Windows 11 24H2: Cleanup is no longer deleting all temporary files

Martin Brinkmann
Oct 10, 2024
Windows 11 Help
|
11

Running cleanup after a successful update to a new Windows version allowed you to free up gigabytes of disk space in the past. Windows would remove old update files that it no longer needed and your PC would have several extra gigabytes of storage space as a consequence.

This changed with the release of Windows 11 version 24H2. When you try to clean up after installation of the upgrade, you will notice that Windows 11 retains more than 8 gigabytes of storage.

In other words: this data cannot be deleted. It does not work with the Cleanup tool in Settings, the classic Disk Cleanup tool, or DISM.

Why is that, you may ask. The answer is simple: because Microsoft changed how updates work on Windows 11.

Microsoft changed how updates work in Windows 11 version 24H2

To better understand the change, it is necessary to understand how updates worked prior to Windows 11 version 24H2.

The release version of Windows 11 and feature updates were baselines for updates. Any update that followed was a cumulative update. It included the changes since the release of the baseline version. As you can imagine, this increased over time.

Microsoft introduced so-called checkpoint updates in Windows 11 version 24H2. These establish new baselines for a specific feature update.

The positive effect is that the released cumulative updates are smaller, as they use the more recent baseline as reference. The downside to this is that update data may still be required.

This is happening right now when users notice that they cannot remove gigabytes of update data from their Windows 11 PCs.

The problem right now is that Microsoft is not explaining this. Users see 8.x gigabyte of temporary update data in the cleanup apps, and they wonder why these are not removed when they hit the delete button.

Microsoft is probably going to address this in the future. For now, it is unfortunately looking like a bug to users who experience it.

How to launch the disk cleanup tools

You have several options to launch first-party disk cleanup tools in Windows 11 version 24H2 and earlier.

Settings App Cleanup

  1. Open Start
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Go to System > Storage.
  4. Pick Temporary Files.

Windows displays the size of various temporary file types on the system. You may delete none, some, or all of them from here.

Classic Disk Cleanup

  1. Open Start.
  2. Type Disk Cleanup.
  3. Select the result to launch the tool.
  4. Make sure drive C: is selected.
  5. Click ok.
  6. Activate the button clean up system files.
  7. Select OK.

You find locations with temporary files listed in the interface. Check the ones you want removed and hit the ok button afterwards to start the deletion.

This tool may be removed at one point, as Microsoft wants that users use the Settings app cleanup tool instead.

What is your take on this? Smaller updates but extra space on the hard drive? Or do you prefer it the other way round? Feel free to leave a comment down below. (via Deskmodder)

Summary
Article Name
Windows 11 24H2: Cleanup is no longer deleting all temporary files
Description
Disk Cleanup in Windows 11 version 24H2 is not deleting all Windows update files anymore. Here is why.
Author
Publisher
Ghacks Technology News
Logo
Advertisement

Tutorials & Tips


Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. 45 RPM said on October 14, 2024 at 12:29 pm
    Reply

    If you Frankenstein’d Windows ME, Vista and NT4 into one OS, it would still make more sense than Windows 11: a perpetual motion machine fueled on stupid.

    How something terrible to start with just amazes us week after week by being even more terrible is something to behold. But so are gruesome car crashes, but at least with those we can look away and feel sadness and sympathy for the victims.

  2. Tachy said on October 11, 2024 at 5:54 pm
    Reply

    Found it.

    C:\Windows\System32\cleanmgr.exe

    Send to “Desktop create shortcut”.

    Move it to my Shortcuts folder.

    Pin it to start then move it into the group with all the other stuff M.$ has hidden from us.

  3. Tachy said on October 11, 2024 at 5:45 pm
    Reply

    Sheet!

    When did they remove cleanup from the properties, tools tab? :(

    Seems they are forcing people to the search box for more and more things all the time. Certainly so they can force ads in your face.

    I don’t have that search box. I’ll have to find the actual exe and create a shortcut for it.

  4. John G. said on October 11, 2024 at 3:53 am
    Reply

    Ccleaner should be careful with these new cleanup management. Thanks for the article! :]

  5. vanp said on October 11, 2024 at 3:39 am
    Reply

    What’s to say? It’s either stupid, evil, or an accident. I guess we won’t know until M$ explains itself or somebody else uncovers the truth and tells the rest of us.

  6. Neal said on October 10, 2024 at 11:21 pm
    Reply

    Scannow on the command line is also coming up with errors that cannot be fixed even though it says the errors are fixed

  7. Anonymous said on October 10, 2024 at 10:12 pm
    Reply

    There’s more chance Luddite Louie will find the cleanup options in Windows…
    I said, ‘more chance’. Most users won’t discover anything about the OS.

    1. Paulus said on October 11, 2024 at 2:27 pm
      Reply

      Nice reference anonymous. Are you from Nottingham? :-) Are you even a descendant from Ned Ludd? :-) The term ‘luddism’ suggests a coherent, ‘monolithic’ and theoretically based movement. Lol. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite

      1. John said on October 11, 2024 at 4:32 pm
        Reply

        Seems like a sizable amount of files taking up space for many who don’t have a large storage drive. So why didn’t Microsoft address this before 24h2 was released to public? Personally I have had nothing but nagging issues since my laptop got upgraded to 24h2. I just have to question where Microsoft’s priorities are anymore.

  8. Jimmy said on October 10, 2024 at 7:08 pm
    Reply

    Not sure what advantage to users about smaller updates in the era of fiber and Wifi7. Especially when updates still require restarts which take the bulk of update time. So what benefit to MS? But with big SSDs these days I don’t care about more drive space being taken up. I agree Disk Cleanup will likely be deprecated as Windows becomes a more and more a kindergarten safe zone.

    1. John G. said on October 11, 2024 at 12:55 pm
      Reply

      They all are like headless chickens running against a wall full of spikes.

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.