How to delete Outlook temporary files? Read our simple guide
- Outlook and any other mailbox service stores the temporary files in a folder of your PC. It's likely that the size of these temporary files will balloon and cause performance issues.
- Sometimes even PC cleaners fail to delete the temporary Outlook files. So the next time you run out of storage space does make it a point to clean the Outlook temporary files.
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- There's no point in learning all the tricks of Outlook. That's why we have a How to hub dedicated to this famous e-mail client. Bookmark the page and come again when you need some pointers.
Outlook is undoubtedly one of the most preferred mailboxes but it does come with a few nuances of its own. The one we are going to cover in this segment is the Storage Issues.
Most of us are not aware that Outlook or, as a matter of fact, any other mailbox service stores the temporary files in a folder of your PC.
It’s quite likely that the size of these temporary files will balloon and not only cause performance issues, but also increase the risk of data thefts.
The temporary files include the attachments you view without downloading and the actual attachments that have been opened.
Needless to say, the temporary folder contains sensitive data.
Another side effect is that users will no more be able to open the new Outlook email attachments as the system is already bloated with previous temporary files.
Ironically sometimes even PC cleaners fail to delete the temporary Outlook files. So the next time you run out of storage space does make it a point to clean the Outlook temporary files.
Let’s check out some of the best methods to delete the Outlook Temp files and let’s start with the easiest of them all.
How can I remove Outlook Temp files?
1. Outlook Temp Cleaner for Windows
The one thing I really appreciate about the Windows Ecosystem is the availability of tools, every error has a tool to patch it.
Outlook Temp Cleaner is something that is best of those of us who don’t want to struggle a lot trying to locate the Secured Outlook Temporary files.
This is a free utility and pretty simple to use as well.
Download the Outlook Temp Cleaner file from here and run it. The tool automatically locates the temporary files and cleans up the SecureTempFolder.
It can also be used by admins with corporate login and logoff scripts without the need for any end-user interaction.
Outlook Tem Cleaner also displays the current size of the temp files that are stored in the folder and offers one button to delete all the temporary files.
One can also use the Empty Folder option to schedule the temp file cleaning process. That being said the program needs Microsoft’s .Net Framework for functioning.
Also, you can choose one of the 12 best tools to delete junk files from your PC from our list.
2. Clear Outlook Temporary files by accessing the folders
Thankfully one can directly delete the temp files from the Outlook folders but the issue here is that the temp folder location is stored in registry keys. We have listed the Outlook version along with the name of the key. Just head over to the registry and find the location of the temp files.
- Outlook 2003-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security
- Outlook 2007-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\Security
- Outlook 2010-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Security
- Outlook 2013-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\Security
- Outlook 2016-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office16.0\Outlook\Security
In order to access the folder location open OutlookSecureTempFolder registry key and then copy the path from the key. In the next step paste the address in the Address Bar and then press Enter.
Once inside the folder, you can directly delete the temp files.
It’s also worth mentioning that the OutlookTools is yet another cool program that not only lets you delete the temp files in a jiffy but will also give you other powerful features.
We can name an Outlook startup switch, Tweaks to New Mail alert notification, and also an option to unblock the attachments altogether.
On a related note, the Outlook Tools is also a freeware and can be downloaded from here.
FAQ: Read more about temporary files
- Where are Outlook temporary files stored?
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2017 and has been since revamped and updated in April 2020 for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.