What if I clear the temp folder. Appdata Local Temp can be deleted

In addition to files that are a direct component of any program and the operating system itself, temporary files that contain operational information are also necessary for their operation. These can be log files, browser sessions, Explorer thumbnails, autosaved documents, update files, or unpacked archives. But these files are not randomly created all over the system disk, there is a strictly designated place for them.

The lifetime of such files is very short, they usually cease to be relevant immediately after the running program is closed, the user session ends, or the operating system is rebooted. They are concentrated in a special folder called Temp, taking up valuable space on system drive. However, Windows has no problem providing access to this folder in various ways.

There are two types of temporary folders. The first category belongs directly to users on the computer, while the second is used by the operating system itself. The files there are the same, but most often they come across different ones, because their purpose is still different.

Certain restrictions may be imposed on access to these places - you must have administrator rights.

Method 1: find the Temp system folder in Explorer

Method 2: find the user's Temp folder in Explorer

1. The method is similar - in the same address field you must insert the following:

   C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Temp

   where instead of UserName you need to use the name of the required user.

2. After pressing the button "Enter" a folder with temporary files will immediately open, which in this moment required by a particular user.

Method 3: Open a custom Temp folder using the Run tool

Cleaning up old temporary files will help to significantly free up useful space on the system drive. Some files may be currently in use, so the system will not allow them to be deleted immediately. It is advisable not to clear files that are less than 24 hours old - this will eliminate unnecessary load on the system as a result of their creation again.

Windows has a lot of all sorts of folders or processes that take up a lot of space, both physical and operational. Many users are so afraid of the computer and the OS that they don’t even want to get into the system disk, but sometimes it needs to be done. In particular, today I will write to you about the Temp folder.

What is the temp folder for?
In the operating room Windows system all sorts of processes that belong both to the OS itself and to installed programs are constantly taking place. In the process of this work, in order to save the intermediate or unfinished result of their activities, all running applications create temporary data files and actively use them. That's just the Temp folder in Windows and is the repository of temporary files.

Where is the temp folder?
So she has about 5 paths, but usually she is and takes up the most space along the way

(systemdrive):\Users\(user)\AppData\Local\Temp

Is it possible to delete the temp folder
It is possible and necessary. This will not do anything to the system. But it is better to do this before turning off the computer and ending the session. But you can also enter right now into address bar conductor %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp and, having selected everything, delete.
Be prepared that not all files and folders will be deleted. There may be an error that they are busy.

How to clear the temp folder
You can use not the direct method described above, but more correct - through Disk Cleanup.
Right click on the OS disk and select Properties. In this window, click the button Disk Cleanup

Waiting for information

We modernize a little this method and make sure that the temporary folder is cleared when the computer is turned off.

1) Right click on to my computer and choose Properties.
2) On the left side, select Additional system settings.
3) In this window, select Environment Variables

pushd %TEMP% && rd /s /q . > null 2>&1
pushd %WinDir%\TEMP && rd /s /q . > null 2>&1

Not all users, of course, but very many, if they do not encounter the Temp folder in their daily work, then at least they have heard and know that such a folder exists in Windows systems. Why a Temp folder is needed, what it is, what functions it performs, and whether it can be deleted, will be considered now. Let's take Windows 7 as an example, although there is no fundamental difference in which system to take as a basis in this case.

Temp folder: what is it and why is it needed?

So, you can understand the purpose of this directory under the condition of the usual interpretation of the abbreviation Temp from the word temporary. The main interpretation, in simple terms, means "a directory for storing temporary files."

If anyone does not know, in the course of its work, the operating system itself or the programs installed in it for their own needs, create temporary files necessary for correct installation or operation. Files of the Temp folder, as a rule, have the extension .tmp, some of them are deleted automatically, for example, at the end of some process, some remain in the system, and if the process associated with them is in the active stage, let's say it works in the background, then getting rid of such files simply will not work. So it turns out that the contents of this directory, in fact, are the most common computer garbage that you can and should get rid of, but do it without harm to the system.

Where is the Temp folder in Windows OS?

Now a few words about where exactly you can find the directory of temporary files. The fact is that the Temp folder in Windows only is not. Many will be surprised, they say, why have several folders in the system. Here it is worth paying attention to the use of multi-user mode. The directory in which they are saved is created for each specific user, not counting the main directory in the system itself.

Thus, as a rule, the Temp folder in Windows 7 can be located either at the root of the system partition (in most cases it is the C drive), or in the system directory (Windows), or in the Local directory located in the AppData folder of the user partition (Users \"Username"). In Windows XP, the Local folder is named Local Settings.

