What Does Disk Cleanup Do on a Computer?

Proper computer maintenance takes many forms. One of the major forms is keeping your hard disks clean of needless data.

History

As the sizes of hard disks grow increasingly large, some topping 2 TB, it becomes easier for the computer user to forget proper disk-cleaning techniques. Disk-cleaning utilities have been a key program to serve this end since Microsoft Windows 95.

Features

Some of the most commonly featured tasks among disk-cleaning utilities include emptying the Recycle Bin, clearing all temporary operating system files and cleaning all unneeded user data from sources such as the Internet cache and cookies.

Benefits

Running regular disk cleanup scans allows for more available drive space and a faster computer because there are fewer files to index and defragment.

Time Frame

Depending on the size and number of hard drives installed, disk cleanup software can take anywhere from several minutes to several hours to scan your entire computer system.

Misconceptions

Disk cleanup software does not clean any physical part of the actual drive. Its function is to clean the needless data written to the disk.