Storage Sense allows Windows 10 to automatically delete downloaded files

By: Costea Lestoc

▪ May 26, 2017 ▪

2 minute read

Microsoft announced a file cleaning option for the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update called Storage Sense, a new feature that automatically cleans usually abandoned download files.

According to head of the Windows Insider Program Dona Sarkar, you can now enjoy the ability to automatically free up space using Storage Sense by automatically getting rid of files you haven’t used in the past 30 days from the Downloads folder. To do so, go to Settings > System > Storage and click on Change how we free up space.

The feature is still in development and because of that, don’t be surprised if it won’t work as expected. When it comes with the Fall Creators Update in September, it should be stable.

During development of the Windows 10 Creators Update, we added the ability to automatically free up space using Storage Sense. We’re continuing to grow this feature, and you can now choose to automatically clean up files that have been unchanged in your Downloads folder for 30 days.

No more third-party software needed

Microsoft has been experimenting with this feature since build 16199. Older versions of Windows required third-party software for doing so. This feature is partially the reason why apps like CCleaner became popular. But as you can see, in its latest version of Windows, Microsoft finally added more options for deleting temporary files not being used by Windows.

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