What is the best way for disk cleanup on Windows 10?

For a beginner, the safest and most effective disk cleanup on Windows 10 involves using built-in Windows tools and a few trusted open-source utilities. I'll walk you through them in a safe, step-by-step order.

These commands are safe and powerful. Always run Command Prompt as Administrator (Right-click Start button > "Windows PowerShell (Admin)" or "Terminal (Admin)").

Command 1: Clean Windows Update Cache

Sometimes Windows Update leaves gigabytes of old data.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

2. Type or paste: net stop wuauserv and press Enter. (This stops the update service).

3. Type: net stop bits and press Enter.

4. Navigate to the update cache folder by typing: cd %windir%\SoftwareDistribution\Download and press Enter.

5. Type: del /q * and press Enter. This deletes all cached update installers.

6. Go back to the main prompt by typing: cd \ and press Enter.

7. Restart the services: Type net start wuauserv and press Enter, then net start bits.

Command 2: Clear System Temporary Files

This cleans the system-wide Temp folder.

1. In your Admin Command Prompt, type: del /q /f /s %temp%\*

2. Then type: del /q /f /s C:\Windows\Temp\*

(It's normal to see "File not found" for some items).

Command 3: DISM & SFC (Health Check + Cleanup)

About the disk cleanup on Windows 10. This isn't a typical cleaner but repairs Windows and can clean up the component store.

1. Run a system scan: sfc /scannow

2. After it finishes, run the Deployment Image Cleanup tool:

dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup

3. For a more aggressive cleanup (safe after major updates):

dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup /resetbase

Note: After /resetbase, you cannot uninstall previous updates.