How to Enable and Configure Storage Sense in Windows 10

As the name suggests, Storage Sense keeps an eye on Hard disk space usage and can free up space when needed. You can configure Windows to delete temporary files and unused files from Recycle Bin if you are running low on space. All you have to do is to enable and configure Storage Sense in Storage Settings and Windows will automatically take the trash out of your Windows 10 PC. This way Windows 10 Keeps space available for apps.

Please note that if you are running previous versions of Windows 10 (version 1607, 1511, or older), then you won’t be able to use this feature. This feature is available in Windows 10 version 1703 or later. You may want to upgrade your Windows 10 to the latest version. If you have Windows updates enabled (which is enabled by default in Windows 10 and not easy to disable), your Windows 10 will be updated to the latest version automatically. In case you don’t have the latest version, just go to Windows Updates and click on “Check for updates“.

SEE ALSO: How to Fix Windows Update Errors in Windows 10?

Enable and Configure Storage Sense in Windows 10

This tutorial shows, how to enable, configure and use the Storage Sense feature in Windows 10. Follow the steps shown below.

Step 1: Go to System Settings

Storage sense is available in Storage settings. Open Settings from Start > Settings or simply press “Windows Key + I” together to open Windows 10 Settings.

Click On Start And Then Select Settings
Click on Start and then select Settings

In Windows Settings, click on System to open System Settings.

Open Settings And Click On System
Open Settings and click on System

Step 2: Open Storage Sense Settings

In System settings, click on Storage in the left pane. This will open Storage settings. On the Storage Settings page, you will see the details of storage attached to your computer. You can check how much storage is used by Apps and “Temporary files”. You can click on Show more categories for more fine-grain details.

Now, click on the “Configure Storage Sense or run it now” link below Storage to open Storage Sense settings.

Select Storage From Left Pane And Click Configure Storage Sense
Select Storage from the Left Pane and click Configure Storage Sense or run it now

Step 3: Enable and Configure Storage Sense

On the next page, turn the switch ON under Storage Sense to enable it. After that, select how frequently you want the Storage Sense to run. You may select to run Storage Sense Every day, Every week, Every month, or During low free disk space.

Turn On Storage Sense And Select When Storage Sense Will Run
Turn ON Storage Sense and select when Storage Sense will run

Next, select the files to clean up when Storage Sense runs. You can see three options to free up space under Temporary Files. You can leave these settings to default or you can change them according to your convenience. By default, Storage Sense will not delete files in the Downloads folder but you can configure it to delete old files.

Select Which Files Will Be Deleted When Storage Sense Runs
Select which files will be deleted when Storage Sense runs

Step 4: Clean Temporary Files Right Now

In case you are currently running low on space, you can immediately free up some space using Storage Sense. In Storage Sense settings, click on the Clean Now button under Free up space now. This will run storage sense immediately and free up some space for you. After cleaning up, it will show you the amount of space freed up.

Click Clean Now To Run Storage Sense And Delete Temp Files
Click Clean now to run Storage Sense

SEE ALSO: How to Automatically Empty Recycle Bin on a Schedule?

Configure and Use Storage Sense in Windows 10

Storage Sense has changed a lot since its release in Creator Update (version 1703) as seen in Windows Insider builds. It is a very useful tool to clean up temporary files and unused files from Recycle Bin. Just configure and forget it. Storage Sense will clean your PC at the scheduled time.

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