In principle, in order not to rummage through the same "Explorer" for a long time, you can use the built-in search system, in which the% Temp% string is set as a criterion. This is done in order to find all available directories that may be hidden. If the search is carried out in manual mode, you should enable the display of hidden objects in the "View" menu of the standard "Explorer" or any other file manager. By the way, some temporary files can also have this attribute.

How to clean the Temp folder in the simplest way?

If we talk about whether it is possible to delete the Temp folder from any location, we will make a reservation right away: it is by no means recommended to do this. Another thing is to clean up its contents. This can be done in several ways.

In the simplest version, you should enter it into it, select all the files, and then delete. How to make a selection, everyone decides for himself. But, as you know, it is best to use the Ctrl + A combination, and not mark with the cursor, and even more so by executing the corresponding commands from different main or additional menus.

But there may be a small problem here. The fact is that some files may be involved in some process, and it’s impossible to delete them just like that. You will first need to terminate the active services that use them, but the easiest way is not to be concerned with determining which process is blocking the files, just restart the computer and try to delete it again. But this method does not always work either.

Disk Cleanup Tool

One of the most effective methods can be called It is the “native” tool of the “OS” that allows you to delete temporary files without harming the system or currently running programs, applications and services.

To do this, use the disk properties menu, where you need to click on the cleanup button and select the items to be deleted. Is it possible to delete the Temp folder this way? No. As such, the directory remains on disk, but its contents are cleared entirely.

Cleanup via command line

You can use and to clean up the temporary files directory, but typing long commands for each partition seems impractical.

Easiest to create executable file with the .bat extension (for this you can use the usual Notepad and write the following commands in it:

DEL /F /S /Q /A "C:\Windows\Temp\*"

DEL /F /S /Q /A "C:\Temp\*"

DEL /F /S /Q /A "C:\Users\Name\AppData\Local\Temp\*"

Name - This method of launching a BAT file allows you to clean up all the folders that are present in the system without much effort. As practice shows, it is best to save such a file directly on the desktop in order to always have it at hand and, in which case, perform this operation within just a couple of minutes.

Using Third Party Utilities

Now a few more words about how the Temp folder is cleared. What it is, perhaps, is already a little clear. Let's see how to get rid of its contents using special programs, usually called optimizers.

Any such package has a special module for searching and deleting temporary files, and it does not matter where they are located. And, as a rule, it is involved in cleaning and optimizing the system by default, although if available necessary knowledge you can make your own settings. Let's explain with an example the simplest utility CCleaner.

Here in the cleaning section, you need to pay attention to the tabs located on the right side (Windows and Applications). In principle, all items can be selected for deep cleaning, including not only temporary files, but also the clipboard, system message history, etc. In fact, all this information can also be attributed to temporary objects, or, more simply, to ordinary computer garbage. Further, everything is simple. We activate the analysis process, and after issuing the results, we confirm the deletion of files using the corresponding button. As you can see, nothing complicated. By the way, it is the use of such programs that allows you to perform the most complete and safe cleaning.

Conclusion

Here, in fact, briefly and everything on the topic "Temp-folder: what is it and how to clean it." Naturally, in this case, we did not consider means of optimizing the directories themselves of this type using settings. But, I think, by and large, this is not necessary for an ordinary user.

As for the removal of these directories, as is already clear, this is not worth doing, although some users delete them without a twinge of conscience. But here, as they say, a double-edged sword: for someone, the system will automatically create the directory when it is reloaded, and for someone it will crash altogether. So it’s better not to take risks, but to use either standard or third-party cleaning tools. That will be much safer.

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To clean the registry and unnecessary files of the operating system, there are many special programs. Reg Cleaner, Reg Organizer, CCleaner just to name a few free programs, which can be safely used to maintain the hygiene of the operating system. But not only the operating system requires constant care, the system hard drive also needs regular user attention. Heaping up the system disk with unnecessary files can cause the system to freeze, it will work slower, in the end, you will not be left alone with the system message that the C drive is overloaded and requires the user's active participation in solving the problem.

Overloading the system drive is far from alien to Windows 7 and 8. Both versions of the system require at least 16 GB of free disk space. Together with the installed programs on the system disk, the volume of the latter quickly grows to 20-25 GB. For low-power office machines or old computers manufactured in the mid-2000s, this immediately affects the performance.

Freeing up space on the system hard drive is done manually. You can remove unused programs or move them to a non-system drive by reinstalling them. You can also free up disk space by deleting junk files from the Temp folder.

