prior to the day you make the deletions. (To find the creation date, select the “view” heading in Windows Explorer, choose “details” and look at “date modified.”) If the PC is still using a file, you won’t be able to delete it.

Why has the PC accumulated 180 gigabytes worth of temporary files? Windows update installations and other operating system functions regularly add files to the Windows\Temp folder, where they remain until deleted. As a result, you should periodically run the Windows Disk Cleanup program, which will delete those unnecessary files.

Don’t wait too long to clear the Windows\Temp folder, because once the hard drive is completely full it may cause the PC to freeze. Why? The PC needs some hard drive space to act as a backup in case the PC’s RAM (computer chip) memory is temporarily used up — or it may not work.