How to safely delete temporary files

There are three different places that you can find temporary files on your computer. They are located in different place in Windows Vista and Windows Xp. In Windows Vista there are three file paths below to follow to view the temporary files.

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp (%temp)

C:\Windows\Temp (temp)

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

To view these files you can type the exact path into the run box and you will be taken there. Make sure you replace the part where it says “username” with your own username. For the top two there is a shortcut to type in. This is shown at the end of the path. Therefore to see the first temp folder we would follow these steps:

1. Press WINKEY and R to open a run box.
2. Then type in %temp% and press ok. See the screenshot below.

The window below will appear showing all the temporary files in this folder…This is all junk and although I clean this temporary folder out often, it still has over 26MB of files in it. That might not seem like much but that is only for one week. Image if you left it there to build up over 52 weeks or more. You should simply select these files and right click on them and delete them. There is nothing there that is needed. The only thing is you might not be able to delete a file if it is being used by another program. You can come back later and delete it.

If you want to view the second Windows temp folder then simply type temp into the run box. You can find both of these temp folders the same way in Windows XP.

The last place to find temporary files is the temporary internet files. In Windows Vista they are located at C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files. These files include cookies, browsing history, and more..

To find your temporary internet files simply type this path into the run box. Make sure you replace the word username with your username (mine is mitz) for your computer. See the screenshot below. All these files have been collected when you browse the internet.

How to view temporary internet files in Windows XP

1. Go to the start menu and choose control panel from the menu.
2. Double click on the internet options icon. The Windows below will appear.
3. Click on the Settings button, just below the heading, browsing history.
4. The Temporary Internet Files and History Settings window will open.
5. Click on View files to see the temporary internet files.

Now you are welcome to delete any of these files manually if you like.

How to safely delete temporary files using Windows Tools?

You can use The system tools that are included with the Windows operating system to clean up your computer, however it is widely thought that 3rd party programs can do a more thorough job. To find Windows system tools simply go to the start menu, choose all programs, then accessories, then system tools. This applies to both Windows XP and Windows Vista. You will see a list of system tool programs that you can use to cleanup your computer. You can use disk cleanup to safely delete temporary files and you can also Delete your visited website history and other temporary internet files via Internet Explorer.