The purpose of the Temp system folder is to store temporary files. These can be program installers downloaded from the Internet, unzipped files that you don’t even know about, fragments of office documents, various add-ons to programs that automatically fall into this folder. Ideally, the Temp folder is intended for temporary files, but such temporary files often turn into permanent ones, piling up the system disk with unnecessary trash.

For users who actively use a long-installed operating system, unaware of the existence of dead weight, the size of the Temp folder can reach 4-5 GB. Remarkable numbers, right?

The Temp folder itself cannot be deleted. And you are unlikely to be able to destroy it if you do not have access to perform such an operation. But regular deletion of unnecessary files from this folder will relieve the load from the system disk.

The Temp folder is located on the system drive - usually drive C -, in the Windows folder. This is a shared temporary folder, but there is also a user folder, it is located in the user folder (C:\Users\username\AppData\Local).

Delete temporary files from these folders.

2. If it contains the documents or files you need, transfer them to a non-system drive - drive D or E.

3. Select and delete all other files.

Now it remains to clean up the user's temporary Temp folder.

2. Now you need to show hidden folders and files. To do this, in Windows 7, click on the Organize - Folder and Search Options button.

In Windows 8 - go to View tab - Options - Change folder and search options.

In the Folder Options window, go to the View tab and enable the Show hidden files and folders options and uncheck the Hide protected system files option.

4. Select all files (key combination Ctrl + A on the keyboard) and delete.

If the File is already in use dialog box appears during the deletion, check the box next to Run for all current items and click the Skip button.

If any files remain in this folder, leave them. Most of the useless computer junk has been removed.

V operating system Windows 7, Windows 8 have folders for storing temporary files of games and programs - Temp. When you shut down the program correctly, temporary files are deleted, but if the work is stopped incorrectly (lights turned off, etc.), then the files remain on the computer and will have to be deleted manually.

Is it possible to delete the Temp folder? No! You can delete all the files in it, but not the folder itself, otherwise the programs will not be able to install.

Temp Folder

In order to clear the Temp folder in Windows 7 and in Windows 8, you need to find it. To do this, open "Computer", then "Local Disk C" - "Windows" - "Temp". In this folder, select all the files and delete.

If a message appears stating that it is impossible to delete a file, then skip it. This means that it is launched by the program and if you exit correctly, it will be deleted by itself.

This is how we clean up the Temp folder in Windows 7, 8.

The second folder for storing temporary files is AppData Local Temp. Since it is hidden, you first need to enable the display of hidden files. To do this, go to Control Panel - Appearance and Personalization - Folder Options - go to the "View" tab. We mark the item at the very bottom "Show hidden files, folders and drives. Press OK.

Only now can we find the AppData folder. You need to follow the following path: "Computer" - " local disk C "- Users (Users) - Username (Admin, Petya, Vasya, etc.) - AppData - Local - Temp.

Select all files in the Temp folder and delete them. If something cannot be deleted, then we simply skip these files.

There are a few more Temp folders you can find:

1. Computer - Local Disk - Users (Users) - UpdatusUser - Temp
2. Computer - Local Disk - Users (Users) - General (All Users) - Temp
3. Computer - Local Disk - Users (Users) - Default - Temp

Video on how to find the Temp folder and delete all files.

Many users sooner or later face the problem of lack of free space on the system drive. We have already talked about how to produce a complex and, now let's pay attention to one of the most active "eaters" of disk space - the Temp folder.

Where is the Temp folder in Windows 7/10

Since the specified folder is a system folder, to show it, you must enable the display of hidden files and directories. To do this, in the top menu Windows Explorer 7 select the "Tools" item, and then go to "Folder Options ..."

In Windows 10, to enable display hidden folders go to explorer and click on the top File - Change folder and search options.

On the "View" tab, again activate the "Show hidden files, folders and drives" item.

Everything, now we can easily find the Temp folder. V Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10 it is located in the catalog AppData user profile, specifically at:

C:\Users\User_name\AppData\Local\Temp

If there are several accounts on your computer, then each of them has its own Temp folder. You can find out under which entry you are currently working using the Start menu. From here it is also easy to go directly to the folder of the current user.

Let's do this transition on our computer. Let's follow the path AppData-Local.

Now let's find the Temp folder and see its size ( RMB - Properties).

In our case, it turned out to be 8.6 GB, not so much, but for owners of a small HDD or SSD, each megabyte is worth its weight in gold. Moreover, there are examples when the size of Temp reached several tens or even hundreds of gigabytes.

