How do I open storage settings?

Click the Start button and open Settings (gear icon). Click "System" → "Storage." You see a bar showing how much of your drive is used. Below it, look for "Storage Sense." Click the toggle to turn it on (it turns blue).

How do I configure when it runs?

Click "Configure Storage Sense or run it now." A settings page opens. Under "Run Storage Sense," choose a schedule from the dropdown: Every day, Every week, Every month, or During low free disk space (recommended). Monthly is a good balance for most users.

How do I set recycle bin and downloads cleanup?

On the same settings page: under "Recycle Bin," choose how many days Storage Sense should wait before deleting items (14 days, 30 days, 60 days). Under "Downloads folder," choose how long to keep items before deleting (30 days, 60 days, or Never to leave Downloads alone).

How do I run storage sense now?

At the bottom of the Storage Sense settings page, click "Run Storage Sense now" to do an immediate cleanup without waiting for the schedule. Windows scans and removes temporary files. A small notification confirms when it is done and shows how much space was recovered.

How do I see what's taking up space?

Go back to Settings → System → Storage. Click any category (Temporary files, Apps, Documents, etc.) to see exactly what is using space. Click "Temporary files" and check the boxes next to categories you want to delete, then click "Remove files." This gives you more control than Storage Sense for a one-time deep clean.

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Over time, Windows accumulates gigabytes of temporary files, old system files, cached data, and Recycle Bin items that serve no purpose but take up storage space. Storage Sense is a built-in Windows feature that automatically cleans up this clutter on a schedule — so your PC stays healthy without you having to do anything.

Storage Sense can delete: temporary files created by Windows and apps, the Recycle Bin contents after a certain number of days, files in your Downloads folder older than a threshold you set, and offline versions of OneDrive files you have not used in a while.

Once turned on, Storage Sense runs automatically when your disk space gets low, or on a schedule you choose (daily, weekly, or monthly). You can also run it manually whenever you want a cleanup.

This is different from deleting apps or personal files — Storage Sense only removes items that are safe to delete: temp files, cached thumbnails, Windows Update cleanup files, and similar system junk. Your documents, photos, and programs are never touched.

On computers with a small solid-state drive (128GB or 256GB), Storage Sense can make a noticeable difference and recover several gigabytes of space.