Windows Storage Sense has been around Windows 10 for a while, but we really need to get familiar with it now because it’s been announced that Windows Disk Cleaner is being deprecated and will go away some day (they haven’t said when).
Here’s some information from Microsoft on how it will run automatically if you’re low on storage space and how it integrates with OneDrive and Files on Demand.
Microsoft chooses odd names for their products and Storage Sense is no different. It’s been hard for me to realize this is taking Disk Cleanup’s place. For one thing, the interface between Storage Sense and Windows Disk Cleanup is quite different.
Storage Sense vs. Disk Cleanup for Windows
The new interface is on the left image below. It’s more readable and pleasingly spaced. There are drop-downs to control each section. Since it is spaced out, there’s more than one page of options to peruse. When you first pull it up, you’ll also see how much used and free space you have on your hard drive.
Disk Cleanup for Windows opens up in a small window with small hard-to-read print. There are just the checkboxes and then click on the ‘Clean up System Files’ button.
Schedule Cleanup With Storage Sense
An advantage of Windows Storage Sense is the ability to set a schedule to have your temporary files, recycle bin and other unnecessary files cluttering your computer managed.
Get there by clicking on ‘Change how we free up space automatically’ link on the Storage start page. Then you’ll see the above image (on the left), where you can adjust the timing to:
- when windows decides
- every week
- every month
- every day
You choose similarly to delete Temporary files and Files in the Downloads folder.
This short video (over on my YouTube channel), will walk you through the steps.
Storage Sense Screen Shots
Cloud Management With Storage Sense
With the October, 2018 Fall Windows Update, Windows Storage Sense can now help you manage your disk space if you’re using OneDrive and/or SharePoint.
I show you this feature in the video. There’s a page that will list all your SharePoint sites and your OneDrive and you can choose to go in and tell Storage Sense to put documents back in the cloud if they haven’t been viewed for at least 30 days.
Files marked always available won’t be touched.
Windows Storage Sense Summary
Although it’s hard to change from what we’re used to, it’s best to get acquainted with Windows Storage Sense and get your settings in place to keep your machine cleaned up. This is especially important for those of us who have solid state hard drives. The clean-up feature, especially with OneDrive and SharePoint, can be valuable.