How to efficiently clean up disk space in windows 11?

There are a lot of good advice posts here by fello community peeps, however I alwyas just choose the easiest one first and that normally sorts the issue out:

Windows key + R (Run): cleanmgr.exe

Select the drive to clean

Once the app starts, very IMPORTANT to click the button "Clean up system files)

Select all the checkboxes of stuff you want to clear.  This will include old installs if Windows is finished with it.  

I've seen it recover many gigabytes

Good luck

Removing unused offline maps and cached data for Maps in Windows 11 is a straightforward and effective way to clean up disk space Windows 11, especially if you rarely use the Maps app or have downloaded many offline maps over time.

How to Remove Unused Offline Maps and Cached Data

1. Open Windows Maps App
    Click the Start menu and search for Maps, then open the app.
2. Access Offline Maps Settings
    In the Maps app, click the three-dot menu (...) in the top-right corner.
    Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
    Scroll down to find Offline maps.
3. Manage Offline Maps
    You will see a list of downloaded offline maps for different regions.
    Select the maps you no longer need.
    Click Delete or Remove to delete these maps from your device.
4. Clear Map Cache (if applicable)
Windows Maps may cache map data to improve load times.
To clear this cache:
    Open Settings (Win + I)
    Navigate to Apps > Installed apps
    Search for Maps in the list.
    Click on Maps, then select Advanced options.
    If available, choose Reset or Clear data to remove cached data.

Removing offline maps you no longer need can free up several hundred megabytes and clean up disk space Windows 11, depending on the regions stored. Regularly managing offline maps is especially useful if you have limited storage or are trying to optimize disk space on devices with small SSDs.

In fact, a dedicated disk cleaner app is often a better choice than Windows’ built-in tools because it can target far more locations and file types. While Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense mainly focus on system-related temporary files, update leftovers, and the Recycle Bin, third-party cleaners scan across the entire system, including application caches, browser histories, crash reports, unused language files, and other hidden junk that Windows' own disk cleaning up utilities don't touch.

Many of these apps also allow more granular control when it comes to cleaning up disk space on windows 11, letting you select exactly which categories to clean, preview files before deletion, and set up deeper or more aggressive cleaning profiles.

Another advantage is flexibility and added features. Many disk cleaner apps support secure file deletion, duplicate file finding, large file analysis, and cross-application cleaning, which the built-in Windows tools simply don't provide. They also often support automatic scheduling with customizable rules, giving you hands-off maintenance that's more thorough than Storage Sense. For users who want to reclaim the maximum amount of disk space and keep their system clutter-free, a well-chosen third-party cleaner offers more power, precision, and versatility than Microsoft's default options.

1. Create Custom Scripts for Additional Cleanup

To clean up disk space in Windows 11. While Storage Sense handles many common cleanup tasks, you can extend its capabilities with scripts that:

• Delete large temporary files not covered by Storage Sense.
• Clear browser caches.
• Remove old Windows update files.
• Delete specific directories or log files.

Example: PowerShe11 Script to Delete Temp Files and Clear Cache

# Delete user temp files
Remove-Item -Path "$env:TEMP\*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Delete Windows temp files
Remove-Item -Path "C:\Windows\Temp\*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Clear browser cache (example for Chrome cache)
Remove-Item -Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache\*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Optional: Remove old Windows update files
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

Note: Always test scripts on a non-critical system first.

2. Automate Script Execution with Task Scheduler
To run your cleanup scripts automatically:

• Open Task Scheduler.
• Create a New Basic Task.
• Set trigger (e.g., weekly, daily).
• Select Start a program.
  Enter:
  Program/script: powershell.exe
  Add arguments: -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Path\To\YourScript.ps1"
  Finish and enable the task.

Combine Storage Sense's built-in options with your custom scripts for cleaning up disk space windows 11. Always back up important data before running cleanup scripts, especially those that delete files.

One effective trick is to move large files to an external SSD.

If your main system drive (usually C:) is running low on space, moving large files or folders to another internal or external drive can quickly clean up free disk space for Windows 11 when the c drive is full. Common candidates include videos, high-resolution photos, archived projects, virtual machine files, and game installations.

You can manually move them via File Explorer or change app/game installation paths to another drive in Settings → Storage → Advanced storage settings. This method doesn’t delete anything—it simply relocates the data to a location with more available space, helping your system drive run more efficiently.

Pros:

Instantly frees up large amounts of space without deleting files.

Easy to do using File Explorer, no special software required.

Reduces strain on your system drive, potentially improving performance.

Cons:

Accessing files on an external drive can be slower than on the system drive.

Requires having another drive or enough storage space available.

Moving files used by certain apps may require reconfiguration or reinstallation.

How to clean up disk space in Windows 11? You can try the following suggestions:

1. Use a free duplicate file finder to identify and delete duplicate files.
2. Disable or remove unnecessary Windows features.
   Go to Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.
   Uncheck unnecessary features to save space.
3. Use the command line to delete old log files.
  Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
  Delete old log files:

del /q /f /s %localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\*

4. To clean up disk space in Windows 11. you can Clear the WinRxS cache using PowerShe11.
   Run PowerShe11 as an administrator.
   Execute:

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Imege /AnalyzeComponentStore

  If cleanup is suggested, 

  run:

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Imege /StartComponentCleanup

Here's a practical, step-by-step guide to clean up disk space on Windows 11 without deleting any important files.

Uninstall Unused Apps and Optional Features

Some of the apps you never use might occupy a lot of disk space. You need to delete those apps from the PC in order to free up the disk space in Windows 11.

1. Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
2. Sort by size → Remove apps you no longer need.
3. Check Optional features and uninstall unused ones (like extra language packs, handwriting recognition for languages you don’t use).

Delete Old Windows Versions

If you've recently upgraded, you may have a Windows.old folder:

1. Open Disk Cleanup.
2. Select Previous Windows installation(s).
3. Delete (note: you can’t roll back after this).