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How to delete temporary files in Windows 7 to optimize system performance? Step by step guide

How to delete temporary files in Windows 7 to optimize system performance? Step by step guide

Temporary files allow us to recover information that we did not previously save, but also if they accumulate in a great way we can generate problems on our computer. Nobody wants to have a slow PC.

Today we are going to show you what these types of files are and what are the programs that generate them, and to delete them also we leave you some steps so that you can delete them completely from the computer.

But, if you only want to clean your PC and optimize its operation, we leave you in the last section a small list of programs that you can download and enjoy.

What are temporary files and what are they for in your Windows Operating System 7?

Temporary files are those created through software in order to contain specific information, but not in a fixed way, but temporarily. Everything, during the time that a standard file is being created , until we close the program we use. These should automatically be removed , or simply replaced by standard files.

These temporary files are used to be able to recover data that can be lost when there is an unexpected closure of a program, or the PC may stop abnormally. Such files can be called as a program cache .

As we mentioned, normally these files should be deleted automatically when the program closes, however it is not something that always happens.

Mostly these tasks are not performed, so we must manually delete these files. If we let them accumulate in large quantities we would be creating a great risk, since can harm the health and therefore the performance of our team.

When we work with Microsoft Office packages, we will always see that temporary files are created , every time we are transcribing a document, with the extension .tmp, however it is not its main function , because its goal is to create a backup of our files.

It is true that we must keep them, but not such a long time, because may even delay the operation of the program.

Why is it necessary to delete the temporary folder and how often is there do it on W7?

When we delete these files, we free space from our PC, which helps us a lot if we want to have a cleaner computer.

As we saw in the previous section, these files allow us to recover information that could not be saved due to a failure or sudden closure, however, not for this we will have to let them accumulate on our computer.

Such files take up space on our hard disk, and at first they may be necessary, but after they are no longer useful, these files are hosted on the disk , shortening the memory of our PC .

This brings with it side effects, because by taking up so much space on our computer, it slows down. These files mostly affect their operation to those programs that generate them.

What are the benefits of removing this type of data from your computer?

Deleting temporary files brings many benefits , which will allow us to enjoy our computer much better. Below are the benefits of deleting these files:

  • Free space : Certainly a temporary file will not take up much space on our disk, but a lot of them. Eliminating them when they stop being useful prevents them from accumulating, which translates into more free space.
  • A lighter PC: When we talk about a lighter computer , we mean that it is easier to use, and it responds quickly to all requests.
  • Programs respond faster: There are many programs that generate temporary files, and when accumulated in an exaggerated way, make the software take time to start, or respond to what we are requesting.
  • We delete fragments on our disk : Such files to be in large quantities, our computer can consider them as fragments, and these do not allow us to correctly manage the hard disk space.

What programs leave unnecessary files on the computer that you can delete?

On our computer we can find different programs that leave temporary files. Remember that these are generated to safeguard a standard file, but that in turn are a cache of the programs.

Next, we will show the most used programs that generate these types of unnecessary files on our computer:

  • Microsoft office: This is the most used computer package for Windows users, where they generate temporary files every time a document is written.
  • Mega: a download package, which allows us to download any file, that is loaded on your platform, that when leaving an incomplete download or has failures, are considered as temporary files.
  • Programs to download music : these are software that allow us, through links, to obtain mp3 files, which can also generate unnecessary files every time a download is interrupted. Usually, these programs leave these files that must be deleted manually.
  • Browsers: Browsers, such as Opera, Chrome, Firefox, constantly generate files with a .tmp extension. They are the most used programs to download files of all kinds, and in doing so these files are created.

Steps to delete temporary files from your computer with Windows 7

We must always eliminate these types of files, to have a healthier and lighter PC, for this we leave the steps below:

Let’s look for the temporary files

First we must close all the programs we have open, and go to the Windows menu, in the search field where it says “Search programs and files” write “% TEMP% (without the quotes) and press enter.

Delete the files

We will open a folder, press “CTRL + E” or simply press the “Organize” menu, and click on the “Select all” option .

Press the DELETE key and confirm that we want to delete everything, in that list the executable files are included. We right click on the icon of the “Recycle Bin” located on the desktop, and select “Empty the recycle bin”.

List of the best programs to free up space and delete temporary data in Windows 7

If we don’t want to be doing the above procedure every time, we can make use of third-party software. Below we will show you 5 programs that will be very useful for this case:

CCleaner

ccleaner

This is an excellent temporary file cleaner. We will always find it first in the list of the best programs to free up space.

Its operation is very simple and intuitive, which allows us to fully optimize our computer.

Download CCleaner Windows

PC Decrapifier PC Decrapifier

A powerful cache and file cleaner with an .tmp extension, it also has an excellent program uninstaller to eliminate all the software we don’t want to have installed on our computer.

It also allows us to control and manage the spaces on our disk, freeing it from all the censer files that make our PC slow down.

Download PC Decrapifier Windows

DropIt

DropIt

It is an excellent program and activity organizer, allowing us to automate a series of tasks that allows us to quickly find where the files are. We can also create a folder with functions that meet previously determined characteristics.

Download DropIt Windows

Clean Master

clean master

Like CCleaner, is an application that allows us to enjoy a cleaner PC , plus it has all the necessary tools to eliminate failures, errors and temporary files from our computer.

When installing this program our PC will start to work faster.

Download Clean Master Windows

WinUtilities Free Edition

WinUtilities Free Edition

Finally, we bring you a simple but complete software that allows you to do a complete cleaning of the PC, and accelerate it by cleaning it from all errors. In addition, its functions include the protection of our privacy .

This program has more than 10 tools to improve the operation of our computer.

Download WinUtilities Free Edition Windows