What is stored in the Temp folder and can its contents be deleted

The Temp system folder stores temporary files for applications and the operating system itself (Temp is short for Temporary, which translates as “temporary”). Intermediate files and fragments of documents created during the operation of programs and OS are placed here. As a rule, they are all deleted after the completion of certain operations or after a certain period of time. But in some cases, unnecessary components remain in the Temp folder forever, accumulating and leading to its strong growth.

Cleaning up the Temp directory

There are several ways to clean up the Temp folder.

Manually

The easiest way to reduce the size of the Temp folder is to delete its contents manually, as if they were regular user data. Select all files (Ctrl + A), and then press Shift + Del. If any files in currently are used by the system, it will not be possible to delete them, and a corresponding message will appear on the screen. In this case, just click "Skip", after checking the box "Perform this action for all current objects".

If the files in the Temp folder can be deleted manually without fear of disrupting the system, then the folder itself should not be touched.

Using the Disk Cleanup utility

Windows has built-in disk cleanup tools, including the temporary files directory. Let's find through search string menu "Start" regular utility "Disk Cleanup" and run it.

Select drive C from the list or any other drive if the OS is installed on it.

The program will analyze the local disk and determine the amount of space that can be freed up by deleting unnecessary files. Here, we are primarily interested in the "Temporary Files" item, since the contents of the Temp folder are included here.

In our case, the size of temporary files was 11.4 GB. To delete them, put a checkmark in the right place and click the "OK" button.

After the operation is completed, check the size of the Temp folder. With us, it has decreased from 8.6 GB to 188 MB, i.e. we cleared over 8 GB of free space.

CCleaner

There are many specialized utilities, allowing you to optimize Windows work. For the most part, they have the necessary functionality to clean the system partition. For example, it does a great job with this function free app CCleaner. We launch it, go to the "Cleaning" section, put the necessary checkmarks in the left column and click the "Analysis" button. Next, start the cleaning with the corresponding button.

So, now we figured out what kind of Temp folder it is, whether its contents can be deleted and how to do it. If you have anything to add on this topic, please leave a comment below.

In the operating system Windows 7, Windows 8 there are folders for storing temporary files of games and programs - Temp. When you shut down the program correctly, temporary files are deleted, but if the work is stopped incorrectly (lights turned off, etc.), then the files remain on the computer and will have to be deleted manually.

Is it possible to delete the Temp folder? No! You can delete all the files in it, but not the folder itself, otherwise the programs will not be able to install.

Temp Folder

In order to clear the Temp folder in Windows 7 and in Windows 8, you need to find it. To do this, open "Computer", then "Local Disk C" - "Windows" - "Temp". In this folder, select all the files and delete.

If a message appears stating that it is impossible to delete a file, then skip it. This means that it is launched by the program and if you exit correctly, it will be deleted by itself.

This is how we clean up the Temp folder in Windows 7, 8.

The second folder for storing temporary files is AppData Local Temp. Since it is hidden, you first need to enable the display of hidden files. To do this, go to Control Panel - Appearance and Personalization - Folder Options - go to the "View" tab. We mark the item at the very bottom "Show hidden files, folders and drives." Press OK.

Only now can we find the AppData folder. You need to follow the following path: "Computer" - "Local Disk C" - Users (Users) - Username (Admin, Petya, Vasya, etc.) - AppData - Local - Temp.

Select all files in the Temp folder and delete them. If something cannot be deleted, then we simply skip these files.

The temp folder exists in all modern Windows versions. It contains temporary files of the system itself and installed programs. Some of the files that are placed there have *.tmp extension.

Almost always, the files that are stored in the temp directory can be called garbage. That is why periodically this catalog recommended to clean.

Usually, after installation, programs delete their files from temporary folders, but sometimes this does not happen and, as they accumulate, they begin to take up a fairly large amount of information.

Can it be removed and how to do it

If we talk about the question - is it possible to delete the temp directory, then the answer is unequivocal - no! This system folder, which is always used and without it the system will be unstable. But the catalog can be periodically cleaned, and there is also the possibility change its location.

If the tempo folder has not been moved, then by default it is stored in several places:

1. On the system drive(usually this is drive C), at the root
2. In the system folderWindows
3. V user directory. Usually C:\users (users)\user account\AppData\Local\temp

To find these directories enable in properties folders display hidden and system files.

Now move on to delete. There are also several ways here:

Third party cleaners

Besides standard ways can be used special utilities. The most popular is CCleaner. This is not the only application, and using the search on the Internet, you can choose the appropriate program for your needs.