Storage Sense automates what Disk Cleanup used to require manual, repeated intervention for — reclaiming space from temp files, the Recycle Bin, and old Windows Update leftovers on a schedule.
# Enable Storage Sense and configure it via registry (or Settings > System > Storage) Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\StorageSense\Parameters\StoragePolicy" ` -Name "01" -Value 1 # enable # Run it immediately rather than waiting for the schedule Start-Process "ms-settings:storagesense"
What It Actually Cleans
- Temporary files and Windows Update cleanup files
- Recycle Bin items older than a configurable number of days
- Files in Downloads that haven’t been opened in a configurable period (opt-in, off by default)
The Downloads auto-cleanup is worth configuring deliberately rather than accepting the default — for many users, Downloads is effectively a second desktop, and auto-deleting from it can be more disruptive than helpful without a longer retention window set.